1. Florida and Michigan. Clinton, not Obama, is identified with the cause of seating those delegations. Since FL and MI won't decide the nomination now, Clinton has every reason to push for a negotiated settlement. It way well be that Clinton refuses to officially drop out until she is satisfied that the voices of Florida and Michigan are heard.
2. Her voters. Almost half of those voting in the Democratic primaries chose Clinton. Certain parts of her support base — older women, for example — are as fervently in her corner as Obama as college kids are in Obama's corner. For these women, Clinton has succeeded in convincing them that her candidacy is just as historic as Obama's. Forget about the nomination: Clinton has a much deeper political base than when she started to campaign for the presidency. She needs to tend to this base whether she continues to represent New York, becomes Senate Majority Leader, becomes the vice presidential nominee, or runs in 2012.
3. Embarrassment. If she drops out tomorrow and winds up winning in West Virginia and Kentucky, Obama will be mightily embarrassed. Having her in the race gives him an excuse for losing those two states. (I ran this by an Obama adviser who said, "We'll take our chances.")
4. The Ask. Does Clinton want to be Obama's vice president? Who knows? But does Clinton want to be asked whether she wants to be his vice president and this be in a position to decline it? Surely. The more Obama is reminded that Clinton cannot not be dispensed with, the more pressure he will feel to at least solicit her views on the subject of the vice presidency.
5. The Party. David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, said again this morning that he is confident that the entire party will unify around Obama. If that's the case, then giving Democrats in the remaining states the chance to exercise their vote — and by exercise, I mean it in the conventional sense — to practice voting — will be a boon for Democrats in the fall. 1.5 million Democrats voting in Indiana is spectacular; the primaries are serving as a dry-run of sorts for the entire party. It wouldn't hurt to extend those dress rehearsals to West Virginia and Kentucky either, not to mention Oregon and Montana.
6. Superdelegates. If they're so eager to end the race, they can end the race. They haven't.
7. Unity. If Clinton campaigns appropriately, she can help Obama begin to help heal the party.
R.I.P. Steven Malcolm Anderson
Minion
of the Week
Also, her calls that Obama is the one who blocked the bogus do-over primary proposal is also bullshit. His reason for disagreeing with that proposal were well thought out and not a politically motivated response
Her call for the "disenfranchised" to be counted is so disingenous, calculating, and manipulative.
She disgusts me. I wish she would just drop out and use her energy to help unify the party, instead of helping to create a red/blue culture war divide within the party.
Once-secret memos question Clinton's honesty.
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Another thing, at the end of all of this, even if she stops the mudslinging against Obama, the only thing she will have accomplished is trashing the Clinton brand with Democrats. I don't think that earning the respect of people like you for not quiting at this point will be worth much to them in the long run.