Wednesday, May 07, 2008

the morning after bitter pill

I mentioned last night that, out of nowhere, the media has turned violently against Clinton, with Tim Russert and Chris Matthews, the two biggest pundits on the biggest news staff, declaring the contest over and Barack Obama the nominee.

It continues this morning. Bob Shrum, as interviewed in The New York Times:
“The people who have her best interests at heart, they would now say to her, ‘You ought to really think about not protracting this, because you will only look selfish in the weeks to come,’ ” Mr. Shrum said. “Her Pennsylvania win bought her permission to go on. But then her narrow victory in Indiana and this smashing defeat in North Carolina — there is no rationale for her to continue.”

Say what you will about his record as a strategist (and I often do), his opinion is hot s**t in Washington and, to my knowledge, he has no horse in this race.

Meanwhile, Paul Begala, former strategist for Bill and current Hillary supporter, goes on national TV and calls Obama supporters "eggheads and African Americans." Here we see the sentiment behind Clintonian triangulation, specifically that the party can and should shit on liberals, seculars and blacks with impunity because, let's face it, they have nowhere else to go. Liberals, seculars, and feminists, in fact, are the only demographics that you can explicitly slander on national TV without ever having to worry that someone will come to their defense. No one ever does.

So screw 'em, right? The party's got them over a barrel so, if beating on them in public makes the bubbas like you, do it! After all, it's not as if such behavior has ever had electoral consequences.

3 comments:

TioChuy said...

O.k. you got me. Go Obama! The only thing that holds me up, the ONLY thing, is think about Indiana and Texas and about 45 other states. When have we ever mattered in a primary, in our lifetime? I voted for Hillary and proudly so. Mostly because I don't buy anyone's Iraq platform, mostly because I've been there twice, but I bought Hillary's more than the others. I just feel a little hypocritical saying I'm all in with Obama, based on the fact that I think everyone should have a say, and not just because I like Hillary. I've had to vote absentee more than once and I know it sucks knowing your vote counts for shit. So, for all the people that have to choose between two people that may not have been on top of your list I say "I feel you but, we cannot let another Republican lead this nation."

el ranchero said...

That's true about the non-IA/NH/SC states. My only issue about carrying the campaign on is that, as long as Clinton and McCain are tag teaming Obama, he can't get a word in edgewise and the Crazy Train rolls on unmolested, because the media will NEVER question McCain on their own. If Clinton cut the negativity and they stuck to substance (or, even better, spent the rest of the primary tag teaming John McCain) I'd be all for continuing the primary.

TioChuy said...

Yeah that's the bitch of it. Perhaps its something that needs to be dealt with at another time. It would be nice if the primaries weren't so spread out. It sucks that Iowa, New Hampshire and a couple others get to decide for everyone else. I would have liked to pick Edwards.