"Hillary Clinton, Please Exit With Dignity" The Nation: She Should Drop Out Of The Race On June 4

[Leo 9]

Hillary Clinton, Please Exit With Dignity
The Nation: She Should Drop Out Of The Race On June 4

May 27, 2008



The Nation) This column was written by Katrina vanden Heuvel.
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Check out CNN.com for Bill Clinton's vent about how a "cover up" is hurting Hillary Clinton's chances of becoming the Democratic nominee. This is a man who has trampled on his spouse's voice every time, in this campaign, that she's found it.

The women of The Nation are the first to deplore the sexism in media commentary this primary season, but a "cover up"?

Hillary Clinton started this race last year as the one to beat--she had the money, the machine and the name recognition that assured her of quasi-incumbent status. And, indeed, she ran as a quasi-incumbent, an establishment candidate in a change-year election. Yes, there were the Chris Matthews and the Tucker Carlsons and the Mike Barnicles and the Rush Limbaughs and the women who were working out their Clinton hatred through Hillary's candidacy.

Betsy Reed's superb May 19th cover story, "Race to the Bottom: How Hillary Clinton's Campaign Has Divided the Feminist Movement," documents those sexist remarks--and explains how Clinton's campaign has divided the feminist movement. But Clinton's losses cannot be attributed solely or largely to a sexism that still runs deep in our political culture.

Clinton made the mistake of running a top-down campaign in a rules-changing year, and acceding to a sexism within her campaign that advised her not to apologize for her disastrous vote supporting Bush's war resolution. Yes, she was in charge. She could have rejected the guys' advice. But Clinton appears to have bought into the idea that a Commander-in-Chief has to play by "men's rules"--and be tougher than the toughest. If she'd been smart and right, not strong and wrong, how in her right mind would she not have said, I made a mistake when I accepted the word of a man who, it is now widely accepted (except in FoxLand), lied us into a war that has gravely undermined the US's security? John Edwards managed to issue an apology--and he was dueling with a media that had pegged him as "the Breck Girl." Could it be that macho boys like Mark Penn and Bill Clinton counseled Hillary that if she issued honest regret she wouldn't be macho enough to be treated as a serious Commander-in-Chief?

If Clinton had listened to alternative voices --if there'd be some "woman- common-sense" over in her campaign--they might have suggested that she reframe what a commander-in-chief for the 21st century means. That what's needed to deal with the challenges of this world is not more militarism and macho swagger, but a commitment to smart, principled use of non-military tools. After all, how does military might address genocidal conflicts? Or the worst pandemic in world history (AIDS)? Or staggering and destabilizing global inequality? Or, for that matter, the spread of weapons of mass destruction?

snip

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/27/opinion/main4129478.shtml

[Window]

1. K/R. One of the best articles I've read yet on what went wrong with Hillary's campaign.

:kick:

"If she'd been smart and right, not strong and wrong, how in her right mind would she not have said, I made a mistake when I accepted the word of a man who, it is now widely accepted (except in FoxLand), lied us into a war that has gravely undermined the US's security? John Edwards managed to issue an apology--and he was dueling with a media that had pegged him as "the Breck Girl." Could it be that macho boys like Mark Penn and Bill Clinton counseled Hillary that if she issued honest regret she wouldn't be macho enough to be treated as a serious Commander-in-Chief?"

[Leo 9]

7. Thanks for the recommendation!

:)

Too bad it didn't make greatest page.

:cry:

[Window]

13. I wonder why not. It has 15 recs and only 5 is necessary.

:thumbsdown:

[grantcart]

2. Imagine this

After placing 3rd place Hillary Clinton abandons the jets and the handlers and does what McCain does and

holds town hall after town hall answering every question into the early hours of the morning.

Day after day.

She would have been the nominee

[wileedog]

3. Overwhelmingly

Its what makes all the fingerpointing now so infuriating. It wasn't sexism, it wasn't the media, it wasn't Obama and his Mystical Race Card.

It was one of the worst run campaigns in history. Just a complete cluster from the start.

And by a candidate who really, really should have won.

[David Zephyr]

4. President Jimmy Carter to Hillary: "Give it up."

Give it up and give it a rest.

[smiley_glad_hands]

5. Another media outlet dead to the clinton supporters. eom

[Major Hogwash]

6. All the primaries will be over by then, so it makes sense.

To prolong it any longer, will only benefit McCain.

[WillyT]

8. K & R !!!

:kick:

[Alexander]

9. If she had voted against the IWR she would be the nominee already.

[Cha]

12. If If If...that wouldn't

be the candidate who's running inside hilary clinton's head, though.

She's not that person.

So we dodged another 4 year nightmare on top of the last 8.

[Raine]

10. Good article...

THANKS! :thumbsup:

[Cha]

11. Too bad hilary's too busy whinging to Exit With Dignity..

hilary had so many people to be but they all ended up looking like george w bush.

Bottom line..hilary doesn't know her own council..she's afraid of herself.

Katrina suggests she may have listened to alternative voices with some "woman-common-sense" but, if she'd listen to the woman gerry ferraro she'd be going racist.

Unfortunately, hilary had no chance to be smart and right because hilary has always been this way..it just took this primary against Obama to bring it all to the surface. Another thing I have Obama to thank for.

"More than any single thing, that moment with Bill Clinton in South Carolina represents the rupture that was coming," says Harris-Lacewell. The moment occurred in late January, when the former President compared Obama's landslide win, in which he received a major boost from African-American voters, to Jesse Jackson's victories there in 1984 and 1988. Because the former President offered the comparison unprompted, in response to a question that had nothing to do with Jackson or race, the statement was widely read as chalking up Obama's win to his blackness alone and thus attempting to marginalize him as a doomed minority candidate with limited appeal. Obama was now "the black candidate," in the words of one Clinton strategist quoted by the AP."

<"Race To The Bottom"> by Betsy Reed
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080519/betsyreed

[sfam]

14. But Hillary's a woman, so by definition, anything that goes wrong is based on sexism!!!

That's her argument, right? Seems a bit circular if you ask me...

[Dark]

15. "She must know that how she exits will define the winner in November 2008. "

That's not good.

[TexasObserver]

16. Katrina vanden Heuvel is awesome.

And right.

Also, KVH is the hottie that Maureen Dowd thinks she is.

[demokatgurrl]

17. do you have a link to the Nation article? n/t

[invictus]

18. K & R

[Beacool]

19. I prefer some of the responses from the CBS board:

Here's one:

Hillary has accomplished a lot which many have never dreamed of in their life. Her dignity does not depend on exiting. So the question of exit with dignity makes no sense at all.

Journalism displays abusive use of language so much that we begin to question the integrity of the media. This is one of many things that Hillary has accomplished.

Hillary''s campaign has pointed out to us the undemocratic processes that have been employed in the party for nomination and the era of insidious politics displayed by pundits against the will of people. For this alone she is very dignified person who defies venoms of unjustified attacks. Without her, the party does not stand a chance in the general election. The people in FL and Michigan are so sore with the party that it shall take a long time before the party will be forgiven.

Perhaps, the politician are so used to screw people that they underestimate the exposure of corruption of the party but as soon as the campaign of general election begins, we can''t would become we can''t win for BO.

And this one:

Hillary is not doing this because she is power hungry, selfish, crazy, obsessive, insane or any of the other numerous character assassinations you Obama zombies like to ignorantly insinuate. Hillary loves America, period. Hillary knows what to do to fix America after 8 years of devastation at the hands of the Dictator in Chief idiot Bush. Hillary closes this thing with more votes from Americans nationwide than her competition, there is no reason she should back down, NONE. Where were all you people when Gore had more votes than Bush in 2000? When the Giants were taking down the Patriots in the Super Bowl? Unless you voted for Bush or are a Patriots fan, you were rooting for their competition and saying don't quit, keep going. You Obama people follow Obama blindly like he can walk on water. Is that why he has lost every single key state including all of the essential swing states? and he has lost the popular vote nationwide when you include Florida's and Michigan's voters, which we know you hate to do in your little Obama fantasy world. Bottom line, Hillary may not have the delegates based on the warped rules of the Democratic party, but she won America and the American people over hands down. Get ready for President McCain.

Or this one:

It should be noted that Katrina Vanden Heuvel is an Obama supporter. I agree that the superdelegates should follow the will of the people. So, when one candidate gets over 100,000 more votes than the other candidate, but the loser candidate takes more delegates, the will of the people surely isn''t the delegate count. With some votes in AA districts proportionally worth more than a vote in a rural district in garnering delegates, there is no "will of the people" expressed fairly. Hillary will end up this process with more popular vote, and by most accounts, this truly is the "will of the people". To side against the candidate with the popular vote, swing state victories, momentum, and still polling stronger against McCain, is to actually "laugh" at the will of the people, not support it. For one candidate to be ahead in delegates solely because of caucuses, in which nobody votes privately, and most people aren''t even allowed in the doors, is ludicrous.
To win solely due to disenfranchisement, makes for an illegitimate nominee for sure.

There are many more.....

[Joe the Revelator]

20. Are they all as delusional and incomprehensible as the two you posted?

[Leo 9]

21. Here's a couple of good ones.

DEMONIZING HILLARY: Every woman in this country should be outraged by the treatment Hillary Clinton has received as a presidential candidate. She is a victim of sexism, discrimination and media onslaught in proportions this country has never seen before. Male dominated media including some veteran journalists have lost all sense of fairness and balance when covering Hillary. They caricature her unfairly, quote her out of context, magnify her shortcomings, want her drop out of the race halfway through the race, belittle her lifelong service to this country, and ignore her service on behalf of children. I think all these are because of her gender. This makes one wonder how these seasoned politicians and payed spin doctors of the silver screen treat women in their own lives. Even some of the Democratic Party leaders who cried foul in 2000 with the Florida election fiasco are so eager to suppress millions of votes of Florida and Michigan to deny Hillary the nomination and to fix the election. That is hypocrisy. We should never allow this to happen in this country.


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Posted by ssskfrancis at 01:31 PM : May 28, 2008


It is NOT about being a sore loser, lugnuts; it is about political leverage. Do any of you wingnuts think that BARACK THE MAGNIFICANT can win the Presidency without the supporters of Senator Clinton?
I think not!!! Just like those of you who disparage Senator Clinton, some of us are not enamored of the GREAT ONE. This is one voter who thinks that he is one of the most intellectually dishonest people I have ever heard. He has no fresh ideas on how to deal with some of the most pressing issues in the country; and this mantra of CHANGE & HOPE has gotten on my last nerve. There will be a CHANGE in that seat come November, and I am always HOPEFUL that things will get better for all citizens of our country; but cute campaign slogans will not get us there. I am not saying that Senator Clinton is without fault - she has them, but she can run rings around this neophyte when it comes to running the country and has worked very hard for the men, women, and children who have been left out of the mainstream.
I have had it with the negative, lazy press in this country. Maybe if they had gotten off of their arsses done some real investigative reporting we wouldn''t be in the mess we''re in.

Sorry about some of the name-calling, but I have just about had it with this love affair with the Shill from Chicago.


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Posted by walker1209 at 01:30 PM : May 28, 2008

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/27/opinion/main4129478.shtml#ccmm

:rofl:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

24. Hillary didn't whine about the process when Bill was in it

flip flopper.

[PretzelWarrior]

22. or put more in my lingo....GET THE FUCK OUT, HILLARY

[cliffordu]

23. What he said.