Obama camp ponders: 'What does Hillary want?'

[DogPoundPup]

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton asked the question herself, on the last night of the primaries in June: "What does Hillary want?"

That is still a bit of a mystery, particularly as she and Senator Barack Obama negotiate the delicate question of her role at the Democratic convention later this month in Denver and in the campaign beyond. But at least the role of one important person, former President Bill Clinton, has been settled.

Both Hillary Clinton and Obama said Thursday that they were still in the discussion phase. Obama, who is to officially receive the Democratic nomination for president at the convention, told reporters on his plane: "As is true in all conventions, we're still working out the mechanics of the four days. Our staffs are in communication, my staff with Senator Clinton's staff. But I don't anticipate any problems."

In a public peace offering, the Obama campaign allowed a draft of the party platform to note that Clinton was "the first woman in American history to win presidential primaries in our nation." It added that the party was "proud that we have put 18 million cracks in the highest glass ceiling," which was her own formulation of her popular vote total.

This is already a somewhat fraught period for both Clinton and her husband, since the convention will officially mark the changing of the guard in the Democratic Party, the moment when yet another Democratic nominee will try to do what only one, Bill Clinton, has managed to do in a generation: get elected.

Both Clintons are sensitive to the process of shaping their legacies. At stake are not just their roles at the convention but also about how history will treat them, and how Hillary Clinton positions herself for the future.

But the surfacing of a video in which Clinton suggests that her supporters need a "catharsis" after the roller-coaster primary season and that they may place her name in nomination at the convention would seem to add a layer of complexity to the negotiations.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/08/america/dems.php

[MercutioATC]

1. MercutioATC ponders: "Who the fuck cares?"

Look, this worry about pandering to Clinton has gotten out of hand.

A bunch of candidates ran. Obama got the nomination (well, presumptively, anyways).


Obama and Clinton have forged a lukewarm "alliance" and I expect that to continue...not because they like each other, not because Clinton gets what she wants from Obama, but because it's what's in both of their best interests. I expect that tepid relationship to continue...even in the absence of any further posturing.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[Hieronymus]

2. Several people have compared Hillary to the Glenn Close character...

in Fatal Attraction.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200808080007

[Metric System]

6. Ugh.

[Captain Hilts]

8. Sexist shits on MSNBC compared her to Glen Close, Madame DeFarge, Lady MacBeth...

Ain't the liberal media great?

[cliffordu]

3. There will be blood.

[SwampG8r]

4. here we go again

buckle your safety belts its gonna be a bumpy ride

[cliffordu]

5. Yep - I fully expect the floor fight to be a REAL floor fight.

And this Hillary vp thingy is turning out to be a train that's never late.....

[SwampG8r]

7. theme song for the convention

crazy train

[misterconcept]

9. Clinton Nostalgia Revised

Below is a piece that I wrote prior to Obama becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee. Hilary will continue to maintain an ominous presence until she acquires a significant post in the Obama Administration:

As the desperation reaches fever pitch in the Clinton campaign demonstrated by Hillary’s schizophrenic public relations style, it would be wise for the American people to take an honest look at the Clinton history. While Hillary Clinton travels through states like Ohio where manufacturing jobs have disappeared by the hundreds of thousands, she expresses outrage regarding the legacy of the NAFTA Agreement. At the same time, few private citizens have benefited more from the NAFTA/Fast Track legislation than the Clinton’s themselves. In 1991, prior to the Clinton presidency, Sam Walton had exactly one store in Mexico. By 1998, Walmart was the largest private employer not only in the United States, but also in Mexico. As a member of the Board of Directors of Walmart, Hillary Clinton enjoyed a rather substantial increase in the value of her stock options.

The Clinton’s have never been interested in human rights, civil rights, or The Bill of Rights, they are however quite fascinated with wealth and power. Prior to his presidency, Bill Clinton operated only on the fringes of the ruling class. He needed the presidency solely as an entry on his resume to qualify him for membership in this elite club. During his presidency, Bill Clinton, in order to function as president, was forced to create alliances with many prominent Republicans along with members of the Foreign Relations Committee, which was comprised of multi-millionaire entrepreneurs rather than public servants. These affiliations did not end with his term in office. Clinton has been a close ally of the Carlyle Group, George H.W. Bush’s old boy network, and has brokered many international transactions for which he has been compensated quite handsomely.

In the 1990's, Americans also endured the greatest economic scam since the Fisk and Gould Gold Rush on Black Friday in 1869. A small inner circle of investors who had access to immeasurable sums of public money initiated a game of high stakes hot potato. It began when several respectable brokerage houses fabricated a rush on stocks, which they knew to be worthless, for the purpose of resale, often on the same day, for substantial profit. Based upon individual records of high returns recorded by these firms in the past, many other investors raced for a chance to get into the game. This cycle of buying and selling lasted for nearly the entire decade. When the smoke cleared and the mirrors collapsed, the companies originally offering the shares were found to have, not only no profits to report but most, had never recorded revenues at all. When the trump was finally played, the highest bidder was left holding the empty bag. To this day, all Americans continue to repay those gambling debts.

Americans must remember that in the early 1990’s, during the clandestine Algonquin Conferences, a consortium of power brokers met to discuss a strategy for what we now refer to as globalization. While this self-proclaimed governing body of the global economy discussed turf assignment, benefits and ramifications, and profit potential of the spread of multinational corporations, Bill Clinton and Dick Cheney sat at the same table. This was not a debate, it was an agreement. The Clinton’s are campaigning vigorously to keep that ball rolling. Their campaign is not about change, it’s about dollars.

The fact is, the Clinton’s are not the least bit interested in the will of the people or the future of America. They simply want to keep their box seats at the Opera. The neo-cons have already stated that they want to face Hillary Clinton in the general election not because they can beat her but because if the Clinton’s win, they win too.

[sourmilk]

17. Welcome to DU misterconcept.

I don't think that anyone here is particularly interested in a pseudo-factual, opinion-laced, Clinton-bashing re-hash at the moment.

I could easily be wrong, however, as things around here have been pretty strange since the Primaries.

[Franc_Lee]

10. What does Hillary want? - who cares, what does Obama want...!

[dkf]

13. Obama wants no drama.

[nsd]

12. Only a small number of people even care at this point. (nt)

[AllentownJake]

14. Obama needs to give the Clintons his Cell number or Axelrod's

and tell them when they "want" something to call them first and ask instead of using the press to communicate their needs.

I swear the Clintons act like an Ex of mine who expected you to just know what they wanted and got mad when they didn't get it if they didn't tell you.

[TexasObserver]

15. You're right. They do a lot of damage because they won't just ask for what they want.

They have to try to set up and arrange everything, and in doing so, they contrive positions, create dramas and traumas, and it's all very counter productive. They use manipulation instead of reason.

[monmouth]

16. I know I just want them to go away....n/t