Curious: Why do you think Pelosi is trying to kill off any possibility of a unity ticket?

[Mike03]

Does she know something we don't know?

Is she just expressing her own bias towards one or the other?

She seemed so certain.

I favor Obama, but like both Obama and Clinton and would be proud to have either as a President, so this question is not intended to ignite conflict or flaming. I'm just curious as to why you think Pelosi was so certain as to her opinion.

Does anyone know who, if either candidate, she is favoring?

[NJSecularist]

1. She wanted a unity ticket before HRC decided McCain would be a better president than Obama

[mudesi]

2. She is angry at Hillary Clinton....

...for jeopardizing the up until recently obvious Democratic victory in November. She, and the rest of the party, are urging Clinton to drop out because she lost last month, but Clinton is stubbornly refusing.

[blonndee]

3. I was wondering why she was so certain this would be over soon,

or before the convention at least, which she also said on Sunday. So I'm glad you asked this question--I'd like to read what ideas others have about this. Obviously I have no idea.

[totodeinhere]

9. Maybe it's because she understands grade school arithmetic.

[Mike03]

18. Why does arithmetic have anything to do with the question or the formation of a unity ticket?

It's obvious that Obama has the momentum. But it's even more obvious that because the race is close, that a unity ticket would be stronger than a singular ticket.

[totodeinhere]

19. I responded to the question "I was wondering why she was so certain this would be over soon?"

I answered that she is certain it will be over soon because anyone with a basic understanding of grade school arithmetic will see that Clinton can't catch Obama in pledged delegates.

[blonndee]

26. Yes, but anyone with a basic understanding of Hillary Clinton

would be expecting Clinton to take the thing all the way to the convention no matter what. No need to be insulting.

[Spider Jerusalem]

12. The answer is obvious

it will be evident that Hillary cannot win a plurality of pledged delegates. And superdelegates (and Pelosi, who wields tremendous influence) have made it fairly clear that they will vote for the candidate who goes into the convention with a pledged delegate lead. Which means that Hillary has no realistic hope of being nominated. It's clear now; it will be more clear if the process continues through the Pennsylvania and North Carolina primaries (the 2 largest remaining).

[blonndee]

27. No, but Pelosi said it would be over BEFORE the convention.

She was quite confident about that.

[Spider Jerusalem]

28. Because Hillary is going to be pressured to drop out, obviously

she can't win the nomination even if it goes to the convention. She'll be made to accept the inevitable rather than drawing the process out as long as possible, which serves no purpose other than to prolong a period of division.

[pocoloco]

4. My guess is McCain.

[VeraAgnes]

5. That is an excellent question!

I have been wondering that for a few days...and am clueless. She has said she supports Obama but really has not given her hand away yet.

[democrattotheend]

6. She has not endorsed, but obviously favors Obama

Most of the House members close to her have endorsed him, and I even read at one point that she was considering an endorsement but thought it might interfere with her effectiveness as Speaker.

I would guess that her support for Obama has to do with Clinton's support for the Iraq War Resolution that she led House Dems in opposing. She also might feel some competition with Clinton, since she is currently the highest ranking woman in US history.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

7. Like many of our most ridiculous Dems, she thinks that maximal Obama support will

magically wash away her obvious failing as the head of an all but universally disliked Congress.

Pelosi is really making me sick lately... Hillary will lose because she is associated with the old guard who has been such a disappointment since '06. SO Pelosi ought to back Hillary and go down with the ship.

She's a rat running off of herself!

[tishaLA]

8. I think she sees a more effective legislative body

with Obama's coattails. We have seen the Clinton coattails--they are negative coattails...losses in the Senate and the House in 94, 96, etc. Pelosi wants to get stuff done and thinks she can with Obama.

[slick8790]

10. Maybe she's assuming Obama wins the nomination

and needs woman on the ticket to shore up his support among women, but a woman who isn't as politically damaged as Hillary Clinton.

Anything is possible.

[JVS]

14. Could Pelosi be the one for that?

[meow mix]

16. it would make sense of recent events, if there was something to it.

just sayin

[MadHound]

11. Because she realizes that a "dream ticket" is just that, a dream

First of all, Hillary doesn't fill in Obama's weak spots, and Obama doesn't fill in Hillary's weak spots. That's part of a VP's role, to shore up the presidential candidate's weak spots.

Second, she knows that such ticket would be less attractive to many independents and cross over voters. Red state independents would vote for a ticket with a black man on it, likewise they would also vote for a ticket with a white woman on it. However a ticket with both on it would prove too radical for many of those independents and they would flee to McCain.

Third, and perhaps most important, she knows that after such a contentious primary, with two very strong and independent people, putting them together on the same ticket is going to lots of behind the scenes acrimony and conflict.

[islandmkl]

13. why dilute your strength...

pelosi seems to be seeing some kind of hand-writing on the wall...

her being non-committal goes along with the way she has 'achieved' her remarkable results in Congress the past year or so....

she is jockeying for position....Hillary is part of her 'old guard' power structure...a structure that may have set itself up for a change not of its own doing...

i do think she realizes that the 'unity' ticket is out of the hands of the Democratic 'leadership'...

thank god...

[SoCalDem]

15. Because he cannot/won't ask HRC to join him . n/t

[LisaL]

17. At this point, unitiy ticket is not going to help either one of them.

[mdmc]

20. If the BIGDOG can't be first gentleman, he will be out hounding

[robbedvoter]

21. Cuz she disregards hald of the dem voters - whichever half that is

[knixphan]

22. Pelosi gets the fact

that an Obama/Edwards ticket is stronger than Obama/Clinton.

Or Obama/

Dodd
Richardson
Biden
Webb
Boxer

[krawhitham]

23. unity ticket still possible, maybe with Pelosi as VP

[Johnny__Motown]

24. Because Hillary is poison

[Carrieyazel]

25. A "unity" ticket is not what it would be. It would be a ticket that bows to media pressure.

Neither one should be on a ticket with the other. Too much bad blood in this primary campaign.
And Pelosi has enough political savvy to know that both on the same ticket cannot win.

[QC]

29. Trying to regain some of her lost esteem among Democrats? n/t

[kerry-is-my-prez]

30. I heard her mentioned as a possible VP for Obama somewhere....

I don't know how likely it is. Because they thought that it would "soothe" the feelings of women.

[olkaz]

34. Completely unlikely.

If Hillary wins, she needs Obama to keep the progressives.

If Obama wins, he needs a moderate, strong on national defense and foreign policy, like a Jim Webb or a Joe Biden.

[scheming daemons]

31. Because she wants to win in November???

:shrug:

[IndianaJones]

32. depends. do we like her today or hate her? nt.

[better tomorrow]

33. I got that same feeling....she was smiling....

not sure if it will be her or maybe Barbara Boxer. Black man, Jewish woman? Now, that will unite some.....but you are right, she seemed to be ahead of the curve. The suspense is killing me....

[Azathoth]

35. I think she bailed on that idea after Hillary endorsed McCain n/t