What Hillary Sold During the Primaries

For the past several months I've been trying to understand the Hillary diehard line of thinking, how they came to the conclusion that Obama was an empty suit and this morning it clicked.

After listening to Hillary supporters talk this morning about how race affected their vote, there it was: Hillary sold Obama to her supporters as an inexperienced and unqualified black man who was trying to use his race to get ahead.

That's the way they saw it. They didn't see Obama as a qualified candidate. Geraldine Ferraro was a good example.

In Hillary's effort to get to the White House, she didn't engage in overt racism but she used Obama's race against him, which when you think about it, is devious and ingenious and it's no wonder she wasn't thought of for the vice presidency.

Hillary's Bill Problem

Once a president, always a president. Obama has not ruled out Hillary but Hillary's extra complication is Bill Clinton. 

LA Times: Jill Iscol turned their phone conversation Thursday to the vice presidency -- something the Obama campaign has refused to discuss publicly. She said she told him that Clinton would be his best running mate.

Obama replied that she is on his list, Iscol recounted, and that it would be a mistake not to have her on such a list. But he also explained that he was thinking through a potential "complication" -- Bill Clinton.

"He said once you're a president, even if you're a former president, you're always a president," Iscol said.

That suggests Obama might be worried the White House could get crowded with Bill Clinton back on the scene.

Still, Iscol hung up believing Hillary Clinton had a shot. Obama didn't say that Bill Clinton would be a disqualifying factor, but he conveyed that he needed to grapple with what it would mean to have a former president as second spouse.

Can You Fire A Vice President?

hillary wants vice president slot and the answer to the question is no, you can't fire a vice president. they need to be impeached.
so there are so many downsides to a hillary vice presidency. but i could be convinced otherwise.

cnn: Rep. Charles Rangel, a senior member of the New York Democratic delegation, also told CNN, "I have reason to believe she is open to the [vice president] slot."

One of the sources added that former President Clinton has been privately pushing for a couple of weeks for his wife to be No. 2 on the ticket.

On Monday night, a close friend and adviser of the former first lady told CNN Clinton will say tonight "that she will do whatever it takes" to put a Democrat in the White House. Barack Obama insiders saw that as an indication she would accept an offer to be his running mate if asked.

"In her speech [Tuesday] night, she will convey the message that first and foremost she is committed to Democrats winning in November and will do whatever she's asked to do," the Clinton adviser said.

"She will do whatever it takes to bring the party together to win and whatever is asked of her to make sure the Republicans are defeated," the adviser added.

Even though she discussed being Obama's running mate, her campaign chairman earlier in the day said Clinton was "absolutely not" prepared to concede the race after the polls close tonight in Montana and South Dakota, the final two contests on the primary calendar.

one other note in the story above, jimmy carter is set to endorse today.

Hillary: Why I Continue to Divide the Party

i won't add any commentary because i won't have anything nice to say. on meet the press the morning, it showed a clip of obama suggesting that like lincoln, he might invite his enemies into his cabinet. that's interesting to contemplate.
hillary wrote an op-ed for the new york daily news:

ny daily news: This past Friday, during a meeting with a newspaper editorial board, I was asked about whether I was going to continue in the presidential race.

I made clear that I was - and that I thought the urgency to end the 2008 primary process was unprecedented. I pointed out, as I have before, that both my husband's primary campaign, and Sen. Robert Kennedy's, had continued into June.

Almost immediately, some took my comments entirely out of context and interpreted them to mean something completely different - and completely unthinkable.

I want to set the record straight: I was making the simple point that given our history, the length of this year's primary contest is nothing unusual. Both the executive editor of the newspaper where I made the remarks, and Sen. Kennedy's son, Bobby Kennedy Jr., put out statements confirming that this was the clear meaning of my remarks. Bobby stated, "I understand how highly charged the atmosphere is, but I think it is a mistake for people to take offense."

I realize that any reference to that traumatic moment for our nation can be deeply painful - particularly for members of the Kennedy family, who have been in my heart and prayers over this past week. And I expressed regret right away for any pain I caused.

But I was deeply dismayed and disturbed that my comment would be construed in a way that flies in the face of everything I stand for - and everything I am fighting for in this election.

And today, I would like to more fully answer the question I was asked: Why do I continue to run, even in the face of calls from pundits and politicians for me to leave this race?

I am running because I still believe I can win on the merits. Because, with our economy in crisis, our nation at war, the stakes have never been higher - and the need for real leadership has never been greater - and I believe I can provide that leadership.

I am not unaware of the challenges or the odds of my securing the nomination - but this race remains extraordinarily close, and hundreds of thousands of people in upcoming primaries are still waiting to vote. As I have said so many times over the course of this primary, if Sen. Obama wins the nomination, I will support him and work my heart out for him against John McCain. But that has not happened yet.

I am running because I believe staying in this race will help unite the Democratic Party. I believe that if Sen. Obama and I both make our case - and all Democrats have the chance to make their voices heard - in the end, everyone will be more likely to rally around the nominee.

I am running because my parents did not raise me to be a quitter - and too many people still come up to me at my events, grip my arm and urge me not to walk away before this contest is over. More than 17 million Americans have voted for me in this race - the most in presidential primary history.

I am running for all those women in their 90s who've told me they were born before women could vote, and they want to live to see a woman in the White House. For all the women who are energized for the first time, and voting for the first time. For the little girls - and little boys - whose parents lift them onto their shoulders at our rallies, and whisper in their ears, "See, you can be anything you want to be." As the first female candidate in this position, I believe I have a responsibility to finish this race.