Clinton campaign sheds staff, prepares for defeat

Is the Clinton campaign finally shutting down? Ben Smith reports on Politico that the former first lady's advance staff - responsible for arranging her campaign events - have been summoned to New York for the night of the final primaries on Tuesday and told their roles will then come to an end. It cites two campaign sources as saying that staff received emails and phone calls last night giving them the option of either coming to New York for a final time or going home, suggesting Hillary Clinton is preparing to accede to the inevitable and bow out with whatever dignity she has left following the South Dakota and Montana contests.

Having gained 17 delegates in Puerto Rico yesterday, Barack Obama is now just 47 short of the magic 2,118 that will make him the first black presidential nominee of a major US political party. Though the final votes tomorrow offer a total of just 47 delegates - and Clinton is expected to take a good number of these - aides to both candidates have predicted that enough superdelegates will flood to Obama's side in the 48 hours following the final primaries to put him over the top.

The New York Times quotes Clinton associates as saying that over the past week the one-time presumptive nominee has come to terms with the "near certainty" that she will lose to the 46-year-old Ilinois senator.  The associates spoke of three remaining options - that she withdraw and endorse her rival, pull out without an endorsement or fight through to the convention in the hope of persuading superdelegates to ignore the maths and rally behind her as the nominee. However they reportedly suggested the most likely outcome was that she would end her bid with a speech endorsing Obama, probably in New York, the state she represents in the Senate.

With Clinton herself having hinted on Friday that the race would end sometime this week, the associates' suggestion seems to dovetail nicely with the Politico report. And unless Clinton has veered even further into an alternate reality than was already suspected, pushing on to the convention seems a wildly unlikely choice, with its potential to wreck both Democratic prospects in November and her political career. Meanwhile Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, have both been calling uncommitted superdelegates urging them to show their hands as soon as the final votes have been cast.

So it seems that, 16 months and 19 days after announcing her candidacy, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign may at last be over. It surely couldn't go on any longer. Could it?

Comments

[blackty]

When she started the race I thought, it was inevitble that she would be the winner. The shining beacon in this muddy world we call politics.
I was wrong.
Obama outshone her at every single stage. I believe that you can see a person's true colours in the face of challenge.
Obama has rightly won and i hope he stays above and does not engage in petty politics.

[Hamza Ahmadu-Suka]

Hilary has put up a very strong and dogged challenge but Obama has simply out-thought her in very aspect of the campaign and has shown himself to be adept at chosing talented people to work for him such as the co-founder of facebook.He has a kean intellect and I think will make an excellent President.....

[Shah Baig]

It will be very interesting to see how Clinton endorses OBAMA, after claiming to have (Allegedly) won both Machigan and Florida, to have more popular votes, to be better than Mccain and OBAMA combined, and trully to play the race and gender card with impunity, to inculcate Obama as inexperienced, naive, attached to the wrong church and to hint publicly for him to be assasinated!!!

[Wayne Wells]

This is it. This is Hillary's last chance to show that she cares more about the party, the country, or at least her chances in 2012 than she does for her slim chances this year. If she takes this to the convention, it will be the ultimate expression of the unfortunate Clinton tendency to expect the party faithful to excuse any outrage as long as they apolgize later. We will see if she has finally learned that principles come before results.

[Cedric]

As Hillary Clinton prepares to enter the history books after her defeat, if she has any dignity and respect for the Democratic party and its supporters, it is now her chance to make her exit worthy of all the causes and ideas she claimed so vehemently to champion.

[Brian]

I hope she doesn't say a word about Obama. I wouldn't endorse him to run
for mayor of the smallest hamlet in the most backwater Alabama town. He's
a terrible candidate, and here's a lifelong
Democrat who will be voting Republican
this year.

[Ahmad]

Good riddance. She got all that she deserved for a such a poorly managed, dishonest, hypocritical and racist campaign.
Both Parties have much more talented women who deserve to be President much more than this woman who has 35 years of experience (and counting) in lying.

[Peter Osakwe]

I love the Clinton family, they have shown themselves a fomidable force in American politics. But after all Mrs Clinton's aggressive comments about Mr. Obama all through the campaign, I wonder if she will have the gut to work with him, if she will even concede to him. I just wonder. I am curious

[michael]

years ago she said she'd never run for President. Through no fault of hers something she said has finally come true!! The thought of Bill Clinton back in the White House has always horrified me. He didn't help Gore and he hasn't helped her, he's a liability. Why he gets paid millions for speaking events truly amazes me, all he ever tells is lies. A comic book would be more factual!!!

[MS. BLUEGRASS]

ROFLMAO...This article and the comments are too funny....Keep Dreaming, just remember saying it, does not make it so!

[Daphne Kenward]

OBAMA is a very smart and cleaver and one on the most remarkable person of our age. OBAMA already done his homework of what was necessary to win, and did it with absolute perfection. People like that comes through once in a 100 years, America has 300 Million people in their country. The rest of the world can only wish they had the same luck, to find one like OBAMA. People will want to hate this man for his abilities, his amazing gift of study, and perfecting information, and utalising, and executing information, to it best advantage. The man is a genius. Obama knew what he needed to focus on, and paid attention. He campaingned where he needed to get the best results, focus on where he could win. Don't waste time on lost cause. In the real Election we will see something that has never been seen in History, in mobilising and utalising, people such has never been seen before and win by a land slide such as never been seen in history.

[kris a.]

well its not what hillary did that caused her to loose this race. its the plain fact that obama run a tremendous race and surrounded himself with winners.

[No More Lies]

There are many reasons why Clinton stayed this long, but unfortunately for her, those reasons became apparent months ago. Those include pride, self-righteousness, million$$ in campaign debt, posturing for a vice presidential nod, and her hope that something (like maybe assassination) might cause Obama to stumble.

The reality is, people realized that her sound policy ideas and historic candidacy were far outweighed by her lack of Presidential tact, and the baggage of her past.

After 20 years of Clintons and Bushes in the White House, people want change in this country. They're looking for a shake-up in the corrupt Washington establishment. Realistically, that's simply not something Hillary had to offer.

[Daphne Kenward]

OBAMA, being the perfectionist he is, he deliberately left HILLARY to clean up where he know she would win. Moved in to areas he would win. And that will leave McCain no where to go, in the real election it is called team work. The map is drawn, Hillary & OBAMA will come back in the election to clean up, infact has it really made any difference, who was the top of the ticket. They used that to fool the people to see how passionate they were, and they are passionate OK. McCain may as well pack up and go home. Hillary was a fighter & OBAMA was the one to seal the deal. I can see these two working togeather, if they have a mind to. I was one who thought with the bickering, but it's called POLITRICKS. A way to mesmerise and decieve the unsuspecting victims. Words is what you hear, but for the speaker its about leadership in some case dictatorship, its about control. MIND CONTROL. BUSH fooled the world sold them a pack of lies to go to war. People brought it and sold their soul to SATAN for nothing. Leaving children wives, for a false promise of DEMOCRACY.POLITICS is not for the faint hearted, it is for people who are cold and calculating, Hillary showed how cold you could be. Say anything to win. McCain will go down the same road. But He will not win in the next 5 months people will see how hard life has become under BUSH and will want nothing to do with them, including McCain.

[Kenneth B. Smith, P.E.]

Atten: W. POST: I am consumed with the desire that we should have more Experienced candidates up of the Most important position in the world. Suggestions are: Gov. Ed Rendell, Mitt Romney, etc.
Sincerely: K.S.

[Richard Hellstrom]

WHAT IF WE ALL JUST VOTED FOR ICHBOD CRANE ?

Although the Democratic presidential candidates are running on a platform of change , their hasn't been any major transition in political policies in Washington D.C. since the 110th Congress formally took control of the House and the Senate and convened on January 4rth of 2007. ( Both are controlled by the Democrates ) The funding for the war hasn't been stopped and the gas companies are continuing to price gauge the American people. If the Democrats won't bring along the changes that they have vowed to make for the last eight years , why will they suddenly bring along all the changes their promising to make in their current campaigns ? It appears like the Democrats are no more than a mirror of the Republican Party and have no intent of making any political decisions that will jeopardize their political lobby. I'm beginning to think that the American voter isn't really comfortable with change either. But on the upside , This is really great news for our public transit systems !

[JOHN CHUCKMAN]

I read somewhere - not a mainline source - on the Net that her workers received e-mails saying their services were no longer needed and that there was to be a meeting in NYC.

Good to see you back, Hannah.

[The Angry Weasel]

Hillary keeps going in the vain hope of damaging Obama (or a smoking gun about his private life emerges) and thus win the nomination by default. She is tainted by her marriage to Bill Clinton, her obvious moral "flexibility" and by her weak grasp of honesty. The Republicans must be praying that Hillary keeps up her attacks until the last minute as that'll chip away at Obama's credibility. McCain probably has the election in the bag already.

[ChenaMax]

Senator Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton have fought the rough and tumble fight. They have employed every trick in the book. But America and the world have changed. The American people have spoken with their votes and their pocketbooks in favor of Senator Obama.

We shall be saying the same thing about Senator McCain and Senator Obama after the general elections in November. (By the way, Senator Clinton has zero political future in America because of all she has done. Life is ultimately fair.)

And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's get used to calling Senator Obama, Mr. President. Yes, We Can!
Chena Max, New York City

[Mikko]

Pity Hilary has lost because the sad reality is that mainstream America won't vote for Obama. So the Democrats have lost themselves another election.

[robyn harte-bunting]

Clinton is a ruthless powerluster who cares for nothing but her own disgusting ambition-a perfect ayn rand villainess.

Obama is an unreconstructed leftist charade of a man whose only policy ideas are the eonomically and morally bankrupt ideas of the "chip on the shoulder" left of the 1960s. His taxation proposals would destroy america as would his foreign policy.

How do such people rise to prominence? Democracy is indeed the God that failed.

[Steve J]

"..bow out with whatever dignity she has left"

Hannah, dear, you're the one that has shown yourself to be utterly bereft of dignity, or indeed any shred of professionalism in your spite-filled, scandalously biased 'news reportage' of the Primaries.

Still, at least you followed the crowd. And orders.

Don't forget to click that 'delete' button!

[AKS Kumar]

Its a childhood thing with Hillary Clinton,something I understand very well personally-Carry on in doggedly just to make it look like a good fight ,makes the losing of the Clinton family a little less bitter.
Obama has just done well by keeping his poise and his head high .

[Terry Prewitt]

You know..... brothers always have to fight twice as hard and strive four times as long to achieve success in this country. This has become the plight of Obama in his race for the White House. Partially due to Hillary's constant barrage of negative politics, it is going to be very difficult for him to try and overcome those remarks. I just hope that Hillary has it in her to do the right thing and put enough energy and effort into uniting the party as she has tearing it apart.

[Elliot Fein]

Obama gave the American people in the primary campaign what they want to see in his presidential leadership: thoughtful deliberation before key decisions are made. His ability to listen to others before acting will continue to be a key ingredient to his success. His forty-five minute speech on "Race" "The Economy" and "The Iraq War" were each eloquent and clearly articulate, expressing what we can expect from him and his administration as they try to tackle key problems. The world is a complicated place. These type of massive problems will not get solved with political slogans and 30 second media sound bites. I am looking forward to a president who is smart enough to realize the challenges that the United States must confront.