Should Clinton bow out?

[PrincessFiona]

So what do you guys think? Is it time for Hillary to bow out of the race?

[PrincessFiona]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

I don't know....You know I luv her, but....part of me just wishes that she'd walk away from it now. With Fl and Mi out of the game for breakin the rules, the delegates there are out....and even if she does pull out the popular vote it just seems...no good can come of this for the democrats.

I wish one of them would just soar ahead and we could end it.


Kris

[fluffhead]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

Why? All the latest negative publicity, whether valid or not, is frightening many mainstream voters away from obama. If he's not a viable contender against the republicans, I say she should stick it out through the convention.
(personally, the guy scares me a little - saying he "wasn't in church" the day that the bulletin reprinted the pro-hamas editorial, not disavowing Wright, all sounds a little contrived. And the media is just fawning all over him a little too much. He seems all hype and not much substance).

[Momo]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

According to CNN Obama has moved ahead in the polls since Bill Richardson's endorsement.

[Cumberland]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

Im in love with Obama but I do think that she potentially has a chance and shouldnt bow out until it is clear she doesnt anymore.

[Meenah]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

I'm with her all the way.

[Vishenka69]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

I'm bored by this whole thing now, but she clearly shouldn't just bow out because I'm sick of it...

What she said.

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

at this point I just wish we had a democratic nominee and could put our focus / money there. as things drag on I like HRC less and less, but would still prefer her to Mr. 100 Years More .

[Flynn]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

at this point I just wish we had a democratic nominee and could put our focus / money there. as things drag on I like HRC less and less, but would still prefer her to Mr. 100 Years More .

I agree. From a strategy POV, beating McCain should be goal #1 -- right?

I'm looking forward to having two candidates that are seemingly at opposite ends on issues. I'm tired of the haggling beetween similar heath care plans for example. The differences are minor between Obama and Clinton, but there ARE differences. I get this, both candidates think they are right, LETS MOVE ON.

I don't dislike McCain -- I just don't agree with his ideas on the war primarily. I'm not a big fan of how he hasn't really dealt with healthcare or education in his formal "plans." I'm looking forward to reading more about his Economic ideas once the Dems candidate is clear.

I can't imagine voting for McCain right now -- but I do need to research more to be completely sure.

[Rapunzel]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

As a non-Democrat this is actually the first time I've paid attention to the Democrat presidential primaries.

I answered "I don't know" because, I don't! I don't know what would be best for the Republicans at this point! :|

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

She shouldn't bow about because she "has to"--that is, because there is "no way" for her to win at this point. She still could win through the superdelegates. The Democrats developed a system for selecting their candidate that allows the most experienced and respected members of their party--the superdelegates--to have a say. Whether they believed that this was just a gesture of respect to be shown to these prominent members of the party, or whether it really is a stop-loss measure to prevent a renegade nomination, this is how the system currently works. What if she can make a good pitch to them, arguing that she would be the superior candidate? If she does that, and wins, despite not having the majority of the primary-elected delegates, she has played by the rules created by her party. It's not like she did anything underhanded in doing that.

And she shouldn't bow out because people are pressuring her to do what is "good" for the party. Would getting the nomination through the superdelegates be morally undermining to the Dem party? Oh, probably, in the short term. People will scream about "disenfranchisment" and otherwise improperly use words that contextually don't apply, all in an effort to make it seem like a moral wrong had occurred--when the real problem is the party's own rules. There will be indignation, claims of racism, claims of sexism, lawsuits, and an endless stream of talking heads complaining on the news shows. Al Sharpton will probably lead a protest, the Congressional Black Caucus will have a stroke, and the young, energized voters of all races will feel a great sense of disappointment and make disillusionment. Even the Reps will be a little disappointed--he is SO much more pleasant to listen to than she is. But, in the end, what are the disappointed Dems going to do? Vote for McCain? I know there are threats of that, but I think that won't really come to fruitition. You don't go from enthusiastically voting for Obama to begrudingly voting for McCain. They'd just stay home first. And, given the number of Reps who will probably just stay home rather than voting for McCain, I'd bet is all kind of shakes out evenly.

She should bow out, however, if she believes that this just isn't the way she wants to get the nomination. To essentially wrestle it away from the guy who got more votes. Considering how bitter so many Dems still are about the 2000 election and what they believe was a "stolen" election, you'd have to think: maybe, just maybe, HRC would rather her legacy be as the savior of the party. There is an almost quasi-biblical potential here. She could be the woman who would rather give her baby to a stranger than to allow the king to split the child in half to resolve the dispute. She would forever be sealed as a leader of the Dem party, a respected senior representative beyond reproach. There's something to that...especially considering that, even if she runs, she well may get her a$s kicked by McCain, and then be the pariah that let defeat be snatched from the jaws of victory.

[Rapunzel]

Re: Should Clinton bow out?

Interesting, thoughtful analysis, Abigail.