Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Should Hillary Quit?

In a word, no. Not yet anyway.

I do not like the Clintons. I do not like Hillary Clinton and do not want her as my president. I do, however, respect that her supporters are many and of strong opinion. Just as am I. In thinking about this, I've taken a somewhat different view from those who feel prolonging this very close fight will hurt the party and the candidate who ultimately goes on to the general election.

They claim all the mudslinging is giving McCain all the fodder he needs. I'm not so sure. A lot of it is little more then petty bickering. A lot of it is less than accurate and in some sense sophomoric. All of it will be old news by the time the general rolls around. There is so much being revealed by the campaigns about the opposition voters are beginning to say, "Ho hum, old news. Get back to the issues."

It is also showing much more of both candidates than we voters usually get to see. On one side we see a scrappy, snippy and frenetically yapping pit bull. On the other side we have sleek elegance with an ethereal calm that projects a sense of firm control. The simplistic choice is style over substance.

We've also seen one has not been able to knock the other out of the race. Therein is the crux of the issue and why Hillary should stay in at least through Pennsylvania. She is expected to win but if the margin is narrow, her work in the following states will be more difficult. If Obama is a true front runner he needs to win the majority of the remaining states with healthy margins. It would be helpful to him if he could win where not expected but that is most likely wishful thinking on my part.

As for what McCain is doing in the meantime is pretty much under the radar. His reintroduction tour has told me more about his grandfather and father than himself. Not to diminish his service to the country, but sitting in the House and Senate for all these many years does not instill in me the confidence that he has Presidential skills. He has a fair amount of his own baggage. Older doesn't equate with more able.

So for now Hillary should stay in the ring. She compared herself with Rocky Balboa today - as a fighter, as tough. That she is.
A bloodied and beaten Rocky lost that fight.

Was the movie too long? No. Did you know what the outcome would be before the conclusion? Yes.

But then this isn't a movie and the end isn't scripted.

3 comments:

Betty said...

The media morons are beginning to pile on, now, trying to run her out of the race. I don't think she will win, but I must admit, I would stay in, too, if I were her. She has a lot of people backing her in the states that haven't haad their primaries, yet. I don't think it would be fair to them for her to just quit at this point. No doubt, they would vote for Obama, but, if I had volunteered hours and hours on Hillary's campaign, I'd feel cheated if she dropped out before I could see the fruite of my labors. It will all be over soon enough.

Word Tosser said...

It is a race.... to the finish.. any one who jumps out early... didn't have their heart in it...is a quitter. Hillary is not a quitter. got to give her that...

So it isn't over until (as Yogi used to say) it is over....
Or the fat lady sings... and I taint singing yet... lol...

What is wrong with it going to the convention? Use to be that way when I was a kid watching the ones on television. Smoke filled rooms and all. Let's go to the limit... let the piece fall where they may... We know they are all going to be best buddies after it is all over.
Look at Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton..

The New Arch Druid's take on the news said...

I am not so certain that the news media is piling on her to quite so much as some of the Dem party elders are. At least where CNN is concerned, the more Senator Clinton stays in the race and tosses the kitchen sink at Senator Obama the more the news media can engage in that titillation factor. And openly speculate about how a bloody and bruised Dem nominee will finally lose to the presumptive GOP nominee by November. Even further, I notice that Lou Dobbs loves to wring his hands over those "disenfranchised voters" should Senator Clinton drop out of the race. Wow. Guess he forgot to wring his hands when Rep. Tom Tancredo abruptly left the GOP field, along with Gov. Huckabee, Gov. Romney, Rep. Hunter and on the Dem side, Senator Dodd, Senator John Edwards... Isn't that what primaries are for? Those who get the most votes, most states and most pledged delegates wins. At least that was how it used to be until that screwy election year of 2008.