Clinton Going After Obama Superdelegates
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James Joyner | Monday, June 2, 2008 |
Hillary Clinton continues to provide ample evidence that she has no intention of going quietly into that good night.
As Barack Obama turns to concentrate on his general election challenge, his rival Hillary Rodham Clinton is mounting a last ditch campaign to stay relevant in what is left of the Democratic presidential contest.
The former first lady enters this week with an insurgent strategy not only to win over undecided superdelegates but to peel away Obama’s support from those party leaders and elected officials who already have committed to back him for the nomination.
“One thing about superdelegates is that they can change their minds,” she told reporters aboard her campaign plane Sunday night.
This is true. After all, plenty of former Hillary superdelegates are now “committed” to Obama. It’s unfathomable to me that she’ll peel off many — if any — officials at this stage of the game with her lame “I’ve won more popular votes if you don’t count caucuses but do count beauty contests and non-states” argument. But I continue to believe that she’s going to fight on to the bitter end.
UPDATE (Dodd): Clinton Summons Top Donors, Supporters For Tuesday Speech:
Hillary Clinton has summoned top donors and backers to attend her New York speech tomorrow night in an unusual move that is being widely interpreted to mean she plans to suspend her campaign and endorse Barack Obama.
Obama and Clinton spoke Sunday night and agreed that their staffs should begin negotiations over post-primary activities, according to reliable sources. In addition to seeking Obama’s help in raising money to pay off some $20 million-plus in debts, Clinton is known to want Obama to assist black officials who endorsed her and who are now taking constituent heat, including, in some cases, primary challenges from pro-Obama politicians
I’ll believe it when I see it. And what, exactly, does it mean to “suspend” one’s campaign. Isn’t that the word Romney used, too? Is that the face-saving way of dropping out now?
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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“Suspending a campaign” means different things depending on whether you're a Republican or a Democrat. In the Republican Party it means that the candidate is out of the race and the state parties will allocate the delegates pledged to him or her via the primary or caucus process. Among Democrats it means that the pledged delegates will still vote for the candidate at the National Convention.
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