What Clinton Is Up To

[athelind]

As of tonight, Barack Obama has the commitment of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination.

Hillary Clinton has not conceded. Her campaign has stated that she has no intention of conceding, though she has clearly lost.

Some people out there in the blogosphere are wondering what the deal is, what the strategy is. She might be jockeying for a VP slot, though after such an acrimonious campaign, that sounds like a less-than-optimal ticket to me.

Here's what I think:

Her campaign is gearing up to run independent, thus splitting the vote and guaranteeing that the election goes to McCain, because she is, quite frankly, pro-business, pro-evangelical, and pro-war, and the only reason reason she manages to pass as a "liberal" is because she's got the entire right-wing media hegemony backing her ruse.

You heard it here first, kids... and please, six months from now, throw it back in my face and tell me how wrong I am.

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This may or may not be connected to my previous post...

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Comments

[(Anonymous)]

With what money? She's 20million+ in debt, no one is giving her any more money.

[perlandria.livejournal.com]

One of the theories I have heard bandied about is that she hasn't recouped her investment in her own campaign. As long as she is on the trail, she can fund raise.

[pathia.livejournal.com]

How? Again, she's 20million in debt, she keeps having to loan to herself. Everyone that supports her has donated to their max, she doesn't get tons of little donations like Obama does.

[cpxbrex.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth - y'know, from over here so far to the left that I can't see the earth most days - Clinton is too savvy an operator to make an independent bid.

First, independents have no chance. Everyone knows this.

Second, it'll fuck her with the Democrats. All her power is party power, power built by her and Bill over the past 30 years. If she runs as an independent, her name is mud with the Democratic Party and she won't be accepted by the Republicans (like that Jefferies from VT was accepted by the Democrats when he became independent).

So, to run as an independent isn't something that she's likely to do because she *is* a coldly ruthless politician.

Far more likely that she'll try to leverage a VP spot with Obama. It'd unify the party. It's a good move.

Again, I repeat I say this from the position of a person who doesn't have a dog in this fight. Or the other fight, hehe. I don't really have any dog in the Presidential election fight, so I figure I'm reasonably objective about this.

[tombfyre.livejournal.com]

Aye, I rather hope for everyone's sake that something else entirely happens. :p The last you guys need is another right wing nut leading the country with a bible in one hand and a gun in the other.

[ceruleanst.livejournal.com]

I think she's going to sue. She's going to try to make the Supreme Court give her the Democratic nomination.

[hafoc.livejournal.com]

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

She's not going to go independent to give McCain and the Honest Businessmen control of the government for another four to eight years. She'd never do that.

No, she's going to go independent because our dear Hillary is power-mad, even by the standards of politicians. She will go after power any way she can, because she must. Expecting Lady MacBubba to step away from power is like expecting a starving Doberman to step away from a pork chop.

[pseudomanitou.livejournal.com]

best scenario -- Obama offers her the Health and Human Services position on his cabinet, while putting her on the list for the Supreme Court. If she accepts that, then we'll not only have a prospect for getting a woman back on the highest judge seat in America, we'll also have someone who will fight tooth and nail to get this nation's healthcare in working order (her health plan was the better of the two anyway).

Worst case scenario, she joins John McCain as his VP, or she runs independent and becomes another Joe 'the conservative talking points whore' Liberman.

I plan to e-mail my hope to Hillary that she do what is best for all of us and not herself.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

...(her health plan was the better of the two anyway)...

Wait, what?

The impression I'd gotten was that Clinton's latest health proposal was to essentially make health insurance like car insurance: "universal coverage" means "you have to have it", but the insurance companies can charge whatever they please and give you the same [sarcasm]Prompt And Comprehensive Service[/sarcasm] they give subscribers now.

You're the Smart News Link Guy: can you link me to some succinct and accurate summaries of the health plans proposed by the various candidates (including, if possible, Edwards)?

[athelind.livejournal.com]

I find your assessment all too plausible.

Throughout this campaign, Hillary Clinton has exhibited a level of arrogant entitlement equaled, in my experience, only by the current occupant of the Oval Office.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

That's the last thing ANYONE needs.

[pseudomanitou.livejournal.com]

not today... sorry -- too busy to do research.

If you want to track it at Daily Kos, you might get something...
(just google 'daily kos healthcare)

[tombfyre.livejournal.com]

Aye, quite so. ^^

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Danke!

[stalbon.livejournal.com]

Perhaps because of her husband, I am more or less 'liking' Hillary Clinton. Is she pushing things too far? Yes. When the primaries began, I figured she had the best shot (most seemed to agree) because I saw it as hard for many to back Obama, given his new, inexperienced nature, and his race (the race card is not a happy one, but yes, I figured it would play heavily in the fall). However, the way she carried on throughout the past months has been admirable, but thick-headed. I do not wish to see McCain carrying on Bush's tactics, and while I think Hillary is of a different mind and has the country's best interests in thought, it is proving hard to agree with her this deep into the year. I do not see her as a bad candidate...she's toting a lot of what she wanted and pledged from ten years ago...but that's just that, she's stuck in a mindset from a decade ago. So I'd rather see her eventually back Obama, whether she's his running mate or not, and I think that if she isn't chosen for that slot, it may be up to Bill to bridge what will certainly be a large gap between the two, if only for the party's hopes for November.