TD isn’t letting us reply to any comments here, so I’ll try this avenue to reply to Leefeller.

I don’t know if you considered me one of those “frisky” Hillary supporters, but I have to say, I didn’t contribute much to the TD dialog other than in defense of Hillary, once the campaign got rolling. And no, I wasn’t under the employ of the Clinton campaign. In fact, the only candidate I contributed money to was Obama. The reason I got into the role of arguing in favor of Clinton is that the preponderance of comments on TD (and other left-leaning sites) were bashing Clinton, and sometimes in the most outrageous fashion. Not arguing on issue positions, but just bashing her and her campaign. It shocked and appalled me, so it tapped into that liberal “defend the underdog” impulse I have.  And of course, the more I defended her, the more it pissed off some of her most hardcore critics, which made me come back and defend some more…etc.

Of course I’m going to back Obama. There’s no comparison between what he would bring to the office and what McCain would bring. We can’t have more Republian rule. I wish I could be as certain that Obama’s campaigning genius will translate into executive brilliance as some of his more ardent supporters here, but alas, I have my doubts. But there is HOPE!

Obama 08!

Jason asks:

•  “At this point, what has she to gain now by using dishonest means?  If she plans to be president in the future she has a couple ways to still get there: 1)She can leave the current race with alot of respect, continue to demonstrate her political ideals, and run again in 2012; or 2)become VP, demonstrate her capability and run in 2012 or 2016.”

I would have to answer that for Hillary, this was the ‘end’. She couldn’t run again until 2016, to take up the reigns in 2017. In 9 years, she will be 69. That’s not to say that she couldn’t still be president at age 69, and hold down a 4 year term. But, that’s still a big job after what has already been an exhausting sort of career.

You suggest that she could run against Obama in 2012, but that’s simply never happened to my knowledge, in either party. A party does not allow another member of the SAME party to run against their incumbent. It’s just well, ‘not done.’ So, the only way that Hillary would be able to run against Obama in 2012, would be if she switched parties, and ran against him as a repug or an Independent, or some other party. That’s not to suggest that she wouldn’t, so if that’s what you meant, then yeah…that could happen. However, it’s not going to happen that she run against Obama in 2012 as a standing VP! My gawd! That would have been like Al Gore running for President against Bill Clinton after their first term! Yeah, definitely a ‘never has happened in America’ occasion!  Well, maybe not. We’ve had these coups before. Living under the results right now.

As for exiting the current scene with respect, I’m not sure that’s possible either. She might have managed that a few months back, but not now.

Hillary is us, when you say “he “Obama” and his foul minded supporters don’’t deserve my vote, or the votes and support of any of Hillary’s supporters.” Unless she gets half the ticket? 

Guess I qualify as a foul minded Obama supporter, me suspects you have your racism mixed up a little bit, I did not hear anyone say Hillary was a racist, we just said she used racism as a tool to garner bigot votes. A bit divisive, in my book. 

Your divisive post, sounds more like a Re pug with mischief as your goal. 

Why would you want Hillary to be on half of a ticket with the foul Obama and his disgusting supporters?

Well it ain’t usually over until the fat lady sings, guess we still get to hear sour grapes until November.

...as our Hillary always is. and She shines and whatever she does, she will be our champion.

I’ve heard a fair amount of talk about Obama’s cult of personality…with the stress always falling on the first word of the phrase. 

But i’ll be damned if the above selection doesn’t make me think that someone is going to find Sen Clinton’s visage in a lima bean pretty soon.  People will come on pilgrimage to see the great lima bean of Scranton (or wherever the chosen one who can see the true light happens to be eating lima beans).

It’s aura will convert the heathen and heal the sick…it will be an aura of inevitability.  Head the lima bean and the nation will be saved.  And the lima bean says, “Our Hillary is the vanguard; she is the dear leader…stern but with the loving heart of a mother.  Follow her and she will keep you safe.”

All hail the lima bean!

Gmonst,

I sure hope you’re right. As I said, there was a time when I would have assumed all of the same. And yes, one should reasonably be able to assume that a public announcement of concession and support would stand. Oh the other hand, I’m not ignorning the points that Richard Klingbeil made, because she has NOT conceded her delegates. And sadly, Hillary has truly burned us before. There’s also her husband, who is I’m sure, just as disappointed as she is.

As for the issue with the lawsuit in California, let us hope that it will not be an issue by association that the GOP seizes on. But at the same time, let’s not be blinded to the fact that since they’ve already created a swiftboating ad targeting Obama, created ENTIRELY from the hits that Hillary made against him herself (I don’t know if you’ve seen that ad) during the campaign, they are certainly not beyond doing much of ANYTHING. So, it might be wise to EXPECT the dirty tricks, and just plan to nullify them, as Obama has so far been able to do. I’m certainly able to see the positive in those terms.

As for this being an emotionally difficult thing for Hillary, I’m sure it was. It’s been an emotionally difficult time for a whole bunch of us, for the past 8 years, and these 6 months of negative campaigning haven’t been so easy either. But, we’ll survive.

It’s unfortunate if she has actually ‘given up hope’ because that would mean again, that it was only ever about HER. I’d like to believe that she actually DOES have ‘hope’ for the larger good, and whatever she can contribute to it.

Cyrena,

I think your being a little paranoid here.  It happened a while ago and is a personal problem to her and Bill.  It may be one of many good reasons why she shouldn’t be VP but without that I doubt it can come back on Obama with even the best of republican tricks.  He’s not financially involved with her, and I don’t think she will be VP.  Even so, I doubt it would be much of an issue.  It’s not a Rev. Wright kind of situation it doesn’t play on the same kind of fears, it wouldn’t have the same impact.  It’s not even really active right now.  I doubt there would be time for it to become a problem anyway. 

I also don’t think anyone should worry about her trying to pull some trickery with a false endorsement.  She suspended her campaign so she can work out her campaign debt.  Once she verbally supported the candidacy of Barack Obama her hopes were over.  It seemed obvious to me that it was very tough for her to do it, and it had an emotional impact on her.  She can’t come back from that and she knows it.  It’s done, she’s done, verbal endorsement makes a very public record that can’t be taken back.

I don’t wanna seem pessimistic or anything, but I am legitimately paranoid about this so called ‘support’ from Hillary for Obama, just because I know how the repug neocons are.

And, there’s the lawsuit in California that was filed against both of the Clintons, for improprieties involving her 2000 Senate Campaign. SHE managed to escape accountability in a decision last October, because of a state law that protects public figures from ‘frivolous lawsuits.” (sounds like an exclusive California law to me).

Senator Clinton Escapes Lawsuit But May Be Deposed
By Fred Lucas
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
October 17, 2007

~(“CNSNews.com) - A California court ruled Tuesday that Hillary Clinton will not be a defendant in a fraud lawsuit brought by Hollywood mogul Peter Paul, who claimed the Clintons destroyed his business after he raised millions for her first Senate campaign in 2000.

But she could still be a material witness and be required to testify about what she knew concerning alleged illegal campaign fundraising”~

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200710/POL20071017c.html

As far as I know, this hasn’t been resolved yet, and so she may still need to testify.

Regardless of how or when it is or is not ‘resolved’, there is every single reason to believe that the neocons with turn this into a swiftboating event extraordinaire, and slam Obama by association. If what they did with Rev. Wright was any example, they will JUMP on this as a reason to associate Hillary’s ‘support’ (and her illegal campaign funding) with Obama’s campaign.

So yeah, if Hillary’s supporters choose to now support him regardless, then that would be great. But in terms of support from Hillary herself, I just don’t think that’s such a good idea..just because of the negative association.

I STILL think the Clinton’s should just take a long cruise.

Noteworthy others who have “suspended” their campaigns this year:  Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee.  Watch out John McCain; they’re going to sneak up on you and before you know it steal the nomination away from you.

BobZ

•  “No doubt she is qualified to be president, probably more so than Bill was, but sometimes it’s just not your day…”

There was a time when I believed this myself, though I don’t know that she would have necessarily been more so than her husband. He made some MAJOR boo-boo’s himself, but is overall an intelligent man, and probably more so than his wife. (he has a better legal mind, which explains her flunking the DC bar exam, and not bothering to take it again – recently got that bit of a scoop from Felicity)

Be that as it may, I still would have presumed her qualified enough, back when I didn’t know as much, and specifically before she voted to authorize what millions of us knew to be an illegal and immoral war of aggression on another sovereign nation state. And, she has continued to eagerly support that decision until it became politically inconvenient to do so..like when she knew she would have to campaign in an environment where 80% of the American public was strongly opposed to this war of terror and atrocities. At that point, she began to make insincere noises about withdrawing troops, but never actually ending the occupation of Iraq. Based on that if nothing else, she’s not qualified to be president. (She’s also failed to accomplish anything meaningful in her time as Senator).

Richard Klingbiel,

•  “Remember, Hillary only suspended her campaign. She did not concede nor release her candidates. She is still free to use her pledged candidates at the convention. To what purpose? To place her name in nomination for VP. To request the credentials committee to recognize Florida and Michigan delegates with full votes. To pressure Obama to include her agenda in the party platform. But most of all to continuously be the gorilla in the room on the way to the convention”….”Suspension means she will continuously work to undermine Obama up to his final nomination at the convention.”
Thank you for this reminder. It’s an important one. She hasn’t ‘conceded’ and so we probably use the word too loosely here. It has a tendency to make us believe that she actually HAS, if only because all the rest of us know that she lost long ago.

Anyway, this is important to understand, since it’s still a long way to August. I hope Obama and his team get it as well. I received an email yesterday from his campaign, announcing that Hillary had agree to join in support of him, and it was the standard flowery stuff. Even as a strong supporter of his candidacy and he strengths, talents, brilliance and integrity, I still get annoyed at his often overwhelming graciousness. He must be subscribing to the old wisdom of “Kill ‘em with kindness.” Better him than me.

The truth is nobody knows if Hilllary Clinton is a US citizen or not or where her true national loyalties lie.  She served on the Armed Serices committee in the senate where she no doubt picked up a lot of secret military information which she could use to plot a hostile take-over of the US government.  It may be just a lie that she has a big campaign debt.  More likely she has mega millions to carry out the coup with.  She should not be trusted just because she says she supports Obama.  She should be waterboarded until she is able to prove there is another human being she cares about more than herself.  She should have bamboo shoots shoved underneath her fingernails for the rest of her life for not dropping out of the race when Tim Russert told her to.

If indeed Hillary is making empty gestures, we will know soon enough.  Having a blind allegiance to anything does not allow reason to prevail, because their is no allowance for insight. 

If Hillary supporters will only support Obama if Hillary is VP, makes for a sticky wicket.  It may be hindsight, but if Hillary had won I would not expect Hillary to accept and demand Obama be VP. 

Calling her our Hillary,  who shines and is a champion, sounds unhealthy , is it semantics are is it me?  Some humility would be nice from the person who just lost a campaign.

Well, I guess it after all about Hillary.

A speech as fierce and tender and compelling as our Hillary always is. If she is VP, I will absolutely support the Obama/Clinton ticket wholeheartedly.

She shines and whatever she does, she will be our champion.

First of all I would like to make it clear, Hillary stepping down from the campaign with integrity is a nice ending to one hell of a bumpy ride.  My personal feeling is Obama is much more enlightening than Hillary and will be make a better president.  This is my opinion.

What I would like to know, is are any of the folks that supported Hillary still around?  Several of you were quite frisky in your support of Hillary, which I guess we must have seemed the same way to you.  I will not go any further than that, you should know I am not gloating, just glad my candidate choice came out and won.  I am sorry you lost. 

Several things I noticed about the Hillary supporting folks,  ( except for Mannie and only one our two others) is you never posted on any other TD topic articles, only ones pertaining to the election.  When articles about war in Iraq or on the economic problems came on TD I never saw any of you give opinions on issues, correct me if I am wrong? 

My suspicions that some of you may have been working for the Hillary Campaign seem likely, hope I am wrong and they are just suspicions, It would be nice to read your opinions on occasion, lets address the problems that are troubling our nation together. 

Are any of you willing to support Obama?  If the situation was reversed, I really do not know what I would have done. 

Well anyway,  it will be a very interesting summer.

It took long enough for Hillary to concede the obvious - she was done for three months ago, and was hoping Reverend Wright would do her another favor. No doubt she is qualified to be president, probably more so than Bill was, but sometimes it’s just not your day - look at Big Brown. She got out campaigned and out fund raised and had to strategy for the caucuses and just played Obama to a virtual draw in the primaries. Obama will crush McCain in November as it becomes painfully obvious just how bad a campaigner he is. He won’t win any of the battleground states. The economy continues to sink and that will be the number one issue this Fall. I hope that Hillary and Bill will campaign hard for Obama but Is suspect their hearts won’t really be in it. It will be woulda, coulda, shoulda time for awhile in the Clinton household.

I have to commend Mrs. Clinton for this.  It seems like it must have been really hard for her to finally let go.  There were times when it seemed that tears were close to breaking through.  Ironically enough, after endorsing Obama she was the most presidential I have seen her.  It was as though she dropped ‘trying to be president’ and was actually herself.  She seemed composed and genuine in a way I hadn’t seen before.  If she had been like that throughout the campaign she probably would have won.   

Things are looking good, I think this rift will heal over the next few months.  McCain’s severe lack of appeal is going to become really apparent as he enters the spotlight more.  So far he’s gotten little coverage, which I think for him is a good thing.