To Claim Popular Vote, Clinton Is Seeking Wins in Last 3 Primaries

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: To Claim Popular Vote, Clinton Is Seeking Wins in Last 3 Primaries
By Anne E. Kornblut and Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, May 25, 2008; A08

Trailing in delegates while her debt continues to grow, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is aggressively campaigning in the final three contests of the primary season in the hope of seizing a victory in the overall popular vote from Sen. Barack Obama. The effect of such a victory -- and the question of whether Clinton hopes to leverage it into the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket or simply leave it as a historical marker -- is less clear. "One hundred percent of her energy is on the popular vote," a senior adviser said. "The only thing she can control is how hard she works and what effort she puts into the remaining three contests. She wants to end this with as many votes as she can."

The pursuit of the popular vote sent Clinton to South Dakota on Friday, then back across the country to Puerto Rico yesterday. It also helps explain the sometimes-contradictory rhetoric she used last week -- on one evening highlighting party unity, and on the next, defiance and determination to continue running hard against Obama....

***

After the two split primaries in Oregon and Kentucky last Tuesday, Obama held a lead of about 400,000 votes, according to various estimates, but counting the raw totals from Florida and Michigan would vault Clinton ahead of him. She hopes to close the gap further with what her campaign expects to be a big win in Puerto Rico's primary next Sunday.

Still, her aides struggled to explain what she hopes the popular-vote victory will yield. On Friday, they beat back rumors that she is negotiating to be Obama's running mate. "Totally false," senior aide Howard Wolfson said of a report that she is in formal talks with the Obama team over conceding. David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, called the same reports "laughable."

Members of the Clinton inner circle said that as the campaign has dragged on, her group of confidantes has grown smaller. One senior adviser normally privy to major decisions said it is unlikely that anyone beyond campaign manager Maggie Williams and attorney Cheryl Mills is having concrete discussions with Clinton about her strategy going forward....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/24/AR2008052401885_pf.html

[RBInMaine]

1. I don't think whe'll win in South Dakota nor Montana. PR, yes.

[MindMatter]

2. Get over it

The race was over a month ago. The only thing happening now is a mental meltdown.

Stop wasting bandwidth here. Off to my ignore list.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. By placing DeepModem Mom on Ignore, MindMatter is missing this piece...

I posted a brief time ago, per my policy (and I am an Obama supporter) of posting articles, both pro and con about both candidates, in a neutral manner, without comment --

A look inside the Obama campaign: Stunning even themselves with their success
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=108x131548

Or maybe MindMatter confused the poster (myself) with the writers of the WP piece, Ms. Kornblut and Mr. Balz.

[Cha]

8. Deep Modem Mom is an Obama supporter

who posts articles about Obama and hilary.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. Thanks, zidzi. In fact, I didn't think the article complimentary of Clinton.

It says that she'd like the popular vote majority, but they don't know why, or what it would gain her -- and that her circle of confidantes has dwindled down to two people. A pretty sad commentary, it seemed to me.

[Cha]

10. YW.. she wants anything she

can get to throw up smoke screens and dissention for her supporters to vote for mccain.

Tempers are pretty short right now. I had my own blow out in GDP a couple of hours ago when I read that hilary is blaming Obama campaign for fanning the flames for her RFK assassination comments for the fourth time.

I'm back to my seething just below the surface:(

[carpe diem]

3. her motivation is the same now as it was in February ...

when it was clear that she couldn't catch up with Obama's delegate lead. Try to sabatoge, embarass, weaken and damage him as much as possible for the general in the hopes that he loses to McCain and she can say "nay nay nay, I told you so." If she can't be elected POTUS this year, no Democrat will be. She can punish both Obama and the party for not supporting her. It's all about vindictiveness and spite at this point.

[Cha]

7. I can't wait until Obama is Prez and

little hilary is sucking on her thumb in the senate..if they'll have her back.

[DesertFlower]

4. i think its insane that puerto rico

has 63 delegates, but cannot vote in the GE.

[earthlover]

6. "It also helps explain the sometimes-contradictory rhetoric she used last week -- on one evening....

....highlighting party unity, and on the next, defiance and determination to continue running hard against Obama...."

I guess that is what you get with a Hillary Candidacy. Says one thing in one part of the country, hoping the other parts of world don't notice.....

What on Earth would happen if she were actually elected president? Would anyone (sober that is) be able to explain how Hillary says one thing in Montana and something else in Puerto Rico?

Can you tell me anything that could argue against the conclusion that Hillary would say anything to get elected?