Well, well here we go again with another huge Democratic primary state looming as a must-win for Sen. Clinton. The more things change in her campaign, the more they remain the same.
Same old expectations will be the same old disappointing and devastating results for the New York senator.
Here we sit on the eve of the biggest date of Clinton’s political life. And while reporters, pundits, and general observers are fixated on the final preparations, speeches and last jaunts around the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania of the two Democratic candidates, I’m more fascinated on how Hillary exits this race with some decency.
Notice how I didn’t use the word “gracefully” . . . You see, in my mind, she’s already lost this nomination. And every day that she prolongs this inevitable self-righteous parade around these United States, there is no grace left to salvage from her campaign.
She lost it following Texas and the outcomes in those states that didn’t even numerically put her back in contention. Oh, sure, her handlers will say that Obama can't win all of the delegates necessary to capture the nomination either.
So now they’re trying a bob-and-weave move (or shuck and jive for all you Cuomo lovers out there!) and arguing that Hillary can still win the popular vote, post some major contrasts between her and Obama in the coming weeks before she loses handily to him again in North Carolina (forgot about that one, eh, Mark Penn?), and then somehow strong-arm the remaining superdelegates to have mercy on her and support her losing efforts.
I’m all for fighting to the bitter end, but this is getting out of hand.
Back to the premise. Forget tomorrow and what happens on Tuesday. What matters more is what occurs on Wednesday morning. The media elite continue to lower the bar of being elected for Hillary and constantly raise it for Sen Obama. We’ve heard the same old tired tune that if she doesn’t win by double digits or a landslide it’s over; then later Obama has to win the next primary state in order to win the Democratic primary without any lingering doubts.
Either she has to win Pennsylvania by double digits or many of these pundits are just manipulating the primary process. Hillary’s camp for weeks now has been saying that if she doesn’t win the state by double digits, then her campaign is finished.
This sentiment has also been echoed by the Democratic Party’s hierarchy and many wonder what is the bar for her to exit this race. But every day leading up to April 22nd, it has seemed as though she’s backed away from that conclusion.
What’s more amazing is that the party officials just stand on the sideline and let her dictate and change the rules of the game at will. And just today she’s touting that Richard Mellon Scaife — the billionaire who personally led and funded investigations into the extracurricular activities of her husband — is now endorsing her campaign. Remember Scaife was the biggest funder of the Judicial Watch investigations led by Larry Klayman. Remember Scaife funded the outing of Monica Lewinsky as her husband’s mistress?
Why in the world would she even acknowledge an endorsement from someone who clearly can’t be trusted by her camp? I can’t begin to explain his logic, but the fact that Clinton is hanging her political hat on a sworn political enemy is an extreme sign of the desperation she must be feeling.
Watch the superdelegates here. If they begin to murmur and complain on Wednesday and privately (and publicly) start to call for her to step aside, then I think HRC will have to do just that, for they hold the last vestige of hope for her presidency. Remember the former Georgia Democratic senator recently endorsed Obama, sending a clear message that Clinton’s time has passed and it’s a new day in Democratic politics.
However, if somehow Clinton pulls off a double digit upset, and the superdelegate faction remains quiet and uncommitted, then she at least lives to fight another day in North Carolina in the coming weeks. Given the consistency of Clinton dropping in the Pennsylvania polls daily, it’s virtually impossible for her to maintain her once double digits in that state.
Obama isn’t willing to take any more chances with the shrewd senator and has abandoned his image as Mr. nice guy of the campaign. He has begun a vicious negative campaign about the senator and it seems as though voters are being impacted by the advertising campaign.
Whether Obama’s new strategy is a wee bit late or not, Clinton is still in for the fight of her political life. Whatever the outcome, Hillary is in for one helluva hangover comes Wed. morning, I fear!
Will someone be on standby to read her the last rites of a failed campaign and convince her that the time has come to join the Obama band wagon?
www.armstrongwilliams.com
© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
|
