Posted on 04/19/2008 5:53:21 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
New York, April 19: Apparently tired of bickering between presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Democratic Party leaders are likely to pressurise the former US first lady to withdraw if she performs badly in the crucial Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday, analysts say.
However, should she decide to continue to fight until the party convention on August 24 in Denver, the party can do little about it.
But with several party leaders asserting that the vicious campaign is doing damage to the ability of the Democratic party to take on Republican candidate John McCain, pressure is likely to mount on super delegates elected officials to declare their preference so that the candidate with lesser numbers could be persuaded to withdraw.
In the debate in Philadelphia earlier this week, both candidates had said that their fight would not affect the Democratic Party's ability to defeat McCain and that they would get united once the nominee is chosen.
But the party bosses do not think so. They say if the fight continues until August, the party would lose three crucial months of campaigning apart from the fact that the Republicans would give ammunition to damage whichever candidate is nominated.
Party Chairman Howard Dean, media reports say, has been urging the super delegates to make up their mind early as there is no chance of either candidate getting enough pledged delegates. The super delegates are not committed to anyone and decide on their own.
Meanwhile, Clinton slightly shifted the line of attack on Obama, challenging his ability to manage the country when he is complaining about tough questioning during the debate in which his performance, all analysts agree, was below par.
She’s gonna win Pennsylvania so the reasoning’s weak.
Asking a Clinton to quit is like asking a barracuda not to bite.
So, sounds like they’re scared she’s gonna win the popular vote and then what happens to their golden boy?
If she wins big in Penn there’s no way they will talk her into quitting. If it’s close on the other hand, the pressure will be intense and she may fold.
Actually, that might be the best money they’ve ever spent.
I’ll bet they want her to quit. That debate the other night showed their emperor has no clothes. They want things to get back to normal; i.e. against a Republican with the MSM on their side.
Operation Chaos at work. You can’t make this stuff up.
She’s 700,000 behind in the popular vote.She can’t win.
Study: Hillary’s Popular Vote Hope a Mirage
Posted April 9, 2008 | 02:54 PM (EST)
Wharton professor Gregory P. Nini (who worked with me on Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party ) and I just released a new study that undermines Hillary Clinton’s efforts to claim popular legitimacy from a possible win in the popular vote. The problem: in 2008 the popular vote isn’t really popular.
That’s because 13 states held caucuses instead of primaries. Because of the challenges of participating in caucuses (fixed times, long time commitment), far fewer people vote in caucus states. Indeed, turnout in those states was just four percent compared to almost 20 percent in primary states.
The study projects that 4.1 million additional people would likely have voted in caucus states had primaries been held in those states instead. As a result, using current popular vote numbers would mean dismissing the will of all those people who would have participated in primaries but didn’t have the chance — and disproportionately weighting the vote of primary state citizens.
And here’s the kicker: based on the demographic profile of the caucus states, had primaries been held everywhere, Obama would likely have slightly increased his popular vote margin from the current 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent. You can read the full study here.
What’s the over/under on F-bombs at that meeting?
Though a part of me wants to see her lose badly, I hope she blows out Obama in PA to keep her in it, and then Obama comes back in the NC primary beating her by double digits there and hopefully they will break nearly even in Indiana. This scenario will guarantee chaos well into the summer.
Do you think, that perhaps dean and company have figured out how much she would owe Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity if she was nominated?
Are they including FL and MI in that? If FL and MI had been done properly, and she wins big in PA, I think that would put her very close in Pop Vote.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html
Clinton has lost this. She didn’t take the early caucus states seriously and Obama got a leg up. Her strategy was flawed and now she’s paying.
I want to see her “pressurised”.
She should also ask that stupid black Marxist America hater to quit also.
One of Dean’s 25 (I think that’s what he called himself) was on chatting with the Friends this morning saying that he remains neutral and will decide on a candidate at the convention. So this means there will be a choice? He also said that Fla & Michigan needed to be seated and thought that they would be. So...it sounds like Mrs. C. is not dropping out, based on this.
I don’t know how to feel about this.
On the one hand, I HATE the idea of a possible Hillary presidency. Just the thought of the two of them again in the White House is deplorable.
On the other hand, the thought of Obama in any position of power is downright scary.
The GOP MUST win this one.
If not, and if the Dem were to actually win in November, I’m beginning to think Hillary would be the least harmful chief executive.
And that’s enough to bring on a migraine.
Although caucus’s have less voters, but dont indicate the popular vote well.
Take Texas as an example (http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/states/TX.html)
In the Primary its Clinton 50.9 to Obama 47.4
In the Caucus its Obama 56.2 to 43.7
Thats a massive 16 point turnaround.
If she is talked into quitting, it will come at a high price. She’ll wait until the offer is high enough, then gracefully do the “right thing for the party and the country.” So, the question is, what carrot would entice her? SCOTUS? Cabinet? Senate Majority? Attorney General?
Either way, she’s not going anywhere. (my opinion, of course)
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