Via Ben Smith
Members of Hillary Clinton's advance staff received calls and emails this evening from headquarters summoning them to New York City Tuesday night, and telling them their roles on the campaign are ending, two Clinton staffers tell my colleague Amie Parnes.
The advance staffers -- most of them now in Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Montana -- are being given the options of going to New York for a final day Tuesday, or going home, the aides said. The move is a sign that the campaign is beginning to shed -- at least -- some of its staff. The advance staff is responsible for arranging the candidate's events around the country.
With the future of her campaign in doubt, Clinton hasn't announced her plans for the final election night of the primary cycle or beyond, but the aides said she would stage her election night event in New York City. Her entourage is currently expected to wake up Tuesday in New York and to arrive in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night.
Well...she is spending Tuesday night in New York. And she is shedding staff. I wouldn't call these the most ABSOLUTE markers that she is actually conceding. But it does seem significant...especially since her campaign is well-aware of how it looks to the media. The media narrative for tomorrow will undoubtedly be that she's on the verge of dropping out.
Thoughts?
Update:
Made the rec list! Thank you very much. I am actually really ambivalent about the significance of this event. As recently as a few hours ago, Hillary was talking about how she has the popular vote, the people have spoken, Barack has a slight delegate lead and etc. This seems like extraordinary rhetoric if she is really planning to concede. So I dunno.
I thought I should add on to the diary by adding some of what the commenters think.
Lastman doesn't think it signals anything:
She could be shedding staff because the primaries are over in two days. That doesn't mean she's quitting.
Beekeeper Agrees
Ummm. I wouldn't necessarily read...
...too much into this. There aren't going to be any more big public events of the kind that would require an advance staff. But the fact that she's going to D.C. the next day suggests she may be shifting to a phase where she's fighting the inside fight--for superdelegates, most of whom are in D.C.
Slinkerwink thinks it matters
Actually, it does. To stay relevant for superDs, she would need to do general-election style campaigning through the summer and for that, she needs an advance team.
True Independent Agrees
If you think you will be the nominee or even still have a chance at it, you need to start campaigning for the general and that requires an advance staff. Without it she cannot campaign for the general and that means she is acknowledging she will not be the nominee. I do think she will suspend her campaign in the hopes something "earth shattering" will come out but those hopes are dim as any potential story out there is nothing but a giant turd being peddled by people who don't understand grammer or the use of contractions in language.
BUT he adds this caveat
There is another story however that she is going to DC on Wednesday to personally make a pitch to supers. That seems odd because if, as everyone suspects, Obama gets enough delegates tomorrow and Tuesday (be it pledged or super) to clinch the nom the only reason to talk to supers is to have them switch to her.
So I guess we are...cautiously optimistic?
Update II
Lipris has some possible inside info. Did the campaign shedding begin some time ago?