Hillary to Call On Obama 'to stand down'

Despite Barack Obama's recent electoral success, Hillary Clinton is planning on asking Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, among others, to pressure him to drop out of the race.

The Clinton camp hopes to stop the Obama bandwagon by winning Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4, after which Mrs Clinton is planning to call on party grandees including Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Harry Reid, the party's leader in the Senate, to persuade Mr Obama to stand down.

There's also this:

A senior Democrat who has discussed Clinton campaign thinking with a member of her inner circle said: "The Clintons are in a state of panic. She has to win both Texas and Ohio."

I say, don't let Barack stand down.  Stand up for Obama.  Call people in Texas and Ohio, or canvass if you are there.    Contribute (my personal fundraising page).   Make Hillary even more desperate.  

•  Sources?

  Do you have any source to back up your claim?

  by smash artist on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:30:04 PM PDT

  •  This is pure empty speculation

    No sources and it's based on something that MIGHT happen next month. I'm guessing at this point Hillary's campaign is working its butt off and not looking at making secret deals that as of now look to be pointless and laughable.

    by anastasia p on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:35:12 PM PDT

    •  sourced now.

      is the UK Telegraph good enough?   (diarist writes downthread that the site wouldn't take the diary with links, so he had to edit them in after).  FWIW.

      by Dem in the heart of Texas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:36:57 PM PDT

      •  If it's true, I wouldn't worry

        too much.  Reid and Pelosi have been losers since last November.

        by madgranny on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:46:04 PM PDT

        •  It sounds pretty ridiculous to me.

          I'd be surprised if Pelosi supports Hillary anyway.  The Party elders have annointed Obama.  I'm expecting Howard Dean to start pressuring Hillary to get out soon.

          by Boston Boomer on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 11:36:05 PM PDT

      •  I think this reporter was smoking crack

        it does read like it was written by Karl Rove.

        by RickBoston on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:56:12 PM PDT

      •  This story reads

        like it's got some big holes in it. Wait and see if it gets picked up by any other news outlets who'll get some on the record quotes, or at least more credible sounding anonymous sources and wake me up. Until then, I'm moving along.

        by Goldfish on Sun Feb 10, 2008 at 01:15:10 AM PDT

    •  Hillary Simply Can't Win The Whitehouse

      He'll win, she'll lose - all good Dems should call for HRC to "stand down" ASAP.

      Let's get on to the real battle with our best candidate.

      by Thutmose on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:40:55 PM PDT

      •  Horseshit.

        It's called democracy. Nobody is going to "stand down". And I doubt there is anything to this story.

        by homogenius on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:43:10 PM PDT

        •  I Love The Smell of Panic in the Morning

          It smells like, like, victory.

          You're out of money.  You're maxed out.  You've peaked.  Time to get with the program and back Obama for the good of the party.

          by Thutmose on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:51:40 PM PDT

          •  There's an idea...

            If Obama even achieves a decent split of the delegates from Texas and Ohio, HE should call HER and suggest that she "stand down".  And invite CNN to be in the room.  Put it on the speakerphone.

            by Vagabond57 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:55:23 PM PDT

            •  Fortunately...

              He has more class, and less sense of entitlement, than that. Unlike some of his supporters.

              by homogenius on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 11:30:12 PM PDT

              •  Don't worry.

                I think most of us want to see this settled with elections, not 'calls to stand down'(which, after all, will likely achieve the opposite of what they intend, this thread being a good example of the effect...).

                There will come a time when it will be clearly in the interests of the party for them to stand down, and we have to count on them to see it. It certainly isn't going to happen anytime soon.

                by scardanelli on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 11:37:15 PM PDT

                •  I'm not sure when that will happen.

                  Most likely it would come when one candidate has a comfortable majority. But that depends on how far over 50% and how much of that is Superdelegates. It also depends on whether MI and FL are resolved.

                  Remember, the real vote for the nomination occurs at the convention. The caucuses and primaries are to elect delegates--this is not direct election of a nominee by popular vote. In short, the fat lady don't sing until Denver, and she's not even warming up yet.

                  Either candidate would be stupid to "stand down" before Denver absent a clear win by the other and I don't see that happening.

                  by homogenius on Sun Feb 10, 2008 at 07:04:52 AM PDT

          •  Sure. Out of money, except for $10 million

            since Tuesday.  Nobody is panicking in either campaign.  

            by Boston Boomer on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 11:37:34 PM PDT

        •  Can you imagine what that would look like?

          "I know I'm ahead in delegates and the polls and everything, but Nancy and Harry just called, on behalf of Hillary, and said I should drop out for the good of the party.  What do y'all think?"

          RE-HE-HE-HEALLY!

          by Vagabond57 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:53:24 PM PDT

  •  As a Washington Redskins Fan

    I demand here and now that the New York Giants give up that damn Super Bowl trophy.

    Why? The Redskins beat the Giants in December.

    I am outraged!

    by JekyllnHyde on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:35:38 PM PDT

•  Link, please?

  If true, it's total bullshit. After March 4th, it's highly unlikely (barring unforeseen blowouts by Clinton in OH and TX) that she will be leading in the pledged delegate count.

  by PsiFighter37 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:30:21 PM PDT

  •  The story is in

    The Telegraph:

    Mr Obama has begun calling those "super delegates" - 795 congressmen and senior party officials who could break a dead heat - who are committed to Mrs Clinton, asking them to change their minds and help him wrap up the nomination ...

    "He's saying: 'Hey, I won your state and I won your congressional district, why are you supporting her?'" a Democrat strategist revealed.

    by srkp23 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:33:35 PM PDT

    •  Always leering of sourcing...

      ...when I see them use "Democrat" when "Democratic" is appropriate.

      by Jonathan on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:34:40 PM PDT

      •  it's okay

        they're British.  

        by gobacktotexas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:36:12 PM PDT

        •  Meaning?

          The Telegraph is natoriously unreliable, the equivelent of the NY Post.

          As an Obama supporter, I'd caution you to look for more reliable sources.

          Rumors are counterproductive.

          by koNko on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:45:24 PM PDT

          •  Here's All You Need

            ... to know about the Daily Telegraph

            A Note on the Daily Telegraph

            When I lived in London for grad school in the 1990's, every time the Daily Telegraph published a positive story about a Tory politician with his smiling wife and three lil children, you could bet with (near) certainty that a sex scandal was going to explode in the media the next day.

            This pattern was repeated at least 7 or 8 times from what I can recall.

            The UK Daily Telegraph is worse than the New York Post in propping up conservative politicians.

            I think this article is misleading.  And I'm being very generous in my assessment.

            by JekyllnHyde on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:52:18 PM PDT

            •  Yep, the NY Post is slipping.

              Even the Crime Page has lost it's entertianment value.

              Back in the days, only the National Enquirer could write morevbombastic headlines.

              A few years back I was posted in London for a year and after reading The Telegraph a few times (free on the tube floor!) I became concerned someone would wrap my dinner in it and cause me brain damage. However, to be fair, for brain rotting sex scandals, you can't beat The Sun. OMG.

              See you.

              by koNko on Sun Feb 10, 2008 at 08:10:02 AM PDT

      •  To be fair...

        They're an English paper and may not pay as close attention to these kinds of things.

        by PsiFighter37 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:36:25 PM PDT

        •  True; however...

          ...at least one of the major UK dailies is a Murdoch paper, and GOP sourcing of UK stories is hardly unheard-of.

          Of course, I'm not discounting the idea that the Clinton campaign might try to put outside pressure on Obama, but I'd like to see confirmation.

          by Jonathan on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:37:58 PM PDT

          •  That would be the London Sunday Times n/t

            by PsiFighter37 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:43:01 PM PDT

            •  Actually...

              Murdoch's Times is a fairly moderate paper - because don't forget that with FOX it's Ailes who's the demagogue - Murdoch's #1 priority is money (hence his recent fondness for Hillary Clinton) and you don't make money publishing a right-wing paper in Red Ken's London.  The Daily Telegraph - the one quoted here - is the major Tory rag.  Ignore accordingly.

              Guardian wins, thanks

              by clashfan on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:31:55 PM PDT

    •  Oh, a Democrat strategist...

      It must be true.

      by blueteam on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:36:30 PM PDT

      •  nice sarcasm

        it's of course well known that Democrat strategist never tell the truth, ever.

        by Goldfish on Sun Feb 10, 2008 at 12:58:55 AM PDT

        •  That's not what I meant at all.

          It is well known that Democrat strategist is not exactly a licensed profession. I meant it was a meaningless title and not a specific source. Half the people on this site seem to think of themselves as Democrat(ic) strategists. And many of them tell the truth.

          by blueteam on Sun Feb 10, 2008 at 10:36:32 AM PDT

•  yeah really

  sources would be nice.

  by MadAsHellMaddie on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:30:37 PM PDT

•  Extraordinary claims

  Do you have a link or citation for the quotes here?

  by cdsmith on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:30:38 PM PDT

  •  Require extraordinary proof.

    by venatrix on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:31:40 PM PDT

•  If Clinton loses OH or TX

  I think Howard Dean will be asking Clinton to drop out.

  by IhateBush on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:31:14 PM PDT

  •  100% agreed esp. if Obama goes 9-0 till then

    by OH 09 Dem on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:33:38 PM PDT

  •  Article said if HC won TX & OH, she'd push BO out

    or at least try to pressure Dem Party leaders to help push him out.  I don't see that happening, but now its each side clinging to the possibility that they might at some point gain enough MO to politically pressure the other out.  

    by Public Servant on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:40:57 PM PDT

  •  And my prediction is she won't do it

    She'll try to insist on seating Michigan and Florida to give her the lead again.  

    by leevank on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:41:54 PM PDT

    •  If that were to happen

      and Obama went on to win Pennsylvania, I think there will be a mass movement of superdelegates to Obama to seal his nomination.

      But we are still a long way from this scenario.

      by IhateBush on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:48:01 PM PDT

  •  yeah...

    I don't see how she could pull off winning only NH, NV, NY, NJ, MA, CA, AR, TN, OK, TX/OH (two of those being "home" states, the others being solid Dem states) and then demanding that he drop out.  

    She'd look ridiculous.  And he would have the stronger argument (and probably more pledged delegates, unless he's blown out in TX/OH).

    by tbird12861 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:46:49 PM PDT

  •  Will She Have Any $ Left to Advertise in OH & TX

    She's run out of lobbyists and favor seekers to extract cash from and without another cash infusion from the Clinton's immense personal wealth, Obama rolls her in those states just like he did tonight.

    by Thutmose on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:47:01 PM PDT

    •  Rush Limbaugh is raising

      lots of money for her, apparently.  I've heard rumors of as much as 1.5 million in the last week from Limbaugh's listeners.

      by IhateBush on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:49:51 PM PDT

      •  prove it.

        This claim needs a source as badly as any I've seen.

        by clashfan on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:35:56 PM PDT

    •  it's not immense

      Hillary is wealthy by most people's standards, but not so wealthy she can afford to self-fund a presidential campaign (hell, even Romney couldn't do that, and he's probably worth ten times more than her).

      by Leggy Starlitz on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:44:03 PM PDT

•  in panic but asking Obama to stand down?

  what sense does that makes?. If she is in panic then she is the one who should stand down. I was a big Dean supporter and this is the time I want the favor returned to stand by the leader of the pledged delegates. Calling the Doctors in the house..yeeehaaaa

  by choclate on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:31:37 PM PDT

  •  It's her last gambit? eom

    by RichM on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:38:59 PM PDT

  •  "STAND DOWN, HILLARY!"

    She'll start hearing that by the end of February.

    by John Poet on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:17:42 PM PDT

  •  Hillary should stand down and so should Nancy

    Just in case anyone wants to sign the petition to have her removed it is at www.petitiononline.com

    To:  U.S. House of Representatives

    Online Petition to Remove Pelosi as Speaker of the House of Representatives

    by Scott Creighton

    In the event of a rogue presidency, the founders of our great nation provided for protections for us, the citizens, under the constitution in the form of a process called impeachment.

    Badabing

    by Badabing on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:36:25 PM PDT

•  I wanna see a link before

  rendering judgement. But if this is true it's sad.

  by Dreggas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:31:41 PM PDT

•  dailykos wouldn't accept my entry

  so I had to do it without links initially and add them afterward.  apologize for the delay.  

  by gobacktotexas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:32:11 PM PDT

  •  Oh - re your username

    we don't want him back!

    by Dem in the heart of Texas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:34:59 PM PDT

    •  I'll bet even Paraguay doesn't want him

      Maybe Tajikistan ...

      by javelina on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:39:53 PM PDT

      •  I doubt even that.

        On a vacation in Italy a couple of years ago, an elderly Canadian who had been born and raised in the UK and moved to Canada when he was in his 30's, and who seemed quite conservative in many respects, said to me, once he'd figured out that I wasn't a Bush admirer:

        "Lee, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but do most Americans have any idea what a complete idiot almost everyone else in the world thinks your President is?"  This was during the height of the "freedom fries" foolishness, and I had to tell him than not only didn't I think they knew, I didn't think they would care, even if they did know.

        by leevank on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:46:41 PM PDT

      •  You forgot about Poland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        by canoeist on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 11:54:47 PM PDT

•  So that's the challenge, fellow Obama supporters

  Let's take one of Texas or Ohio and make this a non-starter.

  by snout on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:32:25 PM PDT

  •  how 'bout both? n/t

    by Dem in the heart of Texas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:34:10 PM PDT

    •  We're going to take care of Ohio....

      You going to take care of Texas?

      by OH 09 Dem on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:40:48 PM PDT

      •  I'll do what I can in Columbus...

        Already getting canned calls and the email is starting to pour in too...  Gonna be a damn war!

        by Public Servant on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:43:20 PM PDT

        •  We have to organize OSU....

          Actually, the demographics in Columbus as a whole, I think strongly play to Obama.  We need you to be strong down there.  Have you been to the headquarters down there yet?  Paul Tewes (Obama Iowa Director) now the Ohio Director just got in town down there last week.

          by OH 09 Dem on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:45:46 PM PDT

          •  I'd been waiting on them to set up shop in CBUS

            and finally saw in the Dispatch last Sunday that they'd made it to town and were setting up.  I'm actually in Fairfield County (Pickerington) and work in Franklin County, so I've been doing some stuff on my own the past few weeks in my area.  I've been to the Obama Ohio Action web page and am headed to several meetup type deals and will be headed to the Fairfield and Franklin County Obama shops to get hard to work this next 3 weeks.  

            Good luck!  K some A.

            by Public Servant on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:49:52 PM PDT

            •  cool...

              That's funny I have a trial down south there in Fairfield County in two weeks...We're going to have a tough battle but we're on a roll.  If we win here, HRC's going to feel the pressure to quit.  Cleveland Plain Dealer endorsed Obama today by the way...

              by OH 09 Dem on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:14:49 PM PDT

          •  i'm working

            Cincinnati.  

            by gobacktotexas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:50:33 PM PDT

      •  I'm working the Houston area

        It'd be easier if I lived in Austin, but what the hell?  If he doesn't take Texas, I'll be sad, but I won't feel guilty.  

        I think even the Texans might succumb to the Obamamentum...

        by Dem in the heart of Texas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:45:13 PM PDT

        •  How many AA moved to Houston from NO?

          Was there any voter registration outreach done for these people?  The way that I see things is the key to us winning Texas is the caucuses.  Have you heard anything about explaining the process to people or organizing for this yet?

          by OH 09 Dem on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:48:22 PM PDT

          •  Texas is going to be tough.

            The Dem vote is comprised of a large portion of Latinos  HRC is carrying them pretty well, so I think BHO is swimming upstream in this state.  I need to contact Texans for Obama, though.  I have five days off at the end of the month: conveniently the last day off is 3/4.   Since I work a phone job I figured I'd volunteer to put my otherwise useless skillset to work phonebanking for Obama.

            by electricgrendel on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:52:19 PM PDT

            •  my husband's 1st language was Spanish

              and I'm trying to talk him into doing some spanish phonebanking.   He's 1st generation American born to Mexican parents, and I hope he can convince some voters down here.

              Yes, it will be tough, but it's worth it if we can just close the gap a bit.  Winning would exceed all hopes and dreams, and it's worth shooting for!

              Thanks for spending your days off working for change down here!

              by Dem in the heart of Texas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:56:05 PM PDT

            •  Get Richardson out of Clinton Jail...

              I'm so mad at Richardson/NM for sitting back and not doing the right thing at this pivotal time in history. He is sitting on the sofa, eating cheetos and not lifting a finger, so that he can have his old job back with the Clintons.  Well Richardson, you are gonna get it.

              Badabing

              by Badabing on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:42:00 PM PDT

          •  I haven't been able to go

            to an orientation yet... so I don't know what the local plans are for organizing.  I hope to go to one this week.

            Houston got a whole lot of Louisianans after Katrina, and indeed, many were African American.  I don't know the numbers regarding how many stayed here, but I have some personal connections that would indicate it's a significant amount.

            My school took in any N.O.L.A.-area college students (some Loyola, some Xavier, etc) who wanted to take classes while their campuses were closed.  The majority of them went back once they reopened.

            I have to figure out how the caucus thing works myself before I can explain it to others... but I intend to do that soon!

            by Dem in the heart of Texas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:53:56 PM PDT

            •  thanks for the reply...

              Hang in there and do what you can....make it close. YES WE CAN! :)

              by OH 09 Dem on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:11:22 PM PDT

          •  not that many & they vote in la

            key to texas statewide is austin and most educated areas together with bonus delegates from gerrymandered AA districts. Biggest thing is to understand the incredibly weird TX primary voting areas. I'll bet O's team will figure it out better.

            by reformdem on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:27:38 PM PDT

•  I'm as critical of Obama as anyone . . .

  . . . as my comments and diary reveal, but if I were him, I'd tell Pelosi and Reid precisely where they could shove it.

  by raatzie on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:32:43 PM PDT

  •  Obama can do that with Pelosi and Reid

    but I think he'd listen to Howard Dean.  

    by IhateBush on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:04:00 PM PDT

•  WTF?

  Obama has won 7 more states and ~70 more delegates, and he should drop out?

  by Nathaniel Ament Stone on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:32:51 PM PDT

  •  rage against the machine

    by Tanya on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:37:06 PM PDT

•  Reid and Pelosi have no power or cajones (NT)

  by bernardpliers on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:33:04 PM PDT

  •  When it comes to dealing with Rs, that is. n/t

    by srkp23 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:38:17 PM PDT

  •  cajones= drawers

    conejos= rabbits
    cojones= balls

    by Mr Bula on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:43:09 PM PDT

    •  I needed that laugh before I went to sleep.

      Still chuckling.  

      -- Alma Latina

      by mindoca on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:47:57 PM PDT

    •  Accuracy Matters!

      by koNko on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:48:07 PM PDT

      •  They have no rabbits either !!!!

        Sign the petition to remove Nancy.  

        www.petitiononline.com

        Badabing

        by Badabing on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:44:40 PM PDT

    •  It's the thought that counts. :o)

      by Terre on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:57:16 PM PDT

      •  Unltil you fall into the abyss ...#%O

        by koNko on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:30:37 PM PDT

•  Note this from the article

  But the Clinton camp fears that a failure to engineer a deal could lead to bitter battles at the Democrat convention in Denver in late August, which could even end with Al Gore, the former vice president, emerging as a compromise candidate.

  "There's a five per cent chance of that happening, but that's five percent too high," the Clinton source said.

  by IhateBush on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:33:17 PM PDT

  •  worse things could happen, eh? LOL. nt

    by JedReport on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:34:21 PM PDT

  •  More unsourced empty speculation

    Sounds like something invented by a fantasizing Kossack. And maybe Huckabee will split the GOP so badly, they will turn to Newt Gingrich too.

    by anastasia p on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:37:36 PM PDT

    •  Damn do I wish?

      And maybe Huckabee will split the GOP so badly, they will turn to Newt Gingrich too.

      But I'm hoping for an Obama-Keyes rematch.

      by IhateBush on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:38:53 PM PDT

      •  Oh, me too!

        I've been dreaming of that rematch, and hoping that Keyes could lose by the largest margin in presidential election history just like he lost the 2004 Illinois Senate race by the largest margin in Illinois Senate election history. He was only expected to lose by the largest margin in a race in which there was no incumbent, but he topped that!

        by anastasia p on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:46:25 PM PDT

        •  What are the odds

          that 4 words in two sentences completely align?  One, MAYBE two, but FOUR?

          the largest margin in ...
          the largest margin in ...

          OK - I think it's beddie-bye time for me.  :o)

          by Terre on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:00:44 PM PDT

    •  what's so fantastic about it?

      If we have a brokered convention, which has in the last month gone from improbable, to unlikely, to the a distinct possibility, one of the only ways out might be a consensuses candidate. At this point, Al Gore is probably the only such figure who could peal away enough delegates from both Obama and Hillary to emerge with a real party consensuses behind him.

      I don't think it will happen, but it's hardly fantastical to consider.

      by Goldfish on Sun Feb 10, 2008 at 01:09:15 AM PDT

  •  sounds like the Clintons

    and Gore aren't on the best of terms these days, eh?

    by gobacktotexas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:37:40 PM PDT

  •  Go Hilary! {snarc}

    Please don't TR me because I love Gore. I'm a freakin environmentalist fer crissake.

    Gore-Obama '08, '12
    Obama-Mrs Obama '16, '20
    Mrs Obama-Granny Clinton '24, '28

    heh

    by koNko on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:53:29 PM PDT

•  let us know

  how that works out for her.

  by Dem in the heart of Texas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:33:24 PM PDT

  •  The Clinton machine is in a panic

    and f***ing well should be. Barack is rolling big time and sucking up all the oxygen.

    But if this is their plan, panic is giving way to irrational fantasy.

    by attydave on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:53:06 PM PDT

  •  she'll do it

    she'll twist their arms like LBJ would, harry and louise will come to their senses!

    by soros on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 11:24:32 PM PDT

•  the financial speculation in that article

  was interesting. her campaign has $10 million in debt -- $5 million to vendors, $5 million to her. depending how you look at it, it either means that the $13 million she raised in January or the $10 million she's raised february was meaningless -- assuming that all of that money was primary money, not GE money.

  by JedReport on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:33:38 PM PDT

  •  That was in the article?

    I didn't see it, but interesting.

    by srkp23 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:35:21 PM PDT

    •  No -- the stuff there was my own #s.

      I was just prompted to write it by the article.

      by JedReport on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:43:42 PM PDT

      •  Thanks for the info! n/t

        by srkp23 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:45:36 PM PDT

  •  she would owe a

    shitload of money/favors to people if she ever makes it to the White House.  

    by gobacktotexas on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:52:03 PM PDT

•  Interesting note from the article

  Mrs Clinton is also under financial pressure.

  She claimed that she received $7.5m in donations after admitting lending her campaign $5m last week.

  But the source claimed that her campaign is actually in far worse financial trouble than they are letting on.

  I find it hard to believe the Clinton camp would lie about their financial state, but it's quite possible they're pretty deep in debt from January and are only beginning to cover it with this infusion of cash.

  by PsiFighter37 on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:34:25 PM PDT

  •  The loan

    The loan sent out a red flag. If I was a donor, I'd think twice about donating to her campaign.

    by wisconsin girl on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:40:53 PM PDT

    •  plus..

      after tonight's sweep.. and combine any combination of Obama wins on Tuesday, you would have to think some of her funding would start to dry up.

      by mytribe on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:50:30 PM PDT

  •  Yeah.

    I made a similar point above, but I hadn't considered the likelihood that they incurred new debts in january.

    so we know they've taken in $23 million -- from their reports.

    we don't know how much of that is primary or GE. (i would speculate a healthy chunk is GE money -- which is worthless.)

    anyway, so we know she had $40 million cash on hand, but about half of that was GE money, so only $20 million was available at the end of Q3.

    That means $43 million available to have been spent -- at most, since a good chunk of the $23 million raised in Q1 could be GE money.

    We know that there's $10 million of debat against that $43 million, so really we're probably talking about at most $30 million of REAL money to be spent.

    Obama ended last year wtih about $20 million COH, $5 of whih was GE.

    So let's say he had $15 primary money. Then he's rased about $45 million in '08, almost all of which is primary money.

    That puts him at $60 million, and he had virtually no debt (less than 20% of Hillary's debt) at the end of the year.

    Wow.

    2x as much money, and he seems to be raising it at a faster clip than hillary.

    by JedReport on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:42:42 PM PDT

  •  "Lying" is a technical term...

    She's just manipulating the spreadsheets.  Figures never lie, but liars always figure.

    I don't doubt that she collected another 7 or 8 million last week.  What I do doubt is that all of that or even most of that is primary money.

    I want to see numbers for cash on hand and usuable primary money raised.

    Matt

    by Cixelsyd on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:44:33 PM PDT

  •  Busto

    They would absolutely hide it as much as possible.  Nothing scares backers away more than a broke campaign.  When everything is disclosed, we'll see some number massaging to put a brave face on it.  

    When a campaign doesn't bother to contest states, it's in trouble.

    by theran on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:44:36 PM PDT

    •  electing a poor money manager is foolish

      She raised plenty and over confident pissed a lot away.

      by mollyd on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 10:21:20 PM PDT

      •  Let's be fair here

        Barack Obama is a very strong opponent.  Hillary had to try and win with her IA, NH, MA, NY, NJ, CA strategy.  Keeping money for later, where Obama runs even better, wasn't a smart option.

        I actually think that Hillary's people, and Mark Penn in particular, take a lot of unfair abuse.  They are giving their candidate a decent chance to win, and being beaten by superior opposition.  That's bad luck.

        (To be clear, I am not defending the actual strategy of playing minority groups off each other and spreading rumors that we Obama voters are illegitimate.  I'm just pointing out that it appears to have been his best chance to win.)

        by theran on Sun Feb 10, 2008 at 08:01:08 AM PDT

•  this whole primary schedule

  was set up to crown rudy and hillary. I love it when manipulation comes back to bite you in the ass.

  by Tanya on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:35:50 PM PDT

  •  Amen to this.

    They gamed the process all along and it backfired on them.  As one of my old law professors was fond of saying, they were too clever by half.

    by mattinla on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 09:45:44 PM PDT

  •  I always knew Rudy was no-go

    I never had a strong feeling -- and still don't -- about who will be the Democrats nominee (Until a couple of weeks ago I still thought and hoped it could be Edwards. I still think with even remotely equal media coverage it would have been). But I always knew Rudy would not be the Republican nominee. He simply is everything the base has been conditioned to hate and you do not turn around wingnuts that fast as McCain is learning to his dismay. If they complain that McCain is a "liberal" because he favours stem-cell research and doesn't hate Mexicans enough, how on earth would they have ever gone for Rudy? Problem was early polls were all about name recognition and polled people who weren't that likely to vote in a GOP primary. By the way, Border's has "Countdown to the Giuliani Presidency" calendars on sale for a buck.