She Cannot Close the Deal.
Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:20:12 PM PDT
Senator Hillary Clinton of New York is a fine candidate. With 35 years of experience, the best team of political operatives, and established support within the Democratic Party, she has reached the finals of the Democratic nominating process. After scaring off Clark, Warner, and Bayh, she's finished off Gravel, Kucinich, Dodd, Biden, Richardson, and Edwards. All that's left between Clinton and the nomination is the young but surprisingly attractive (for whatever reason, for some people) Barack Obama. The nomination should've been hers for the taking.
Unfortunately, Hillary Clinton just cannot close the deal. Here's why she has failed so far...
First, Clinton lost Iowa. She ended up with only 14 out of 45 pledged delegates because more people voted for her rivals.
Second, when she "won" New Hampshire, Clinton only managed to win 9 out of 22 delegates--same as Obama, who finished a few thousand votes behind her.
Next, Clinton finished one delegate behind Obama in Nevada despite finishing just ahead of Obama in the popular count.
In South Carolina, Clinton only won 12 delegates to Obama's 25. It was in South Carolina that she and her husband, the formerly-popular President of the United States, thoroughly pissed off one of their most loyal constituencies--African-Americans--with a lack of tact and insistence on "clinging" to Bill Clinton's mantle of "honorary Black President."
On Super Tuesday, Clinton's campaign promised closure but Obama's massive victories in Illinois, Georgia, Colorado, and wins in a number of smaller states, Clinton found herself in second place ... which in a general election would make her The Loser. Although she scored well in California, New York, New Jersey, and Massachussetts, Clinton failed to close the deal.
What happened next practically sealed her fate. Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, and the Virgin Islands gave set Clinton back another 51 delegates. 51! After Maine she was down another 6. And then, on February 12th, two days before Valentine's day, Clinton lost Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia by 58 more delegates. Then in Hawaii and Wisconsin, Clinton was crushed 56 to 38.
By the time Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island rolled around ... Clinton was no longer talking about "closing" any deals--she was left with talk about what it would take in order for her to survive. Her great "comeback" netted 4 delegate. Had the election only take place in these four states and the U.S. Virgin Islands ... she would have won by one. Unfortunately, the "deal" included all of the other states.
Since then, Wyoming and Mississippi added 9 delegates to Obama's total. Pennsylvania will compensate for ... her loss in Wisconsin.
And so it goes.
We've had 40 primaries and caucuses and yet Clinton has failed to close the deal. One has to wonder if she's even got what it takes.
Permalink | 25 comments