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No sooner did word come that Hillary Clinton would indeed be conceding the race than a literal stream of Democratic leaders and party activists began speaking openly against Obama choosing her as a vice president.
Story from the Washington Times:
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is conceding the Democratic presidential nomination to Sen. Barack Obama, as party leaders and strategists began to openly oppose the former first lady’s aggressive efforts to join the ticket.
A series of other events Wednesday consolidated Mr. Obama’s power over the party as its de facto nominee - a continuing surge of superdelegate endorsements, statements by party elders that the race is over, and his naming of a vice-presidential team, which brought about the inevitable debate over Mrs. Clinton as a running mate.
Former President Jimmy Carter told a British newspaper that choosing the former first lady, who has refused to concede defeat, would be “the worst mistake that could be made.” He told the Guardian that since half of each Democrat’s supporters don’t like the other, Mr. Obama would run the risk of “the worst of both worlds.”
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses a pro-Israel group on Wednesday in Washington. The Democratic presidential hopeful is expected to concede defeat to Mr. Obama later this week.
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell, a Clinton supporter, disputed the notion that Mrs. Clinton’s strong second-place finish gives her leverage on the all-but-certain nominee.
“There’s no bargaining. You don’t bargain with the presidential nominee. Even if you’re Hillary Clinton and you have 18 million votes, you don’t bargain,” he said.
The former first lady agreed to back Mr. Obama during a lengthy conference call with “impatient” House Democrats on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. Obama aides said their team had no scheduled plans for the candidates to appear together.
My question, can Obama ignore the 18 million votes Clinton received? Maybe he can and they’ll fall in line with him, which I’m sure the vast majority of which will.
Dick Morris the other day believes Obama may ask Bill Richardson, though I think it would more likely be someone like Joe Biden perhaps, that is if it’s not Hillary.
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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I’m unsure as to whether or not Obama can count on a majority of Hillary’s contingent backing him, thinking back to WV and Kentucky.
If Geraldine Ferraro and the people who protested at the convention that decided on MI and FL are any representation of Hillary’s supporters, Obama’s going to have a tough time in bringing the party together without Hillary.
Chuck Hagel!
Oh, please not Gov. Richardson. Being a Hillary supporter, I will vote for Senator Obama gladly BUT I am not sure if I can vote for him if Gov. Richardson is his Vice. Senator Joe Biden, in a split second but not Gov. Richardson, please.
Sure, Sen. obama does not have to choose Hillary as his running mate. But he should know that 18 million voters who voted for Hillary (which is more than voted for him), myself included, can easily sway this election to Sen. Mccain. And we will.
You would really vote for McCain over Obama? Do you think that is what Hillary would want you to do? Honestly, Hillary and Obama are not that different. I don’t see how you can justify voting for McCain over Obama when you were going to vote for Hillary over McCain. I can understand loyalty to her, but Obama is now the nominee and you have to vote for the candidate you believe would be best for the country. Obama didn’t wrong Hillary in any way, you shouldn’t take your frustration out on the rest of the country by voting for a poorer candidate because Obama beat Clinton in the primary. We are on to the general election now.
It looks like many will go that way, not from spite, but because Obama is much more the liberal than Clinton. Remember, Clinton and McCain don’t differ than much, either.
So out of curiousity, what does that mean Babs? People keep saying Obama is the liberal candidate and Hillary is the moderate one. But back when they were debating, the chief complaint we heard is that their platforms were so similar that all they had to talk about was some minor differences on health care (and I would think Hillary’s position on that is more universal, and thus more “liberal”) and how they planned to save social security.
I can see how some of what Obama’s said about foreign policy could be seen as pretty liberal, and of course there is his anti-lobbyist policies (which many are understandably skeptical of). But aside from that, I don’t really understand what makes him liberal and Hillary a moderate. They seem mostly on the same wavelength about things. Does anyone want to help me out?
i still wont vote for obama. its mcain who will win now. pelosi, dean, brazille should be fired.
IndiMinded, it’s a good question, and I don’t have a handy answer. I’m repeating what I’ve read and heard time and again. I do agree with all the polls, etc., that tag Obama as the most liberal senator in 2007, and part of that includes his votes on the abortion issue, which I surely don’t want to get started again. *L*
From what I have read, it’s the voting record of Clinton and McCain over time that sets them both towards center. It could be they both just have a longer voting record to look at in determining that, I don’t know. I did read a pretty good article about it a few weeks ago, if I bookmarked it I’ll see if I can find it again and post it for you.
Way to go, Ernest.