Bob Franken: Hillary, We Really Don't Care

[K Gardner]

Her Predicament is That She's Lost - She Slogs On
by Bob Franken @ HuffPo

So we're an easy, simplistic target for the Hillary Clintons of this world who choose to paint with a broad brush when they need someone to blame for their predicaments.



In my role of television Pundit-Wannabee, I joined the likes of Tim Russert and many others within the last weeks in reporting that we thought the Democratic nomination contest was over (My particularly clever words were "It's over. It's over"). We stated the obvious: Barack Obama appeared to have beaten Hillary Clinton.

There's an important difference, however, between that and advocating that she withdraw. I can only speak for myself: I couldn't care less. It's just as good a story if she fights on or throws in the towel.

Her actions make it crystal clear she's not ready to accept our brilliant analysis. Senator Clinton slogs on and we're reduced to guessing why. Is it ego, an effort to get some political advantage, or that she truly believes she still has a fighting chance? Does she really mean it when she insists all party voters in all the primaries have a right to be heard? Sincerity is always a possibility.

But you don't need a Yale education to read the handwriting on the wall. So she's being very careful not to further alienate front runner Barack Obama and leave herself open to charges she had become a divisive force in her party.

Why do that when she can dump on the media and run an ad claiming the pundits want her to quit? It pushes a lot of the right buttons. She can be a victim and fighter at the same time. She can associate with all those who believe journalists are overpaid scumbags.

In my case, I must take exception. I am not overpaid! Still the media world these days is a chaotic one, producing a product that is often more babble and graffiti. The ranting can sometimes drown out the informed commentary. It is also true that a lot of pretend-journalists have taken sides, giving up their roles as everybody's skeptics. So we're an easy, simplistic target for the Hillary Clintons of this world who choose to paint with a broad brush when they need someone to blame for their predicaments.

In Clinton's case, her predicament is that she's lost. To say it again, it's over. That's different that advocating for her to surrender. If she wants to battle on, she should knock herself out, all the while being careful not to knock herself out even before she begins her next fight.

Hillary's Big Donors Defecting to Obama -Excellent Kos Diary

Despite the strong movement of donors away from Hillary and toward Obama, Hillary is apparently continuing her scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners strategy to the bitter end, and that's still keeping some donors quaking in their boots. As reported in the Post, even at this late stage in the game any Hillary donors that switch to Obama have been warned that they'll face the full wrath of the Clintons and be on the Clintons' infamous enemies list for good:

It appears that many big Clinton donors started seeing the writing on the wall back in March. The New York Daily News reviewed campaign finance data for March and found that 113 top Clinton funders -- those who had already given her the maximum $2,300 -- switched sides and gave to Obama for the first time that month.

"Once people think they know who the nominee is going to be, money just streams in," said Stephen Weissman of the Campaign Finance Institute, noting that John Kerry went from being all but penniless to raising $1 million a day after he locked up the Democratic nomination in 2004.

"I think what happened with Kerry will happen with Obama as soon as it becomes clear -- and I think it is clear -- that he will be the nominee," Weissman added.

<snip>

[Zachstar]

1. You need to add Bob to the op title because it looks like it is coming from AL Franken

[K Gardner]

2. Good catch.. thanks !

[Zachstar]

3. Thanks for editing it.

[CoffeeCat]

4. I found this most interesting....

"So she's being very careful not to further alienate front runner Barack Obama and leave herself open to charges she had become a divisive force in her party."

This is so telling. The past few days have been pretty tumultuous for Obama supporters who listened to that
conference call in which Hillary gave her supporters a list of lies to disseminate on the Internet. The lies
are so egregious and so insulting--it's hard for Obama supporters to listen to that call.

I didn't watch any tv all weekend until last night, and guess what...no word--AT ALL--of those sick talking
points. Not one peep. What reporter--who cares at all about his reputation--would actually insinuate that
she's "ahead in the popular vote"---if you don't count the caucus states (LOL!), but then count Michigan
and Florida?

:rofl:

Franken has it right. She's behaving above board, on the surface--but underneath the surface she's shoveling slime down
the Internet--making a serious effort to reach Obama supporters--a significant number who are online--as Hillary
knows.

It is grossly obvious to me, that this was intentional. Those talking points were meant to piss us off, rattle
our cages and dig the knife in further--to Obama supporters.

We're being punished.

I think Obama supporters need to keep this in mind when Hillary plays this dirty games. She's trying to piss us
off. How desperate of her.

She's making outlandish claims that no serious politician, Superdelegate or media member will take seriously. In
fact, the message wasn't directed at them. It was directed at us.

Hope I didn't hijack your post K--that Franken quote jumped out at me and I think Hillary's petty games need to
be exposed.

[K Gardner]

5. Actually, I've never read a response of yours that wasn't worth of its own OP ! Honored

you posted that here and you've boiled it all down to its ultimate hypocrisy. The media IS, however, broadcasting the fact that Hillary "claims to have won the popular vote".. they're covering her blame-the-media ads.. but in a miniscule way. Its just not news anymore.

Hillary knows, however, the ability of her most rabid supporters to create dissent and division on the "internets". That's exactly what they are doing, at her bequest, and what they are continually allowed to do here.

[CoffeeCat]

6. It really is bizarre, isn't it?

I listen to her arguments, and I wonder if she's playing with a full deck. These
are not the words of someone who is intelligent. She's winning the popular vote if
you don't count the several caucus states? How in the world can she say that with
a straight face?

So, you see these outrageous and laughable arguments made, and you try to refute them,
but it's frustrating. It's like someone is posting that you should pour drain cleaner
on your cat, if you want it sparkling clean. You try and refute the obvious, but they
come back with something more insane, "You just don't like drain cleaner! Show me one
study in which drain cleaner has hurt a cat's skin! You can't. You lose. Sexist!"

It's totally outer limits.

Clearly, and we heard the conference call--her minions have been told to do this. She
ordered the injection and her lemmings on the Internet are happy to push that syringe.

Also--I agree with you that the media is mentioning her popular-vote meme. However, they
don't take it seriously or try to position it as legitimate. They repeat what she has said
and then they mention that her metrics don't include the caucus states--and then everyone
rolls their eyes.

I think the media has changed. They used to elevate her arguments to equal level with
Obama's. They're not doing that anymore. Probably because it's difficult to spew insanity
with a straight face.

Thanks for your nice comments, K. I always enjoy reading your post and I appreciate how
diligent you were about exposing that conference call. You took it to the mattresses!
Good job!

[K Gardner]

8. The drain cleaner analogy is priceless !

[anigbrowl]

11. 'blame the media' tells us a lot about how she would have run her administration

Objective reporting doesn't suit her any more than it did Bush. Frankly, I think she's received pretty delicate treatment from them. She and her more partisan followers seem to think that reporting should consist of competing ad campaigns. It was telling to me that even at the height of the Rev Wright controversy, Obama didn't fall into the trap of accusing the media. His approach to nasty or unfavorable media coverage has simply been to limit his communications with them until they come back and ask for an interview.

[TexasObserver]

7. Hillary always does this. She changes her message based upon her audience.

She says whatever she thinks will give her advantage with whichever audience she is in front of. We're not talking about merely choosing which issues to accentuate. She completely changes messages to fit different audiences.

When she is on the phone with her pissy posse, she is talking crap nonstop. She's fanning their flames and continuing the same shit talking that has been her standard. But she's playing nice in her more public statements, because the media coverage has shown that everyone is sick of her insane railings about Obama.

I believe her comments to her backers in the telephone conversation are the most accurate at identifying what she's really thinking. She's still deep in her delusion that she can win this. In her twisted mind, she simply needs to do more of her knee capping.

[K Gardner]

9. Like a chameleon :-)

[TexasObserver]

13. You're too kind. Like Silly Putty.

[AlinPA]

10. RE:"Once people think they know who the nominee is going to be, money just streams in,"

So, in effect she may be reducing the money that he will have available to campaign against McCain.
Now why would she do that? Not good.

[K Gardner]

12. That's an excellent point. She is parroting her Map v Math TPM on teevee today.

[krkaufman]

18. Don't worry. Once Obama has the elected pledged delegate majority ....

... the superdelegates commitment rate will increase, and this thing will be OVER by the middle of June. One more month, worst case.

The superdelegates just don't want to appear to be preempting the voting, at present, but will be more willing to commit once Obama has the majority, and free to act once voting ends. The *only* mystery is whether the Michigan/Florida delegate resolution will affect the elected delegate majority threshold. (They shouldn't be counted, but Hillary's created a bad situation.)

[krkaufman]

14. Fantastic line by Franken... "Sincerity is always a possibility"

Her actions make it crystal clear she's not ready to accept our brilliant analysis. Senator Clinton slogs on and we're reduced to guessing why. Is it ego, an effort to get some political advantage, or that she truly believes she still has a fighting chance? Does she really mean it when she insists all party voters in all the primaries have a right to be heard? Sincerity is always a possibility.

[K Gardner]

16. LOL.. but not a probability. Shuster is blasting her over this on Hardball.

[Beregond2]

15. Why would anyone care

if they were on the Clinton's enemies list? They have made themselves irrelevant. I keep waiting for Glinda to appear at one of HRC's appearances, and say: "You have no power here; be gone!"

[Ian_rd]

17. Now Franken hates women too!

Geez! So much misogyny! I can't take it anymore!

:D