Politico's David Paul Kuhn tries to say that it is time to turn the lights out on the Clinton campaign, and I agree with him. It's over. Really. It is. Obama won. It was a great race. Yadda, yadda. It's time to iron out the wrinkles, placate the egos and get back to making sweet love over universal healthcare and budget balancing. Let's do that!
Kuhn says Obama will announce that "it's over" officially on May 20. I'm sure he will try very hard not to do it in some flagrant manner, like say, punching his fist through a placard reading "I will fight for you!" while shouting, "But you couldn't fight this! I'm a baaaaad man! I'm the greatest of all time. Obama, bumaye! Obama, bumaye! Rumble, young senator, rumble! You can't hold me! I'm too pretty. I'm so pretty!"
I mean, because that's what I would do. But I'm sure he'll reign it in.
"On May 20 we're going to declare victory," said an Obama senior advisor who asked that his name be withheld to speak candidly, adding that after those contests they will be "the ones with the most pledged delegates and the most popular votes."
While the nature of that declaration of victory is "still developing," in the advisor's words, the Obama campaign contends that the winner of a majority of pledged delegates should be the party nominee.
But do you think the Clinton campaign got the memo? Kuhn said those Arkansan dead-enders plan to slug it out at least until May 31, but possibly even longer, arguing over those disputed Michigan and Florida delegations.
It's a train wreck waiting to happen, with one candidate claiming to be the nominee while the other vigorously denies it, all predicated on an argument over what exactly constitutes the finish line of the primary race.
The Obama campaign agrees with the Democratic National Committee, which pegs a winning majority at 2,025 pledged delegates and superdelegates--a figure that excludes the penalized Florida and Michigan delegations. The Clinton campaign, on the other hand, insists the winner will need 2,209 to cinch the nomination--a tally that includes Florida and Michigan.
"We don't accept 2,025. It is not the real number because that does not include Florida and Michigan," said Howard Wolfson, one of Clinton's two chief strategists. "It's a phony number."
Wolfson said they intend to contest the DNC's 2,025 number "every day," as well as any declaration of victory made by Obama based upon that number, because it does not include Florida and Michigan.
Now I'm not like other people. I don't care whether Hillary remains an agitator all the way to Denver because, reality is, she can't win. If she's smart (and she is smart) she will use the sizable amount of delegates she won and tons of cache she has to use as she pleases. She could use it to gain favors or promises or to see her ideas make it onto Obama's platform. (Other than her sudden desire to bomb Tehran and "gas tax holiday"promotion, they've got some wiggle room.)
Plus Obama will want to heal the Dems' fractured coalition. He can't do that if Clinton uses her leverage to pick at all those sores. Breaking the party down by its waring tribes of woman, black people, gays, blue collar whites, Latinos, "elites," hardcore heart-bleeding Liberals, progressives, feminists and young people has been very damaging to the point that some want to take their toys and go give them to McCain.
Those people are crazy. But I understand their sentiment.
But if you believe Begala and Brazille, people are going to be SALTY over how this Democratic cookie crumbles.
So what will Obama do? You can't ignore her. She' has too many delegates. But you don't want her hold those delegates over your head keeping your ideas and choices hostage until she stamps her OK on them. I know people don't like to hear it, but the woman is just a little over 100 delegates from Obama. As much as he may want to see her disappear, I am telling you, she is not going. She didn't leave Little Rock when they wanted her to leave. She didn't leave the White House when her husband was being impeached. And she didn't leave Bill all those times he cheated. She doesn't double down. She is always "all-in." She's been in the shit before. She has smelled it. She is not afraid of no man (or woman) who gets in her way.
Violent Muhammad Ali allusions aside, how should Obama and Clinton barter this power struggle now that is officially, according to The Snob, "over?"
*To read more of my ramblings, check out The Black Snob!