Go Loudly Into The Night

Hillary Clinton is not quitting.

Courtesy REUTERS/Frank Polich

She's not going anywhere.

If her campaigning in Indiana this weekend, which doesn't vote until May, isn't enough of an indicator, then maybe this weekend's email from her husband will convince you.

Here's part of it:

Dear tom,

Here's the most important thing you need to know about this race: it's neck-and-neck.

Only 130 delegates separate Hillary from Senator Obama -- and that's not counting Florida and Michigan. The difference in popular vote is less than 1 percent, and millions of voters have yet to make their voices heard. This election should be about their choice.

But now we're hearing people -- elected officials, party members, and Obama campaign surrogates -- call for Hillary to pull out.

With the race this close, it sure doesn't make sense to me that she'd leave now -- does it make sense to you?

The email was titled "Not Big On Quitting".  And it continued (after asking for money):

At this critical moment, all of us supporting Hillary must make sure we are just as focused as she is. With all the talk of the state of the race, all the people telling her she should just give up, you and I must make sure she has everything she needs to stay in this race.

That's not the only place you'll find this sentiment.

Type "Clinton quit" into Google and you'll find 610,000 hits.

There's an article from Reuters.

There's another one from CNN.com, and also from The Times Of India

And here's an interesting write-up from Capitolhillblue.com, in which the author contends that it's the Clinton ego that won't allow Hillary to quit.  He writes:

Anyone who thinks the Clintons will give up at this point doesn't understand the monumental ego of the couple or their desire to fulfill their own ambitions at any cost.

That ego dictates that their wishes and their wishes alone guide their destiny even if those wishes destroy their party and cost Democrats a chance to recapture the White House.

The Democratic Party Chair (and former presidential candidate) Howard Dean says he wants this race concluded by July 1 if not sooner.

Courtesy AP/ABCNews.com

The final primaries for the Democrats are on June 3rd, when Montana and South Dakota voters cast their ballots.  So Dean's deadline is somewhat arbitrary, in that he's admitting the primaries won't produce a winner without the help of the superdelegates. 

He just wants to avoid a nasty convention.

Some will say (and have commented on this blog) that a prolonged battle is good for the eventual winner.  They contend that whatever dirt exists will be out and long cleaned up by the time the nominee faces presumptive GOP nominee John McCain.  Maybe.

But if the party's chairman wants this finished before the possibility of a brokered convention becomes a reality in late August, then something tells me one of the two candidates will be forced to quit at some point.  And that means even party faithful fear an overly prolonged nomination battle.

Now may not be the time for Clinton to hang it up...

She has a big lead in PA. She could win NC and Indiana in early May...

It could be a virtual tie...with Barack Obama having just a slight delegate lead.

But who wants to be the one to ask Obama to quit?

Either way this is a conversation that will only get louder.

And nobody will go quietly into the night...

Thanks for reading. TA

Comments

[DWE]

Personally, I don't care who wins the "democrat" nomination. To me both bode ill for the United States Of America! If you don't believe that, make sure you maintain a bookmark to Tom's Blog, should either of them get to the White House. You can review this comment in the archives and see that I "told you so!"
Let the "dems" have a convention like the "good 'ol days"! Remember 1968 Yea, sis-boom-baa!

[McCainACE]

I don't think Hillary should quit. At this point, egos aside, there has been enough doubt raised about Obama's qualifications and judgment (or lack thereof) to make many Americans shiver with fear if he were to get within sniffing distance of the White House.

Poor judgment calls:
-- Sitting in Wright's services listening to hate-filled rants.
-- "Boneheaded" (Obama's word) real estate deals with the Rezko's, which in my mind, needs alot more coverage since the Rezko's are being looked at for criminal proceedings.
-- Willing to pull us out of Iraq, yet willing to move us back in if he thinks al-Qaeda is becoming a presence in the country once again. Hello? They're already there!!
-- Having a flowery, rhetoric filled platform without being able to explain one darned thing.
-- Showering everyone with money, promises of more social government-funded programs, and promising $50 BILLION dollars to rebuild Third World nations (think Africa, given his church's philosophy). Where the heck is he going to get all of this money???? Oh, that's righ...the paycheck of every working American citizen.

This guy is dangerous. I surely don't want a Socialist in the White House, and that is exactly what Obama is: A Socialist running on the Democratic ticket.

[Peter]

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TO OBAMA!

A VOTE FOR OBAMA WILL GET REV. WRIGHT IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND INTO LINCOLN BEDROOM!

GOD-DAMN AMERICA!

Read the shocking revelations on Obama:

http://www.obamaunveiled.com

Gee!

[Steve]

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton may be the Democrat who Republicans love to hate, but some Republican strategists say they have no fear of a match-up with her rival Barack Obama in November's presidential election.

Many Republicans have long believed Clinton, the polarizing New York senator and former first lady with the high negative ratings, would make an easier White House foe by energizing conservatives and alienating independents.

But Republicans say the relentless Democratic nominating battle has given them new hope for November and exposed weaknesses in Obama that will play a central role in any general election campaign against the Illinois senator.

"I believe he has a glass jaw -- and he is going to get hit hard," said Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio.

Obama's voting record in the U.S. Senate -- one magazine ranked him the most liberal senator in 2007 -- and during his years in the Illinois state Senate will get a more thorough examination in a campaign against Republican John McCain than it has so far, he said.

"He portrays himself as a centrist and a moderate, but if you look at his votes it's tough to see anything but a liberal. He is more liberal than Hillary Clinton," Fabrizio said.

The questions raised by Clinton about Obama's lack of experience and suitability as commander in chief will be revitalized, Republicans say, as will the controversy about inflammatory comments by Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Coupling that with Obama's weakness among blue-collar Democrats and Hispanics, and the possibility of a prolonged nominating fight that turns off Clinton backers and independents, Republicans are gaining confidence about a November race against Obama.

"Originally people thought Hillary would be better to run against only because she generated so much ill will among the Republican base," said Republican consultant Rich Galen.

"But I don't think professional politicians on the Republican side have a rooting interest anymore because it doesn't matter. We can beat either one. We just wish the election was tomorrow," he said.

WHO CAN WIN?

The question of who gives Democrats the best chance in November is central to the battle between Clinton and Obama as they woo superdelegates -- the party insiders and elected officials who are free to back any candidate and are likely to decide the tight race.

The two campaigns have waged a war of words, memos and conference calls with reporters to make their case. The Clinton campaign says she is a known quantity with proven success in big swing states and with key constituencies like women, Catholics and Hispanics.

Clinton was heartened by a Quinnipiac University poll this week that showed her beating McCain in three key swing states -- Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida -- and running better against him than Obama. "The polls are reflecting the arguments we're making," Clinton strategist Mark Penn said.

The Obama campaign says he would rewrite the electoral map, bringing in new voters and drawing independents and some Republicans in a broad coalition that would also help Democrats in other races around the country.

"We are going to put more states in play than Senator Clinton," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, adding Obama "would provide the best atmosphere for down ballot candidates."

But the Clinton campaign leaped to highlight recent comments in The New York Times Sunday magazine by Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who heads the Republican party's efforts to elect House of Representatives members. He said he thought Clinton would be the stronger candidate.

"He's ideologically well to the left of Hillary Clinton, for all his rhetorical gifts, and I also think he's got a national security deficit," Cole said.

"I think she's a plausible commander in chief, and I don't think he is. It may not matter. But those two areas are where we would fight the election, and with McCain, I think we contrast with him very well," he said.

Republicans have been successful at painting Democratic candidates like Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 as too liberal and out of step with everyday voters. But part of Obama's appeal has been his promise to rise above partisan divisions.

Fabrizio said there were dangers for Republicans in Obama's ability to attract new voters and increase turnout, but his record in Illinois on topics like sex education, crime and spending would be fertile territory for researchers.

"In order to bring out those new voters, you have to maintain the same level of excitement. If Obama gets tarnished, that excitement is going to wane" among those voters, Fabrizio said.

"What more are you going to tell the American people about Hillary Clinton? But most Americans didn't even know Barack Obama eight months ago, and there is so much more for them to know."

(Editing by David Wiessler)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http:blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)

[randy]

pppsssst HILLARY?, MARK MY WORD, YOUR GOING TO LOSE.
RANDY MC. ORLANDO, FLORIDA

[randy m]

pssssst. hillary YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE.

[Kelly]

The last big quitter I remember was Al Gore. He conceded when he could have put up quite a fight. Hillary isn't likely to quit anytime soon and I don't see any reason she should. It's a joke to think anyone running in this race is not spending at least some time and money on "dirty politics" - politics are dirty. But watching the Democrats bumble around like this year after year is just tiring and worrisome. I'm supporting McCain.

[jack]

I agree with Obama. Hillary should run as long as she wants.

[Greg]

Which is precisely where Hillary's money is going. Hillary is spending monies on investigating Obama for "dirty politics" instead of paying her vendors. Boy, what a common sense leader she will make !!!!

[Ben Keeler]

She has no reason to quit. If she wins PA, wins IN, wins a few other states along the way, who knows what will happen? More could still come out about Obama. She still has a real chance.