Tell Hillary where to go

In the climax of her remarkable, contemptible speech, Hillary Clinton asked her supporters for their advice on whether to drop out:

Now, the question is: Where do we go from here? And given how far we've come and where we need to go as a party, it's a question I don't take lightly. This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight.

[At this point, her supporters cheered wildly, and some chanted, "Denver! Denver!"]

But this has always been your campaign. So, to the 18 million people who voted for me, and to our many other supporters out there of all ages, I want to hear from you. I hope you'll go to my Web site at HillaryClinton.com and share your thoughts with me[.]

As NRO's Jim Geraghty writes, it's fairly obvious where this path leads:

She wants people to visit her web site and help her decide what to do next.

Can you see what's next? "I wanted to concede, but my supporters didn't want me to."

Like I said, it's the Ross Perot strategy. "The volunteers have asked me to run!"

Luckily, Hillary's "18 million" aren't the only people who know how to use the Interwebs. So, I invite you all to follow this link, and give Hillary the advice she so desperately needs. For example:

Comments

[JD]

In the spirit of Buford Tannen:

Them's mighty strong words, runt. Care to back 'em up with more than just an e-mail?*

*Actual backing up not necessary. The quote just happened to come to mind.

[Paul Devlin]

Dear Brendan,

I've enjoyed your anti-dream ticket posts and couldn't agree more. Tonight was grotesque and further evidence that she does not (rather, pathologically cannot, since birds of a feather...)select sharp advisors or handlers. You may enjoy this NYT Mag article from 2000 (linked) on Reagan;s not picking Gerald Ford for VP. http://abravuraofthemind.wordpress.com/

[Sandy Underpants]

Thanks for writing that letter to Hillary.com, but really, does she give a damn what any American really thinks, or wants?

[john quinlan]

Wow. So much anger. I'm sure glad Obama's bringing a new breed of politics to this country--his new breed of supporters are certainly eschewing the slash-and-burn politics of old. Yessir, we've never heard anyone campaign promising change before, but wait, this is change WE CAN BELIEVE IN. Oh, okay. Yay!

[USC 2L]

You're just adding to her count of how many voters messaged her begging her to continue.

[john]

Mccain should announce tomorrow that Sarah Palin is his choice for Veep. She is a strong candidate on her own merits, but in this situation she carries two additional benefits:

1) She increases pressure on Obama to offer Clinton at least a cabinet post, and at this point if he gives her anything at all it would be window for Republic attacks henceforth.

2) Choosing a woman before Obama chooses a running mate levels the identity politics somewhat. She would also level the average age of the ticket by around 20 years. If, however, Mccain waits until after Hillary drops out, or God forbid she gets the vp nod, he can no longer choose her without appearing reactive.

[David K.]

So what John, we are all supposed to be happy loving carebears who never speak our opinion? Bull. Getting angry is just fine, and if you aren't capable of discerning the difference between what Brendan is saying and what the far left and far right have been doing, then i suggest you stick to cheap drink and cheap food, you probably can't tell the difference anyway.

[Wobbly H]

The chanting enablers at Hilldog's speech were quite unfortunate. How could people actually believe that bringing this to Denver is remotely in the interest of winning in November?

[CORNHUSKERS 94 95 & 97]

Great letter Brendan!

I was afraid to log onto that site and be counted in the number of people who went to the site after her bashing of Barak. Excuse me, Democratic Presidential Nominee Bzrak Obama, lol.

[Becky]

john, by choosing Palin, McCain takes talking about the value of experience off the table and that's one of his major strong points heading into the election.

[Angrier and Angrier]

Hillary can rationalize this all she wants. Let's call it for what it is. She's a sore loser.

What a horrible example to set for the young women of America.

[Angrier and Angrier]

Unfortunately, Brendan, you are playing right into Hillary's hands. Do you know how many messages like yours Hillary will receive? Unfortunately, she will claim that x-amount of people have come to my site to show their support! She will totally ignore the fact that half of those people came to register their disdain.

[Marty West]

Hillary is that little bastard from your childhood who would always quit when he was losing and rub it in your face when he was winning. Take your ball and go home Hillary!

Where is her home now btw? Scranton? New York? Arkansas? She pretty much claimed she was from everywhere the entire campaign.

[Marty West]

Did anyone catch Michelle Obama's fist bump with Barack? He was probably like "Easy bitch."

[john quinlan]

I'm just saying that rancor is typical, David, and that's what you (and every other Obama supporter) are--typical. Typical partisans who are in love with a typical candidate. That's fine, just don't pretend to be part of some other, bigger "movement." It's the rockstar-cum-messiah treatment of Obama that annoys a lot of people who simply see another liberal politician who might be more civil than other liberal politicians. And that's great, that's fine, vote for your favorite liberal politician if you like, just know what you're voting for. For my part, I suspect that a vote for Barack Obama is a vote for the death of white guilt. It's lost on no one, I suspect, that it took a candidate of color who was NOT the descendant of slaves to break the Sharpton/Jackson logjam in this country, btw, and so I figure that he'll win in a landslide. Be careful what you wish for--you may have a ton of people in red, blue and purple states who consider President Obama their full balance due in "reparations". That spells election, but it also spells complete failure to prod those folks into support for progressive measures when it comes to governance.

[Joe Mama]

What a horrible example to set for the young women of America.

Yeah, well, she kind of made that horrible example back in the 90s when she was an enabler for her scumbag husband.

[Angrier and Angrier]

John Quinlan-

Your comments are ignorant at best and racist at worst. It is absurd to believe that anyone would vote for a black candidate out of some sense of "guilt." And that crack about "descendant of slaves" smacks of a "some blacks are better than others" mindset typical of the best old school Southern racists.

[Angrier and Angrier]

Joe Mama-

I don't necessarily disagree with you on that point. Though, under the circumstances at the time, I believe she had little choice but to "stand by her man" like Tammy Wynette. However if it weren't for her raw ambition, she probably would have dumped the guy once he was out of office.

[Brendan]

However if it weren't for her raw ambition, she probably would have dumped the guy once he was out of office.

Thought experiment: if she'd done that, would she be the Democratic nominee right now?

I'm not sure, but I think maybe yes!

[Angrier and Angrier]

Brendan-

That is a good point I hadn't thought of. More women would have supported her run. Even though they would have been divorced, I think Bill would have been very active in her campaign - in a good, supporting way - out of guilt.

[Brendan]

I was actually assuming he would have been less active in her campaign, and that this would have been a good thing, at least in the early stages. But I could be wrong.

[Joe Mama]

It is absurd to believe that anyone would vote for a black candidate out of some sense of "guilt."

Why?

I 100% disagree, and as I've said on this blog before, not only are there a sizeable number of voters who want to "do the right thing" and vote for a black candidate, but that number is likely higher than the number of people who would not vote for a black candidate because (s)he was black. Stated differently, Obama's race is a net asset, not a net liability.

[Angrier and Angrier]

Joe Mama-

"Do the right thing" and a sense of guilt are two totally different things.

I don't know if you have ever hired someone. I have. When I look at a candidate, I look at all of their qualifications. If the best candidate happens to be black, then do I feel a little better because I was able to hire the best qualified candidate, who just happened to be black? Sure.

But guilt has nothing to do with the decision. And I guarantee you that if the best candidate is a white man, even if there is a good black candidate who is less qualified, I will hire the white man. Not only "will I," I have done so in the past and will do the same in the future given the same circumstances.

[Joe Mama]

Why would you "feel a little better" if the best qualified candidate happened to be black?

[john quinlan]

I didn't just invent the idea of "white guilt" right here. And frankly, it's obviously a product of paternalistic liberalism rather than Southern racist dogma. The racist doesn't care about helping out the black community; the white liberal who feels guilty for succeeding in a system stacked against his fellow man does. Of course there are a lot of people who don't feel white guilt, and good for you Mr. A&A. Hire whomever you want. I'm just saying that it most certainly IS a phenomenon, and it's one that I think is more widespread than can be reported.

As for the "some black are better than others," that shows an unsubtle mind at work reading my post. I meant that only a person of color could challenge Jackson and Sharpton for leadership on progressive racial matters; AND only someone without their angry emotional civil-rights-era baggage can apparently do it in such a way that doesn't drive off widespread (read: white and latino) support. Barack Obama, as half-white and half-Kenyan (as opposed to Georgian, Mississippian, etc.) is uniquely suited to do that. A fairly innocuous point, I thought.

[kcatnd]

John,

Somehow I just don't believe that Obama was attracting huge crowds out of "white guilt." If you don't like Obama and just need some justification for his popularity then fine, believe whatever you want, but I think most of Obama's supporters are backing him because of Clinton/Bush fatigue and a desire to see someone new give it a shot. That's a good thing for politics.

What kind of black candidate wouldn't be the product of "white guilt" in your mind? One who doesn't get nominated?

[john quinlan]

I'm not saying that all Obama support among whites is born of guilt. Obviously, it's not. I'm simply saying that there will be a lot more votes from whites for Obama in November than we have seen so far, and it's fair to assume that at least some of those will be from people who feel like they finally get to discharge an obligation of sorts. I have no problem with Barack Obama and actually hope he wins--I don't care to be drafted for a war with Iran or Syria. As for what kind of black candidate could win without white guilt, I don't know that we can really measure that sort of thing, short of an Obama landslide that makes it moot. If anything, I'd say in a generation or two, hopefully the gap between the haves (who are disproportionately white) and the have-nots (who are disproportionately black) will have been bridged so that in the popular consciousness there really is no source for the guilt. White guilt towards the Native Americans doesn't coalesce around policy or actual motivating feeling because we don't see evidence of the detrimental effects of those genocidal policies every day.

[Leanna Loomer]

My support letter to Hillary:

Senator Clinton,
I voted for you in the CT primary. You have now betrayed committed Democrats such as myself by playing the Ralph Nader card. Your behavior and words at this crucial moment will make it difficult if not impossible for the Democratic party to regain the White House. Your continuing divisiveness, your faint praise of Sen. Obama, and your encouraging words for Sen. McCain may bring us four more years of Republican Supreme Court appointees, four more years of Bush policies and four more years of lost opportunity for our nation. Do you think this will position you to take the presidency in 2012? I will now do everything in my power to see this does not come to pass., through all my grassroots activity and donations. I was a volunteer for your husband in 1992 and I contributed $500 to his campaign. You had my support this spring. NEVER AGAIN.
Leanna Loomer
Registered Democrat
State of Connecticut

[Angrier and Angrier]

Joe Mama-

Why wouldn't I?

[Joe Mama]

You're dodging, A&A. You said it's "absurd" to believe that anyone would vote for a black candidate out of some sense of guilt, but then also said you "feel a little better" when the best qualified candidate you hired happens to be black. I think your second statement belies your first to some extent, which is why I'm curious about exactly why you "feel a little better" when the best qualified candidate you hired happens to be black. I'm certainly not saying there's anything at all wrong with feeling good about hiring a black person, voting for a black candidate, etc. In fact, I think it says something positive about our society -- given our history -- that a black presidential candidate's race can be viewed as an asset rather than a liability. I'm just interested in correctly identifying the underlying source of said "good feeling."

[Angrier and Angrier]

I would "feel good" because I would feel like I am encouraging a more diverse workplace. Just like I would feel good if I hired a woman, a Hispanic, or even a Republican (if my office was full of Democrats).

[Joe Mama]

Fair enough. Perhaps those voters who we both seem to agree think they are "doing the right thing" by voting for a black presidential candidate feel like they are encouraging a more diverse workplace in the White House by drawing on the qualities and experiences of a president of a different ethnicity and cultural background, thereby improving teamwork, boosting morale, and enhancing communication and greater creativity in the White House.

[Angrier and Angrier]

Joe Mama-

Sounds like you just went through a diversity seminar. ;)

[Joe Mama]

Actually, I just saw a re-run of The Office.

[Angrier and Angrier]

That was a great episode.

[Joe Mama]

"Um, let me ask you, is there a term besides 'Mexican' that you prefer? Something less offensive?"

[Alasdair]

Personally, I just wish that "diversity" meant diversity of thought rather than percentage quotas for ethnicity ...

[David K.]

Pretty hypocritcal words coming from someone who considers disagreeing with President Bush a mental disease, eh Alasdair?

Or someone who considers not hating Bush with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns to be apologizing for him.

[Alasdair]

David - when you have studied to the point where you understand the difference between "non-positive" and "negative", we can progress to trying to get you to where you might be capable of understanding that BDS is not a manifestation of "someone who considers disagreeing with President Bush " ...

BDS is a manifestation of something, possibly mental, possibly organic, whereby a person cannot help but knee-jerk be against whatever President Bush is for ...

As far as I know, many of us who feel pity for BDS sufferers also believe that President Bush has made identifiable mistakes ...

One of his earliest was when he chose to keep George Tenet on in such an important intelligence role ... perhaps if Bush had chosen to replace George Tenet, rather than keep him on, WMDs might not have been one of the many reasons cited by Bush in his SOTU address to explain why something significant had to be done about Saddam Hussein and Iraq ...

We do not however believe that he is responsible for everything that has gone wrong around the planet since mid-January 2001 ...

[David K.]

That explanation might hold any water if you didn't keep using it as a "counter argument" in discussions where no one is claiming that he is responsible fro everything thats gone wrong on this planet since 2001. You've used it against me on a number of occasions and I can assure you i have never made an assertion that approaches the ludicrous claim that you are making. Face it Alasdair, you're problem is not with extremists like you claim but with people who aren't willing to hero worship Bush like you do. Many have advanced very real very concrete and supportable claims against Bush, yet you in your support for "diversity of thought" have labeled them all with a knee-jerk BDS label. You are a hypocrite Alasdair. Own up to it, learn from it, move past it and then you can complain. Until then you are a hypocrite.

[Alasdair]

David - I'm not sure who this person is about whom you are fatasising, but it ain't me ... I don't do the hero-worship thing ... for anyone, and certainly not for any living or even recently-living President ...

You may project "hypocrisy" on anyone you want, yet that doesn't stop it from being projection ...

I will point out to you that more than one of us has observed that you do have a tendency to go Davidian on a lot of posts, and somehow try to shift the potential blame for an amazing repertoire of things onto Bush ...

If you are having difficulty understanding the difference between "non-positive" and negative, a number of us computer geeks on here can try to help you with the concept ...

[David K.]

Your attempts at condescension are pathetic Alasdair and you are an outright liar if you claim you haven't accused me of "BDS" (and others) when we clearly don't exhibit the behavior that even you yourself just claimed it means. You're attempts to belittle people with your "cute" use of their names is indicative of what is obvious to everyone but your feeling extreme right wingers. You have no substance and no support for your arguments, you are full of hot air and empty rhetoric.

But here is your chance to put your money where your moth is. Why don't you come up with some examples where I have placed blame on Bush for this amazing repertoire of things. Either put up or shut up. And please post links and not just excerpts, no doubt you'd love to take things out of context.

[john quinlan]

Yeah, put your money where your moth is, Alasdair. Where is your moth, exactly?

[Joe Mama]

We've gone from BDS to the first and only known case of ADS.

[Alasdair]

john quinlan - oh, it's probably around something flaming ...

No, NOT David !

{ptui!}

[Alasdair]

john quinlan - oh, it's probably around something flaming ...

No, NOT David !

{ptui!}

[Alasdair]

Joe Mama - I didn't want to say ... I figured it would just trigger another similar rant ... (grin) ...

[David K.]

Thanks for proving my point Alasdair, you've got jack shit when it comes to facts, and your right wing lapdogs here are just further proving it.

pot, kettle ... kettle, pot