I agree that Hillary should have continued running but I think she should have tried to maintain a more supportive tone in the past few weeks. The writing was on the wall for quite some time. However, as happens in politics, all will be forgiven if she is a staunch ally for Obama. That process has started and it was a smart move on her part. The superdelegates also have played their hand decently toward her and allowed Hillary her diginity to drop out rather than be abandoned. Yes, she needed a push, but it still happened, so good for Hillary.

I'm staggered. I guess you just haven't been paying attention too all of the prominent male politicians, pundits and deep-pocket supporters for Hillary Clinton. Exactly WHERE did her campaign suffer from misogyny or sexism?

Is NARAL now a sexist org? Is MoveON? Are the millions of women voters (including me) who chose Obama sexist/misogymist?

Your post is a result of sloppy analysis. You look at a problematic ending for Clinton and then try to have events fit neatly into the Sexism narrative of why she lost...without one concrete example. Of course, you're not alone. Geraldine Ferraro has done this vocally and embarressingly on TV. But the issue remains the same, so please address the question: How did misogyny cause Senator Clinton to lose this race?

One caveat: I'm sure that there are some bozos out there who will never vote for a woman or a black man. I just don't see how there are so many women haters in the Democratic Party. OTOH, WVA is a perfect example of a vote that was skewed due to race. Let's face it, when 20% of a group SAYS race is a factor, you know 2 things. First, it is and it's a big issue. Secondly, that the number is really quite a bit higher.

It's actually funny in a scary and dispiriting kind of way. MCain rattles on in much the same fashion as Bush about what we need to do in Iraq and Iran. Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad strolls around Iraq like a long-lost cousin. What a stunning and bitter irony. Only the Bush admin's failed policies could have produced such an unlikely result. Two nations that loathed each other for decades, literally arm-in-arm. Just great McCain. Great work Bush/McCain! You've helped Iran actually gain an ally in the region or at least, diminsh a threat to its border. Yeah, the Iranian clerics who REALLY control Iran are real frightened.

Yesm Shawn will be tolerated at Talkleft if only for a brief period. Jeralyn and most on that site are fairly smart individuals even if they are pretty obtuse about Hillary's campaign tactics.

I don't think that many ordinary voters are manufacturing outrage. I think that Clinton surrogates and the candidate herself have created this debacle and made it a big issue in the Dem primary. Unfortunately, people can be easily manipulated when they don't understand a situation fully.

How come when the GOP stripped FL from 114 to 57 delegates, we didn't hear screeching from the GOP voters or candidates? Why is this issue being played as solely a Democratic Party issue when the GOP did the same thing?

I wish I had your optimism about the November elections. Unfortunately, I believe that, despite McCain being pretty unacceptable, he may eke out a victory IF Hillary Clinton and her surrogates continue their temper tantrum. I don't believe that ordinary rank-and-file Clinton democrats care at all what various Obama supporters may say. However, the words and actions of their leader, for lack of a better term, can certainly be persuasive. Case in point is the ridiculousness over FL and MI.

I watched the news this AM and a number of Hillary supporters in FL were outraged, just outraged at having their election result in delegates with 1/2 vote each. One woman shook her head in disbelief at the outlandish tactics of the DNC and stated something to the effect that the GOP must be laughing at us. I guess no one bothered to tell her: The GOP did the SAME THING to their delegates in FL. The state party however just went about with business as usual despite the fact that their candidates only 57 of formerly 114 votes.

Hillary would have a much harder time making her case if the media wouldn't keep repeating the mantra, "the popular vote." Basic civics people. We elect nominees and presidents too using elected delegates. That's it.

Harold "say anything" Ickes was confronted by his staggering hypocrisy on Meet the Press this morning. Russert reminded him how he insisted that Tim repeat after him, "it's the delegates" way, way back in December 2007. Ickes's response to this exposure was a huge tell, he convulsively blinked his eyes and gave a tight grin. His reply was" well, things change.."

Oh, really? The delegate system has changed? When and how Harold?

We have an electoral system Hillary. You lost.