Chris Bowers and Mithras have a strange theory that Clinton supporters will have an easier time accepting defeat if the campaign keeps going and going and going all the way until July. For Bowers, he simply assumes that Clinton will win Pennsylvania. For Mithras, he seems to suggest it will be better if she does. As both of them support Obama, I find this analysis passing strange.
The Clinton campaign is like a band-aid. It’s better to rip it off as fast as possible. The pain will be sharper that way, but also far briefer. The worst thing that can happen is for Clinton to do well enough in the remaining states that her case for the nomination grows in plausibility. In that case, her supporters are likely to hold onto an undying grievance against the little things that cost her the nomination (like Michigan and Florida’s decision to move up their primaries) or Mark Penn’s big-state strategy, or their perception of biased media coverage. They can accept a technical knock-out, but a split-decision from the judges will keep them howling about the injustice of it all.
The best thing that can happen is for Hillary to lose Pennsylvania, which will make all talk about Michigan and Florida irrelevant. If Pennsylvania cannot do that job, perhaps North Carolina and Indiana can. But I do not believe it will be easier for Clinton’s base to accept a loss if she maintains her strength to the very end.
