|
Jonah Goldberg: why Hillary is staying in
 She cant win. The pundits say it. The polls say it. The math says it. Its even the word on the street. If Huggy Bear from Starsky & Hutch were around, hed say its time to stick a fork in her.So why does she keep going? . . . Perhaps its the best route to long-term victory. Washington has long swirled with rumors that the Clintons are holding some nuclear option in reserve against Barack Obama. The latest theory is that theyve decided not to use it, as it would destroy them, too. Who knows what it might be, if it exists at all. But its worth noting that if Hillary were the take-no-prisoners brawler everyone says she is, she would almost surely have pushed that button by now. That she hasnt used the doomsday device buried under Clinton HQ might mean it doesnt exist. Or it might mean shes looking beyond 2008. In her West Virginia victory speech, Hillary emphasized her electability. Obviously, thats now her best argument for persuading the superdelegates. But its an even better argument for positioning herself as the I told you so candidate after an Obama defeat. Just because the Clintons say something doesnt mean its untrue. . . . If Obama does implode, Hillarys bitter-end fight would position her to say to Democrats, You were warned. Obviously, she wants to win this year. But the conventional wisdom that shes hurting herself within the party by not bowing out gracefully might be flawed. Polls show that Democratic voters want the race to continue. And so long as she can avoid blame for Obamas loss, shell be in great shape for 2012. She will be able to argue that Democrats must think with their heads, not their hearts, if they want to win the presidency and change the country. Her centrism would no longer seem calculated. And, of course, the identity-politics bean counters will argue that, this time, it really is a womans turn. Hillary will do all she can to appear supportive of Obama should he get the nomination. But appearances can be deceiving. Clinton biographer Carl Bernstein recently reported on the Huffington Post that Sidney Blumenthal, the Clintons preferred smear artist and rumor spreader, has been pushing the press to cover Obamas ties to Bill Ayers, an alum of the left-wing terrorist group the Weather Underground, as well as many other questionable allegations about Obama. The real test of my theory will be whether the Blumenthal operation shuts down after the Clinton campaign does. Posted by: Mike 2008-05-16 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=239207 |