Most know that it's over if Obama wins OH and/or TX Tuesday and we have to be prepared, in the best interest of the party to respectfully start really arguing for a HRC withdrawal from the race.
We always knew when we did this we'd have to fight the Clinton campaign with its ever moving goalposts but the writing is on the wall that Fox News and the rest of the Right will also be pushing for the Dems to go all the way to August cause they know it's in their best interest.
Thankfully, the NYT's today picked up on the idea of ending this as soon as the voice of the people heard on some of the Sunday shows, most notably by Gov. Richardson, who hasn't endorsed either candidate, on Face the Nation:
"I just think that D-Day is Tuesday," said Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, a former Democratic presidential candidate who has yet to throw his support behind either candidate.
[...]
saying that it was vital to Democrats’ hopes in the general election in November to mount a positive, unifying campaign, said on the CBS News program "Face the Nation" that "whoever has the most delegates after Tuesday, a clear lead, should be, in my judgment, the nominee."
John Kerry and Dick Durbin also had similar messages but Richardson's resonates a lot clearer because Kerry and Durbin have already thrown their weight behind Obama.
This is the kind of thing we need if Obama picks up OH and/or TX Tuesday. Previously unaffiliated prominent Dems to come out and be clear that the people have spoken and it's time to do what's best for the party, for the country. I believe and hope this is what individuals like Al Gore have been waiting for silently for over a month now, seeing it as the best contribution they can make to Dems.
Meanwhile, Fox News was telling a very different story than Richardon's D-Day analogy.
[A]Clinton supporter, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, said on "Fox News Sunday" that Mrs. Clinton should ignore the pressure to bow out and decide for herself what is best. "Hillary Clinton is a major candidate," Ms. Feinstein said. "She has every right to stay in the race if she chooses to do so."
There is, of course, nothing wrong with having Dianne Feinstein on their program and her advocating in favor of her pick for nominee is legitimate and honorable.
However the context is what concerns me. I believe this is emblematic of the picture the Right has started painting in anticipation of prolonging the race to their benefit.
They want people to believe that suggestions of stopping the race so "soon" would be a perversion of democracy. It's win-win for them of course. Either they successfully get the Democratic race extended into the summer, hugely favoring the Republican in the fall or they fail in that effort but Clinton bows out "under pressure" and at least they make Democrats look undemocratic and Obama look like an anything-to-win-indifferent-to-the-people politician (you know, a Republican).
That's what concerns me, not the appearance of Dianne Feinstein on Fox, which is fine by me, but the report by Fox's newest Fair and Balanced reporter that followed:
Karl Rove, the former senior political adviser to President Bush and architect of his presidential election victories, said such calls from Democrats for Mrs. Clinton’s withdrawal were unwise and unbecoming.
"I think it’s a mistake for his campaign to be calling for her to drop out," Mr. Rove said on Fox. That would be seen as "rubbing her nose" in the fact that she is trailing, he said. "It’s up to the delegates at the convention to decide who wins and loses," he added.
The talking points for keeping HRC in will be flying out of Penn and co. Wednesday morning if she losses TX and/or OH, and now it looks like Fox will jump all over them.
Simply put, I'd just like to take this opportunity, before the fact, to remind Dems, Obama and Cliton supporters alike, that Fox News and Karl Rove is not where we get our cues on how to run a democratic campaign in the best interest of the party and the country.
Similarly, Hillary supporters, if later this week things don't go your way and you find yourself in a position where Obama supporters as well as impartial, unaffiliated Dems are arguing one thing, you're arguing another and the only people who agree with you are Sean Hannity and Karl Rove please take a minute to think about what that means.
Let me also be clear that I'm in no way suggesting that Obama will win either Ohio or Texas, but just in case it's important to preempt Karl Rove from in any way controlling the our process to our detriment.
