Letters to the Editor
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Maybe it's time to stop
Maybe it's time to stop slicing and dicing the electorate into pure racial/ethnic/class/gender segments. That is the Republican way, and look at where it's getting them: the GOP is increasingly the party of upper-middle class white men, and little more. The permanent minority party.
The Republican Party looks every day more out of touch with the real America; the Democratic Party reflects America as we really are. Men, women, black, white, Latino, Asian, all classes and educational levels: we're all in this together. Let's keep it that way. Who's purposes does it serve to segment out the Democratic electorate by race, gender, education? Not ours, that's for sure. Together, we can make the country work again.
Anti-Obama arguments based on racial politics (just like anti-Clinton attacks based on misogyny) are the Republican way. Democrats should, and must, rise above the Republican race-based politics and tactics of the past. Bury them. Forget them. United, we'll win.
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Be Gone
The only ticket I'd like to see Hillary associated with is the one that carries her on a train to obscurity. This claim in recent weeks that she is a great fighter for the masses and a working class hero is some of the worst pap ever served up. After $109M over the last five years it is safe to say Hillary has no clue how Middle America really lives. Witness her failure in Iowa to tip the waitress at the burger joint. The gas tax holiday is more of the same. The bottom line is that Hillary is all about Hillary.
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It's doing her image more harm than good!
This endless primary is growing tiresome. And I fear is going to start turning people off the Democrat's message big time. If she hasn't taken the lead by now she never will! It's time to start thinking about the coming election in November. Of bringing the party together for a rock solid win in November. All her campaign is doing is dividing the Party further. To where it's become divisive. It's doing her image more harm than good!
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Michigan and Florida
Michigan and Florida can't save Hillary. Even with both at full strength included, she loses the popular vote, she loses the pledged delegate count, and she loses the overall delegate count.
Even if she blows Obama away in the last few states and gets FL and MI seated, she still needs a 55% supermajority of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination. That's not gonna happen: any superdelegate that's waited this long isn't going to go with the loser of the popular vote AND pledged delegate count.
It's over.
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She Finally Learned How to Run For President?
...she finally learned how to run for president (albeit with a slightly cynical bent) just when it was too late in the political season to make a dramatic difference in her prospects.
What, she should have begun lying, pandering and playing the race card sooner? She never learned how to run for president. Period.
All this media hyped garbage about Obama never sealing the deal was proven to be just that. Garbage.
It was Hillary who dug herself into a deep hole with her hubris and ego. For all the evidence you need, go to YouTube, punch in "Clinton February 5th," and witness her arrogantly telling George Stephanopoulos that it would be over by February 5th. And after it all began to slip away in a Penn-fueled miasma of incompetence, she decided that her path to the nomination lay in defamation, pandering, lying and an endless push to keep moving the goalposts. None of it worked in the end.
If learning to run for president is predicated on those incredibly flawed traits, then that in and of itself is why she lost, not evidence of her having learned a damned thing. And what an example she set along the way to people so tired of these types of political inanity and exploitation.
She learned how to lose and that's about it.
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Dodgy math
The caucus voting system has exaggerated the value of that voting block. Blacks make up 20.1% of voters in the Democratic party. Obama automatically gets 90% of that.
Blacks make up roughly 13% of the total population according to the most recent census. That instantly cuts their clout by almost half. Even if 75% of the entire black population votes that lessens their clout again to under 50% of what it is in the Democratic party.
This appears to assume that 100% of non-Blacks will vote in the general election. For a more realistic calculation, begin with the figures quoted above. 75% of 13% gives 9.75%. Let's suppose that turnout is 60% for the remaining 87% of the electorate (which is about the highest it has been in the last forty years). 60% of 87% gives 52.2%. Adding 9.75% and 52.2% gives 61.95% of the electorate voting, of which Blacks make up 15.7%.
The above figures are very conservative. I wouldn't be surprised if Black turnout is at least 85% and I suspect that Republican turnout will be down from its levels in recent years. Thus Blacks are likely to be very influential in the general election.
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Clinton wins
When you count her wins in Florida and Michigan Clinton has won the nomination. the people have spoken.
It is time for Obama to quit.
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NC represent!
Idunno, folks, but I just feel good today. Anyone else feel good today? Anyone see the county breakdown for Obama in North Carolina? I was honestly thrown by it. I knew we'd win a lot of the counties we won, but there were some surprises. Just gotta say, I feel pretty good today.
I'm all for finding a way to seat Michigan and Florida delegates. But it can't be based on the results of their primaries because that's about as non-democratic as it gets. I don't care if we just make them all supers and let them choose. Frankly, though, no matter what, I fully expect the Democratic leaderships in Florida and Michigan to be kicked directly to the curb for screwing up the process.
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@ bennygale
Hillary Clinton for Justice of the US Supreme Court!
It's possible.
John McCain might just appoint her.
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Misleading headline
Cinton isn't closer to oblivion, she is finished. If she stays in this race for another couple of meaningless weeks, it would be only to weaken Obama in order to position herself for a 2012 presidential run. "Closer to oblivion" means she's close to the brink, but she isn't, she is across the brink, she has zero chance of securing the nomination, and the only discussion about her right now should be about why she didn't announce her withdrawal from the race last night or this morning.