I just don’t get Hillary Clinton. I really don’t. Actually, I just don’t get the Clintons. They seem really, really power hungry and I just a tad narcissistic. That being said, why in the world is Hillary staying in the race at this point? I understand the rationale behind getting a few fundraisers in to knock off some of the debt, but all the language the Clinton camp is using leads us to believe she’s still in for the long haul. I just don’t get it; it’s virtually a mathematical possibility for her to win at this point.
Let’s look at the numbers.
Despite what Hillary said last week, 2,025 delegates are needed to secure the nomination.
According to the Associated Press, as it stands now Obama has a total of 1,847 delegates (1,591 pledged, 256 superdelegates) and Clinton has a total of 1,686 (1,423 pledged, 263 superdelegates). So Obama needs less than 200 and Clinton needs over 300. Around 270 superdelegates are yet to be decided and 217 delegates will be decided in the next 6 primaries. Even if the delegates from Florida and Michigan were counted as is and even if most of the superdelegates went Clinton–both of which have been major talking points for her thus far–Obama would still have the lead. She would need to win at least 66% of the remaining delegates in every contest to overtake his lead. Neither of them will likely do that.
I suspect by May 20 Obama will be very close to the magic 2025 number. I’d like to think Clinton would concede at that point, but everything coming from her campaign lead us to believe she’s in until at least June3 perhaps even the convention. I just don’t get it. For what benefit? The hope that chaos will ensue at the convention and the DNC will overturn the pledged numbers decided by the people? If you plan on making history Mrs. Clinton that would be your chance. A candidate with the delegate numbers has never been robbed of the nomination.
In my mind this is already over. Barack Obama is the presumptive democratic nominee and will face John McCain in November. I think that’s most people’s understanding at this point. Unfortunately, it seems Hillary Clinton may be the last to be apprised.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Joe Kennedy // May 8, 2008 at 10:43 am
Blake, she comes across worse than Al Gore did after G-Dub won Florida back in 2000. Unlike Gore, she’ll probably never find a positive fallback situation. At least Gore is doing something with his free time. She’ll probably go back to the Senate and run again in 2012.
A few years ago Bill seemed on the road to being the next Sec-Gen of the UN. I’m not sure why that got derailed (I wouldn’t be surprised if Hillary stopped him so she could make him work for her campaign). Anyway… my ramblings show I have nothing good to say about Hillary, who it seems to me, is worse than Bill ever was. Cold-hearted man. Cold-hearted woman.
2 david // May 8, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Did Al Gore come across as desperate in 2000? Despite a few questions he was probably the least combative democrat involved in that whole mess.
3 Joe Kennedy // May 9, 2008 at 12:05 am
David… I dunno… I do think his jokes about the ordeal ring a little bitter. But who am I to really say that? I don’t know the man.
If you watch him, he seems to bring it up often.
But Hillary… well… she’s another story altogether. Back when Bush gave his famous post-9/11 speech to Congress, I remember seeing her have the most obscene look on her face. Kind of like a mix between boredom, utter contempt… the kind of look that makes you sick to the stomach to think that someone would even make it. I knew right then that she wasn’t someone I could like.
I guess she’s just one of those hard to like people. For me.
4 Andrew // May 11, 2008 at 9:07 am
I agree that the race seems pretty tied up at this point. From everything I’ve heard, it seems like the Clinton camp is having to campaign as hard as they can just to convince people she’s still in the race. Her claims about being more electable than Obama just don’t seem true when I think about McCain and the current president’s approval rating. Even if she does have “hard working Americans” tied up, she and Obama are both still Democrats. Does anyone really believe that a Republican can be elected right now? Especially a Republican who’s been panned by so many Republican and conservative voters?
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