I was at the Campaign Spot a little bit ago. One of Jim's posts was particularly interesting. It seems Hillary is making one or more of McCain's people a little nervous. That's not to say that they aren't completely convinced McCain will beat either candidate, because they are. However, Hillary, much like McCain himself, has shown that she can fight back hard and effectively from near political death:
One of my McCain guys told me recently, "Hillary's starting to scare me." It's not a matter of thinking she's unbeatable, obviously; all of Team McCain likes their chances. It's that she was all-but-declared dead a month ago, having lost nine straight contests in two weeks, and with her back absolutely against the wall... and now she's had three impressive big wins, and appears on the verge of two more effective victories (winning Indiana and beating the spread in North Carolina). She's had great photo ops, is handling Bill O'Reilly like he's a pussycat, tore Obama apart in the debate, and is making her opponent look evasive by demanding more. Team Obama can brag about their continuing delegate lead, but there's no doubt who's been running the more effective campaign for the past two months or so.Even if she doesn't win the nomination, political strategists will be studying her comeback for years to come.
I am watching with great curiosity what's happening with this race. Hillary simply will not back down or accept defeat, although recently she looks like she may not have to accept defeat. Obama still looks like he's going to be the nominee, but she is going to do what she can to make the process as difficult on him as possible, which is an odd thing considering they are supposed to be on the same team. At little while back, Rich Lowry argued that Hillary's softening Obama up for McCain. It appears to me her motivation for doing this is so that, once McCain destroys Obama in the general election, she can sit back and allow the leaders of the Democratic party to come slouching back to her to beg her forgiveness for ever doubting her and her candidacy. Once the dust settles, Hillary could end up politically stronger than ever. That is, if she can manage this without destroying her party first.
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2008 Presidential Race
Comments (6)
Insane John McCains people ... (Below threshold)1. Posted by max | May 3, 2008 2:33 PM | Score: -3 (3 votes cast)
Insane John McCains people should be nervous about insane John McCain.
1. Posted by max | May 3, 2008 2:33 PM |
Score: -3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on May 3, 2008 14:33
2. Posted by ras | May 3, 2008 2:55 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Hillary owes her comeback to Rush and his Operation Chaos, without which she would have been trumped long ago.
I am surprised that Camp Obama never made serious hay out of that fact: e.g. "Hillary's comeback is an open Republican attempt to deny Democrats their number one choice. It's plain that those Republican interlopers who voted for Hillary in the primaries will never do so in the general election."
It's an obvious enough pt, so why wasn't Obama hammering it, early and often? At best he made a few tepid comments here and there, quickly buried within other arguments. Now it's too late for him. More evidence of his weak judgment, I guess.
Oh, and yeah, after McCain defeats Obama, Hillary will be undisputed queen of her party. Who would dare challenge her in '12 after that? Nor will this tear the Dems apart if Obama won't hasn't been "overturned" by the superdels.
I also think Obama will have a harder time, come the election, getting the level of press support he, like all Dems, expects. HRC will be quietly working against him, as she has been knowingly doing for some time now.
2. Posted by ras | May 3, 2008 2:55 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on May 3, 2008 14:55
3. Posted by civildisobedience![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://wizbangblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| May 3, 2008 5:30 PM | Score: 1 (3 votes cast)
She was looking good on TV, almost sympathetic and maybe even likable. Not that I would be fooled, but many more will be. She would make McCain look like an old fool. McCain better pray, if he actually believes in something other than himself, that Obama is the nominee.
3. Posted by civildisobedience![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://wizbangblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| May 3, 2008 5:30 PM |
Score: 1 (3 votes cast)
Posted on May 3, 2008 17:30
4. Posted by Les Nessman | May 3, 2008 11:40 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Yeah, it's way past time to end Operation Chaos.
No matter what now, Hillary is in it 'til the bitter end at the convention. She'll continue to wound Obama until August; some of that will continue to hurt Obama in November.
It's past time for Rush to stop helping Hillary.
4. Posted by Les Nessman | May 3, 2008 11:40 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on May 3, 2008 23:40
5. Posted by Michael | May 4, 2008 12:39 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
It is too late for Hillary. No way can the race obsessed Dems take it away from Obama(even if he will lose in the fall)...they have completely painted themselves into a corner. Too sweet.
5. Posted by Michael | May 4, 2008 12:39 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on May 4, 2008 12:39
6. Posted by largebill | May 5, 2008 7:04 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
This shows the foolishness of Rush's "Operation Chaos." I've seen the Wizard of Oz enough to know if someone is about to pour water on the Wicked Witch of the Left you don't stop them. Obama obviously was not vetted very thoroughly in the early primaries and was beatable in the general election.
6. Posted by largebill | May 5, 2008 7:04 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on May 5, 2008 07:04