Today the Democratic Party Leaders, The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee, meet to decide whether the Michigan and Florida delegations will be seated in Denver. Will it be half a vote or another formula?
At mid week, Party leaders signaled the end of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton duel.
Hillary Clinton, who began the race for the Democratic nomination as the seemingly unstoppable choice of the party establishment, is ending it as an outsider railing against the perceived injustices that have taken her to the brink of defeat.
Busloads of her supporters will converge on Washington today for protests outside a meeting of a party rules committee. Bill Clinton has adopted the language of conspiracy theorists as he attacks a “cover-up” by unseen hands intent on wrecking his wife’s chances. Aides mutter darkly about media bias, sexism and double standards.
The candidate is unrelenting, telling rallies: “We have not gone through this exciting, unprecedented, historical election only to lose.”
Mrs Clinton highlights polls showing that she is best placed to win the White House and statistics that, by some counts, put her ahead of Mr Obama in the popular vote. Her campaign has invited journalists to stay on the trail with Mrs Clinton next week, even after the final primaries on Tuesday.
However, the Democratic leadership is starting to gather around Barack Obama’s standard as he prepares for battle with John McCain in November’s general election.
The Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid, the House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and Howard Dean, the party chairman, have sent out clear signals that they expect the race to end in a matter of days.
“We agree there won’t be a fight at the convention [in August]. The time has come to make a decision,” Mr Reid said. “By this time next week, it will all be over.”Mr Obama is said to have up to three dozen super-delegates waiting to announce their support next week, pushing him ever closer to, or even over, the finishing line for the nomination. At least one big name, the House majority whip, James Clyburn, is expected to announce his endorsement on Tuesday morning even as primaries take place in Montana and South Dakota.
Today, on the eve of a primary in Puerto Rico that Mrs Clinton is expected to win, the Democratic rules committee will meet in Washington to consider what to do about her disputed victories in Florida and Michigan. [.]
But as the larger focus is on the winding up of the primaries, one of the “memorables” of the campaign is being etched in history:
Hillary’s drinking and the sense that perhaps she over stayed exiting.
There are these photos of Hillary making the rounds in the world media. The London Times, UK has this header and photo captions of Hillary Clinton seen as drowning her sorrows – considered in some quarters as not very flattering for a former first lady:
A drink before You Go? Hillary Clinton in the last chance saloon. (saloon is Brit speak for a bar or pub)
Here is Hillary Clinton enjoying a drink with a claque of journalists on a campaign flight. Has she finally given up on becoming the next President and resorted to drowning her sorrows? Or has has the senator come up with an ingenious last-ditch ploy to invoke the glory of a past victory?
Legend has it that four years ago, during a meeting of congressional delegates in Tallinn, Estonia, the former First Lady challenged Senator John McCain to a drinking contest and soundly beat him.
She may have traded Eastern European vodka for a glass of decent whisky but Mrs Clinton has reminded us that, despite Obama’s lead in the delegate count, there is only one candidate who can drink McCain under the table.
Hillary began the campaign wishing she’d be hailed as another Margaret Thatcher, the iron lady. She succeeded in being labeled ‘tougher than one of the boys’ who will break all the rules to win at all cost.
Reminder: Hillary’s argument for remaining in the campaign was that she’s the stronger candidate best able to beat McCain. Now we know why and it has nothing to do with electoral votes…because Obama drinks orange juice instead of coffee.
Just imagine…Hillary could have departed on a high.
Well in one sense she did, but many were hoping she’d take the moral, gracious higher road.
