I'm not sure I quite get why everyone is so interested in having Hilary concede. Numerically she has been beaten. Do they want the skin off her ass as well? Maybe it will make a nice man purse.
My main problem with her at this point is that she keeps trotting out the "long shot of the week/day".
First the MI and Fl won't count, then they have to count or else we're disenfranchising them (and given just how close she's admitted that this race is, the whole "I deserve all of my delegates from MI and Obama shouldn't get any" BS from this weekend really came off as purely opportunistic). First it's a question of who wins the most delegates, now it's all about the popular vote and we just won't count a few states that had caucuses.
If she would just stop trying to change the rules of the game to suit her needs, I'd be a lot happier with her. As it stands now she went from someone I would be ok voting for to someone I actively do NOT want to vote for and it's purely a result of her (and her surrogates) actions during the primary.
I find the media's take on this disgusting and so obviously biased. So many reports yesterday that Hilary would be conceding that evening, and they all were traced back to the associated press. Nobody bothered to verify with anybody in Hilary's camp as to whether the report was true, and if you've ever read an AP story and then seen the same story a few hours later, it always changes. By the end of the day, the media was reporting that Hilary was ready to take on the role of Vice President (something Barrack has stated in the past that he would not do is ask Hilary to be Vice President, and I don't really see it happening...of course he is a politician, so he could easily flip-flop on the issue).
Last week CNN was running a similar story, only they added the lovely fabrication that was all their own, saying how Hilary and Barrack (or their "people") were trying to agree on an exit strategy for Hilary that would leave her with some dignity, which would include Barrack asking her to run for Vice President, and then Hilary would politely decline his offer. The story was so obviously made up, and if it hadn't been, how on earth would that scenario allow Hilary to retain some dignity if everybody knew what the agreed upon scenario was going to be?
We want Hillary to concede because we want all this sniping and tension to be over... and I for one am very tired that she does not acknowledge the fact she didn't win enough delegates to secure the nomination.
In the past couple of months it's all about what fabrications and delusions Hillary is peddling: she wins non-caucus states! she wins the popular vote in primary states! she wins big states! she wins states with white people!
It's everything but the one thing that matters: delegates. She's lost, and I would really like to stop hearing Yet Another Excuse why she won't face reality.
I have actually wanted to see her concede for far longer than since yesterday, just because it seemed clear she was going to lose. I kept my opinion to myself because perhaps I was wrong and she wouldn't lose, and if she chose to try for that chance, there's no reason she shouldn't.
But now that she has, it would be nice if she conceded. This has been a hard-fought, relatively-close race. That's a good thing in many ways, but it also means it has divided the party a lot. We need to work toward ending that division, and while she still stays in the campaign "against" Obama to the bitter end, she reduces time to bring the party together before the general election. And I do NOT want McCain in office.
Frankly, a lot of what she has done trying to get more delegates (the whole Florida/Michigan thing, for example) has made me anti-Hillary at this point. Before, I preferred Obama but was happy with either of them. Now I am so glad she did not get the nomination, because she has acted as a politician's politician (and openly grasping, at that) and I am just disgusted with it. I want her to stop muddying the stage now that she is, not merely "clearly not going to" make it, but by the numbers not going to make it.
I should add that the media stories that she "would" concede appall me also. They shouldn't cover her conceding until she does (and in fact, may have forced her not to, if she had been planning to do so, because of the way it then would have looked). The media are being jerks too. But the race is over; it's time to say the race is over and get on with things.
I started out thinking she'd be a fine second choice, but now she just scares me. She's willing to do anything to get what she wants, and she's causing a lot of harm along the way.
Now should be a time for the party to be working together, not trying to undermine each other. The longer she drags it out the more hard feelings there are going to be.
A friend of mine linked to this essay. Really made me think. I do think Hillary should have conceded. I think some of what she did this election, seemingly in the name of winning over every other priority, was unfortunate. And yet, the author of this article is right. She's also done very good things, in the past, and likely will again in the future. I shouldn't be so angry with her as I am; I'm only frustrated with one aspect of what she's done, after all, not the rest. It is easy to let that spill over too far, and I think I did.
It's interesting. There's someone on my friends-list who thinks Obama can't pick Hillary as a running mate because all the "only a man" bigots and all the "only a white" bigots will end up against them.
I was thinking picking her as a running mate would be bad because of all the people in his camp who are bitter about her, but really, we'd still vote for him, so maybe not. She has alienated other people, sometimes for reasons I don't understand, who are in the middle.
But when I was hoping he wouldn't pick her - and now, frankly, I'm not sure what I hope, so I'll just wait and see - I was hoping he'd pick one of the other potential female candidates. I really don't think the bias is going to harm him that much if he does have a female running mate, because a fairly large percentage of those people are likely already in McCain's camp for other reasons anyway.
I'll be interested to see who he picks. I'm sure the media will pick it all apart again regardless...that I am well and truly tired of, I must admit. :P
I was quite taken by HRC's never-say-die attitide right to the end. But having lost, it is considered good form to concede and let the nominee prepare for the upcoming battle without distraction. Not try making the case for why they think that they should have won or that they want an overturn of the decision.
I enjoyed watching their battle, but after the final out in the world series, the losing coach doesn't suggest that the game isn't really over yet do they?
There comes a time to lose with grace in politics. I hope that Hillary can find a way to do that. She fought hard. She would have been a good candidate. But so will Obama, and the voters chose him.
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susandennis
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-04 06:00 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-04 06:57 am (UTC)First the MI and Fl won't count, then they have to count or else we're disenfranchising them (and given just how close she's admitted that this race is, the whole "I deserve all of my delegates from MI and Obama shouldn't get any" BS from this weekend really came off as purely opportunistic). First it's a question of who wins the most delegates, now it's all about the popular vote and we just won't count a few states that had caucuses.
If she would just stop trying to change the rules of the game to suit her needs, I'd be a lot happier with her. As it stands now she went from someone I would be ok voting for to someone I actively do NOT want to vote for and it's purely a result of her (and her surrogates) actions during the primary.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-04 09:51 am (UTC)Last week CNN was running a similar story, only they added the lovely fabrication that was all their own, saying how Hilary and Barrack (or their "people") were trying to agree on an exit strategy for Hilary that would leave her with some dignity, which would include Barrack asking her to run for Vice President, and then Hilary would politely decline his offer. The story was so obviously made up, and if it hadn't been, how on earth would that scenario allow Hilary to retain some dignity if everybody knew what the agreed upon scenario was going to be?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-04 02:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-04 11:03 am (UTC)In the past couple of months it's all about what fabrications and delusions Hillary is peddling: she wins non-caucus states! she wins the popular vote in primary states! she wins big states! she wins states with white people!
It's everything but the one thing that matters: delegates. She's lost, and I would really like to stop hearing Yet Another Excuse why she won't face reality.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-04 01:56 pm (UTC)But now that she has, it would be nice if she conceded. This has been a hard-fought, relatively-close race. That's a good thing in many ways, but it also means it has divided the party a lot. We need to work toward ending that division, and while she still stays in the campaign "against" Obama to the bitter end, she reduces time to bring the party together before the general election. And I do NOT want McCain in office.
Frankly, a lot of what she has done trying to get more delegates (the whole Florida/Michigan thing, for example) has made me anti-Hillary at this point. Before, I preferred Obama but was happy with either of them. Now I am so glad she did not get the nomination, because she has acted as a politician's politician (and openly grasping, at that) and I am just disgusted with it. I want her to stop muddying the stage now that she is, not merely "clearly not going to" make it, but by the numbers not going to make it.
I should add that the media stories that she "would" concede appall me also. They shouldn't cover her conceding until she does (and in fact, may have forced her not to, if she had been planning to do so, because of the way it then would have looked). The media are being jerks too. But the race is over; it's time to say the race is over and get on with things.
IMO.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-04 06:57 pm (UTC)I started out thinking she'd be a fine second choice, but now she just scares me. She's willing to do anything to get what she wants, and she's causing a lot of harm along the way.
Now should be a time for the party to be working together, not trying to undermine each other. The longer she drags it out the more hard feelings there are going to be.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-06 05:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-06 05:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-06 05:34 pm (UTC)I was thinking picking her as a running mate would be bad because of all the people in his camp who are bitter about her, but really, we'd still vote for him, so maybe not. She has alienated other people, sometimes for reasons I don't understand, who are in the middle.
But when I was hoping he wouldn't pick her - and now, frankly, I'm not sure what I hope, so I'll just wait and see - I was hoping he'd pick one of the other potential female candidates. I really don't think the bias is going to harm him that much if he does have a female running mate, because a fairly large percentage of those people are likely already in McCain's camp for other reasons anyway.
I'll be interested to see who he picks. I'm sure the media will pick it all apart again regardless...that I am well and truly tired of, I must admit. :P
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-04 03:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-05 01:17 am (UTC)I enjoyed watching their battle, but after the final out in the world series, the losing coach doesn't suggest that the game isn't really over yet do they?
There comes a time to lose with grace in politics. I hope that Hillary can find a way to do that. She fought hard. She would have been a good candidate. But so will Obama, and the voters chose him.
That's just the way it worked out.