You Ain't Seen Bad... But It's Coming!

Two comments made me shudder as I watched the aftermath of the WV primary.  

The first was by Hillary in her victory speech:
"...as long as you stand with me, I will stand with you."  We all know the Clinton propensity for moving goal posts, changing definitions, and for never giving in but  this struck me as indicative of quite a step further.  This comment tips her hand - June will not bring an end to her campaign. She has no intention of letting go this block of voters that she continually riles up.

When Rachel Maddow suggested after the NC primary that Hillary will go down ugly, she was summarily dismissed, and she has since backed away from that train of thinking in her more recent commentary.  I thought then that she was right and I think it even more now.

This brings me to the second comment I heard - actually this morning on Morning Joe.  Andrea Mitchell was talking about yesterday's trip to the Hill, and she alluded to Hillary getting a cold shoulder in the Senate.  I don't actually have her quote, but she was talking about how she would not be welcomed back into the Senate.  WOW!  Andrea has long and deep ties on the Hill and I believe that she may have tipped off more than she meant to.

The Clintons have always been known to slice and dice to get their way - to alienate former alliances when the needs of the moment suit them.  This campaign has raised many an eyebrow for the kinds of statements that Hillary has made - nuke Iran, white people, gas tax pandering, and this incessant DEMAND to seat Florida and Michigan.  On even this last point:  why hasn't anyone slapped her down on this?  How dare she place this demand on the Democratic party!  How dare she do so repeatedly, and publicly, on such an issue that inflames not only the party decision-makers, but the public as well!

It has always struck me that she was alienating strong forces in the Democratic party, but much of the media has focused instead in her building political currency with this path that she is taking.  The talk is about how she may not be denied a VP offer, how she may get another plum job like Senate Majority leader (Harry Reid certainly squashed that notion), but it strikes me that she is actually limiting her options - Barack doesn't want this loose cannon, and neither does the Senate.

I think Hillary knows this, and is plowing along anyway with a "with us or against us", scorched earth mentality.  She will not go away gracefully.  No, she has demands, and they will be met, or it will get very ugly indeed.

•  She's toast

  and the longer she stays around damaging the party? The less likely she will win her senate seat in her next go around. She is becoming burned toast :)
  Smells bad and causes indigestion.
  Once the DNC declares Obama the winner? LOL Hillary can scream and beamed her demon looks at anyone she wants but it will be as effective as her trying to appeal to normal people.
  We all need to just stay positive and wait until June 4th and then it will be over. Too many democrats will not allow Hillary to dictate when this is over. MANY are angry as we speak but had allowed her to the end of voting to make her case. She has failed to do that because they know spin when they see it. The uneducated voter and those who like the status quo may not but the people who are concerned about re election? they know.

  by Sam In College on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:16:33 AM PDT

  •  useless

    I have held off on that but your repeated childish bs such as

    LOL Hillary can scream and beamed her demon looks

    Have earned you the label. BTW don't forget to wash your hands before you eat.

    by LaEscapee on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:29:46 AM PDT

  •  okay this is silly

    she is still winning 48-49 percent of the democratic vote. That does not destroy the party...only half of it.

    And if Clinton was behind by 500-600 votes most of Obamas supporters would not care. They only do because they know that in the evil world of party rules, she really does still have a chance to walk away with this.

    by Shane H on Wed May 14, 2008 at 07:28:19 AM PDT

•  as a former boxer

  i can tell you that "it ain't over til it's over." okay, i think yogi berra said that but it's true in life as well as in sports.

  this is a title fight and hillary is behind on the cards. she is hoping for a knockout and a good fighter seldom knows when that will happen. in fact, knockouts sometimes come when one least expects it, when one is on the ropes and ready to go themself.

  hillary has heart and won't quit. that's admirable. this is a close race and she will have to be heard at the convention. imho, she will make a better candidate against mccain, anyway.

  anyone who thinks the dems can disenfranchise michigan and florida and win the general isn't dealing with reality. those delegates must be seated and counted, probably by releasing them to vote how they please.

  by tohbi on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:22:16 AM PDT

  •  t.o.a.s.t.

    it's time for her to get out of the ring.  Punch drunk. Toast.  She's burning her bridges with her racist pap.  She's going to have no choice but to run as a Lieberman type candidate for Senate if she keeps it up.

    by mayan on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:26:49 AM PDT

  •  that's not "heart", it's psychosis.

    who are "the dems" who are "disenfranchising michigan and florida"?

    just like HRC - all victim, no accountability.

    by jj24 on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:33:01 AM PDT

  •  Obama Wasn't Even on the Ballot in MI

    Who's disenfranchising voters again?

    by kefauver on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:51:08 AM PDT

    •  HRC's being robbed by these ... facts!

      btw, what's the penalty for HRC's violating her own pledge to the DNC that she wouldn't run?  30 lashes with a wet noodle?

      by jj24 on Wed May 14, 2008 at 07:02:50 AM PDT

  •  Better candidate?

    She hired a bunch of incompetents and cronies to run her campaign.

    She didn't plan beyond Super Tuesday because of arrogance.

    She didn't have a plan B when plan A stopped working.

    She ripped through one of the biggest war chests in history and is now loaning herself money.

    When the rules don't suit her purposes she ignores the rules.

    She is not the better candidate. On the level of competence she is on par with George Bush who:

    Hired a bunch incompetents and cronies.

    Went into Iraq because of arrogance.

    Didn't have a plan B for Iraq when plan A didn't work.

    Is bankrupting America.

    When the laws don't suit his purposes he ignores the law.

    There are many more similarities but for now these will suffice. She is a walking political disaster, NOT a better candidate.

    by mentaldebris on Wed May 14, 2008 at 08:02:32 AM PDT

•  I think (hope)

  that the latest pandering to white voters was the last straw for her reputation in the party. If some member of Cong. had publicly made a comment that he deserved to be on the ticket because he had more appeal to white voters, HE WOULD BE POISON. Yeah, I hope she is being shunned.

  by Virginia mom on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:32:54 AM PDT

•  Hillary can't win

  and she knows it.

  But it hasn't been about winning for a long time.

  It's about destroying Obama.  Not so she can run in 2012 as many have speculated - she's burned too many bridges for that.  No, it's about putting Obama in his place (and that's putting it nicely).  It's about punishing him for interfering with the Clinton game plan.  It's about crushing him for daring to deny Hillary her one and only shot to be THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

  by eme on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:45:51 AM PDT

  •  After this racial demolition derby

    There is no way I would tolerate any consideration of Clinton for 2012.  She is long term radioactive with the half life of plutonium.

    by crystal eyes on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:58:24 AM PDT

•  I don't think she is close to finished

  as far as she is concerned...the stuff she has pulled so far will be child's play compared to what she begins to do now...buckle up.

  by on2them on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:59:07 AM PDT

  •  cold chills watching her...

    post WV primary speech. She's 'saying' to the Dems, you'll never get my supporters. Even if she eventually gives lip service to Obama as the candidate, it will be after she's sown every poisonous seed she can to thwart his -- and the party's -- success in November.

    by DorothyT on Wed May 14, 2008 at 07:40:08 AM PDT

•  Not since FDR during the Great Deoression....

  Has a divided convention lead to a win.

  If Clinton pushes this to the convention, no matter the nominee, we lose. The Clinton legacy will be tarnished (remember, we lost seats under Bill) and she won't be able to run again.

  by IowaMike on Wed May 14, 2008 at 07:08:20 AM PDT

•  I hope you're wrong

  But I fear you're correct

  by bethcf4p on Wed May 14, 2008 at 07:37:05 AM PDT