Hillary's Campaign Now In A Death Spiral

Last night was the beginning of the end. This isn't because we haven't been in the final stretch for a long time now, because we have, and I'd say the real beginning of the end was when Obama won 11 contests in a row, somewhere in the middle of that was the real beginning of the end, but last night something amazing happened, the media actually acknowledged that it was pretty much over for Hillary. FINALLY! For anyone who has passed 3rd grade math that fact has been obvious for quite some time, but now the impossibility of her winning is so blatantly obvious that even the media can't carry her anymore. But more on that later.

Last night I mentioned that North Carolina, which Bill predicted would be an upset victory for Hillary, that would change everything, that everyone would be watching, went overwhelmingly for Obama. His win there completely erased Hillary's popular vote gains from Pennsylvania. Basically it absolutely destroyed any chance of her being able to pull of claiming a popular vote win, even by counting unfair contests in Florida and Michigan and ignoring a bunch of caucus states that Obama won. It also crushed her already ridiculous "big state" argument, because North Carolina is a big state (and so is Indiana, which we will get to shortly). Basically Obama's big win in North Carolina was the second to last nail in Hillary's electoral coffin.

The final nail was Indiana, which she also lost. It's true, she lost it. Obama won, and Rush Limbaugh came in with a paltry 5% or so of the vote. Of course his 5% backed Hillary, in a continuation of his quest to keep Hillary in the race so she can continue to be the GOP attacking Obama from the inside. The final tallies from Indiana show Hillary winning by less than 2%, while the exit polls show that 7% of her supporters would vote for McCain over her in the general election. About 2% of Obama's voters said the same about him. While I'm not sure of the logic behind a Republican voting for Obama but not actually supporting him, for the sake of argument let's just cancel out an equal 2% of her support as the Limbaugh Effect. So 5% of her vote was thanks to Rush Limbaugh, so in reality, if the Republicans hadn't been tampering with the election, Obama won Indiana by more than 3%. Limbaugh is no doubt loving his influence, and loving that Democrats are still supporting Hillary even though the Right is openly relishing the fact that she is helping McCain. But even his influence and her superficial declared victory in Indiana couldn't save her. It didn't matter if she won Indiana, because she was supposed to win that by a large margin, and she couldn't do it, just like she couldn't catch up to Obama in North Carolina.

So the reaction from the media, which is probably the biggest story here. Tim Russert pretty much personifies the mood of the media here:



There you have it, the media finally acknowledging: "We now know who the Democratic candidate is going to be."

Or in the words of Thomas Edsall:

In the universe of political clichés, she is on life support, her oxygen choked off, her knees buckling, unable to stanch the bleeding, down for an eight count, on the ropes, praying for the bell to ring, desperate to get her wind back.

That's about right. Perhaps realizing this Hillary canceled all of her events for today, including her appearances on the morning news shows. (Update: After the media took note of this last night she added a small event in West Virginia today, most likely to keep the media from questioning her clearing of her schedule.)

So going forward, what does it look like? Well Hillary is still broke, and there are reports that she had to loan herself more money again (Update: She did, $6.4 million last month!). With the media coverage now reflecting reality her funding is going to dry up, and her campaign will be slumping along, suffocating for lack of money, as everything slowly fades to black around it. She will also face more superdelegate gains from Obama (his first was a NC superdelegate last night), and possibly even some more defections from her camp. This kills any chance of her electoral coup by hijacking the vote via superdelegates. Another strategy thwarted. And lastly there will be a growing chorus of Democratic officials calling for her to resign, especially if she continues her ultra-negative scorched earth strategy of trying to destroy Obama and the Democratic Party. There were even reports that last night Wes Clark, a big Hillary supporter, called Hillary and told her it is over.

One thing that pissed me off though was Harold Ford Jr. who kept bringing up the idiotic "dream ticket" idea, saying that Obama "needed" Hillary to shore up his white vote, regardless of the fact there is no evidence that there is any problem aside from some small margin of white, blue collar Democratic voters, in a few states, who prefer Hillary over Obama in a Democratic primary. Limbaugh "Democrats" aside (which no doubt have been inflating the appearance of some sort of "white problem" for Obama, there is no indication that these Democrats are voting against Obama, and that he wouldn't be able to get their support in the general. Obama has won in very white states all across the country, and he has overwhelmingly won among blue collar workers. And despite two months of overwhelmingly negative media coverage of Obama he has continued to improve his numbers amongst demographics such as white women, Catholics, gun owners, households earning under $50,000 annually, voters prioritizing the economy, and voters without a college degree. This is a feat comparable to a fish swimming up a waterfall, but he has done it. In the end all the talk about Obama's "white problem" or "working class" problem is fiction, a creation of the Clintons and the media. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of voters believe that Obama is better able to beat McCain than Hillary. So there will be no "dream ticket", indeed it would be a nightmare ticket. There are a thousand reasons Hillary would make the WORST choice for VP, and here is an excellent blog post describing just some of the reasons. Give it a read!

Anyway, this thing is over. The only question now is whether Hillary will stop running a scorched earth strategy or if she'll continue stabbing the Party in the back and helping McCain.

Update: It turns out that Hillary did indeed loan herself money again, three times in the last month, according to ABC News:

On April 11, Sen. Clinton loaned her campaign $5M; on May 1, she loaned $1M; and on May 5, loaned $425,000.

Insiders says Clinton "will continue to" loan money to the campaign.

She is quickly turning into the next Mitt Romney. This means that now she is has loaned herself $11,425,000 of their own money. It must be nice having that much money laying around to dump into a dying campaign. Of course this again raises the question of where all of Bill's money came from, and what promises he made in exchange for the money, and what conflicts of interest now cloud his judgment.

Update #2: McCain faced a bit of a no-confidence vote yesterday in North Carolina and Indiana, and the results weren't all that spectacular for McCain. A full 25%, one quarter of Republicans voted against him, the Republican nominee, for people who haven't been running for months, and Ron Paul. That's embarrassing.

Update #3: Hillary, never a fan of honesty, says she is happy with yesterday's results, even as everyone from top supporters to the media are busy writing the obituary for her presidential bid. Seriously, you can admit it sucked for you, no one will blame you, you don't have to lie, you can just try once to not lie, just give it a try, just once, cut the bullshit and stop lying when we all know you are full of crap. Oh, and she also defined "progress" and success for her campaign as racial polarization, racism, in North Carolina. Niiiccee.

Update #4: A nice diary from kos discussing ridiculous ideas such as Obama paying off Hillary's debt and Obama picking Hillary as VP. On the debt paying idea, speaking as a multiple-donator to Obama, I would be LIVID if he paid off her debt. By the end of this Hillary is going to owe herself over $11 million, money which she has used to smear Obama with every Republican attack in the book, even though it has been obvious that he will be our nominee since Super Tuesday. I donated to Obama to support Obama against Hillary and against McCain, NOT to have Obama give the Clintons $11 million as a "thank you" for trying to sabotage his candidacy. Although I don't believe Obama would entertain the idea of paying off her debt, he needs every penny to win the election in November. And on the VP prospects, right now I'm partial to Gov. Richardson.

Obama Wins Big

Just a few days ago this is what Bill Clinton had to say about North Carolina, predicting a huge upset win for Hillary:

This primary election on Tuesday is a game changer. This is going to make a huge difference in what happens going forward. The entire country – probably even a lot of the world is looking to see what North Carolina decides.

Turns out North Carolina went big for Obama, giving him a big double-digit win which completely erased Hillary's popular vote take from Pennsylvania, and giving him more than enough delegates to make up for her PA win.

So Bill, what kind of "huge difference" will this big Obama win mean for what "happens going forward"? It obviously has to "change the game" in Obama's favor, according to Bill. The whole world was watching in anticipation to see what North Carolina decided, and they decided Obama is the best candidate, so now what Bill?

And then there was Indiana, which was supposed to be a fairly safe win for Hillary. Now, as we wait for Lake county's results to come in, it is obvious that the best she can hope for it for a narrow few point victory, and at worst Obama will actually pull out an upset win in Indiana. This also means that at best-case scenario for Hillary, she owes her victory in Indiana to Rush Limbaugh. If it wasn't for Limbaugh, Obama would have been declared the winner by now. Limbaugh is no doubt sailing at full ego right about now, I just hope he celebrates with a couple handfuls of prescription medication.

In the end these results make a win by Hillary even more impossibler than it was before, which was already pretty damn impossible.

I will have a lot more to say tomorrow. But for now I leave you with Obama's North Carolina victory speech:

Hillary Attacks Democrats And Experts As "Elitist", While Defending Republicans As Supporters Of Average Americans

This is great. Hillary has gone even further still on her pushing of her Republican gas tax $10 billion handout to oil companies pander scheme, now going so far as branding those who disagree with her (you know, Democrats, every economist, environmental groups and journalists, basically everyone but her and the Republicans) as elitists. She did this today at an ABC "town hall meeting" (pep rally) hosted by ex-Clinton advisor and appointee George Stephanopoulos, who, to his credit, pointed out that virtually everyone was against her plan, and challenged her to point to a single economist who agreed with her. She couldn't. Instead she said:

Well, you know, George I think we've been through the last seven years seeing a tremendous amount of government power and elite opinion basically behind policies that haven't worked well for the middle class and hardworking Americans ... [ramble ramble Hillary avoids the question, Stephanopoulos repeats the question, can she name a single credibly economist who supports her plan?] ... I'm not going to put my lot in with economists.

Watch the video here.

This here is simply amazing, given that in reality all of Bush's policies have gone against expert opinion and facts (just look at his suppression of global warming science because experts didn't agree with what he wanted), and yet here she is blaming experts for the failures of the Bush presidency, yet espousing the same contempt for expert opinion that Bush had. Hillary seems to forget it was REPUBLICAN policies that have ruined everything in this country for the last 8 years, and yet she is supporting a REPUBLICAN policy right now, and attacking DEMOCRATS as being "elitists" who are out of touch with middle class Americans. She is attacking DEMOCRATS and accusing their policies for making the rich richer and the poor poorer while supporting a $10 BILLION handout to oil companies supported by McCain, Bush and the rest of the Republicans. I can't highlight the insanity of this enough, the "elitists" she is referring to here are not just Barack Obama, but almost all Democrats, including party leaders like Pelosi and Reid, environmental groups, non-profit groups, virtually every economist, and every credible journalist. These are the so-called "elitists" she is attacking, and this means that the people who "get it", the people who aren't elitists and who are all about helping the middle class are...? Bush, McCain and the Republicans, and apparently Hillary.

Hate to beat the dead horse here, but according to Hillary:

Democrats, environmental groups and experts = Elitists who take from the poor and give to the rich.

Bush, McCain and the Republicans = People who "get it" and help the middle class, like her.

And all this because Obama, Democrats and the experts oppose the McCain-Hillary $10 billion handout to oil companies because it won't actually help the average American and will have multiple negative consequences, while Hillary continues to lie about what it will do just so she can buy a few voters who aren't paying attention. Later in the interview:

A bit later she added: "It's really odd to me that arguing to give relief to a vast majority of Americans creates this incredible pushback...Elite opinion is always on the side of doing things that don't benefit" the vast majority of the American people.

An ordinary voter begged to differ, however. Stephanopoulos turned the mike over to a woman who said she supported Obama and said she makes less than $25,000 a year.

"I do feel pandered to when you talk about suspending the gas tax," the woman said, adding: "Call me crazy but I actually listen to economists because I think they know what they've studied."

Let's correct Hillary's statement really fast:

It's really odd to me that arguing to give relief to a vast majority of Americans oil companies creates this incredible pushback...Elite opinion Republicans like the ones I'm supporting is are always on the side of doing things that don't benefit" the vast majority of the American people.

Okay, much better. It is hard to understand the pushback isn't it Hillary? Maybe you should ask 2000 Hillary why she opposed your 2008 plan?

All Hillary's rhetoric is of course in keeping with her previous attempts to paint Democrats as elitists, which is precisely what the Republicans go out of their way to do every single year. The Republicans no doubt greatly appreciate Hillary doing their dirty work for them, yet again, because it will give them a big boost in the fall when all they have to do is point to Hillary and say "even ultra-liberal commie anti-Christ Hillary Clinton thinks Obama and the radical Democrats are elitist, out of touch, anti-gun, pro-taxes and weak on national security!" Hillary, as usual, is the new best friend of the Republican Party.

My question is when will her remaining supporters snap out of it and realize she is talking just like a Republican, supporting the same policies as Republicans, and attacking Democrats just like Republicans?

Obama responded to Hillary's third pro-Republican gas pander ad with his third counter ad:



Update: Robert Reich, economist, professor, former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton wrote a blog responding to Hillary's "elitist" comments, and it echoes, in less words, many of the things I have written. Definitely check it out.

Hillary Responds To Bill Clinton's Role In Shipping Of Jobs Overseas With More Deception

Not so long ago I linked to an article about how Hillary has been running around Indiana decrying jobs being sent overseas, and then blaming Bush for this, even though in the example she uses it was her husband, Bill Clinton, as president who sold out the workers of Indiana by approving the sale to the Chinese.

As usual, when called on her deception, she responds with more deception. Read about it here:

ABC Digs Into Clinton Trade Hypocrisy - Clinton Campaign Responds With More Deception
by David Sirota

Hillary Goes After Democrats In Congress For Not Supporting Republican Corporate Handout

I've been writing about Hillary's Republican gas tax pander scheme, which is basically a corporate gift to the oil companies parading as good will toward average Americans, who only get screwed by the whole scheme. Well she is ratcheting up her attacks, now going after Democrats (yes, her own party) for not supporting the McCain-Bush-Hillary gas tax oil company handout. This was her yesterday in Indiana:

"I believe it would be important to get every member of Congress on record (this is classic Republican code for "if you don't vote for our position, we will have you on record and use your vote against you in attack ads later")," she said, per NBC/NJ's MIke Memoli. "Do they stand with the hard-pressed Americans who are trying to pay their gas bills at the gas station or do they once again stand with the oil companies? That's a vote I'm going to try to get, because I want to know where people stand (the code again), and I want them to tell us - are they with us or against us (sounds a bit like Bush doesn't it?) when it comes to taking on the oil companies?"

"Or do they once again stand with the oil companies?" She actually had the audacity to accuse those who don't support her corporate handout to oil companies of "standing with the oil companies"!! This is classic Republicanism, attacking Democrats on tax cuts, which are no more than handouts to corporations and the rich, and saying they are standing against the average Joe. She has been cynically lying to voters in Indiana and North Carolina, then she started attacking Obama, and now she is attacking, no, baiting, fellow Democrats with Republican talking points and Republican threats for a Republican policy. A policy that doesn't work, and virtually everyone (but Republicans) agrees.

But once again, Hillary only cares about herself, and apparently the Republicans, because she is once again setting up the Republicans in the "us vs them" mentality. What is disconcerting is that time and time again Hillary's "us" is her, McCain and the Republicans, while her "them" is Obama and her own party. This is her true nature. She is shameless, and only cares about her own political ambitions. She is willing to sell out her entire party and try to bait them with a classic Republican tactic, all to try to deceive a few voters that a Republican corporate handout is good policy and that she will give it to them while "out of touch" (perhaps "elitist") Democrats don't care about American families.

Leonard Burman of the Tax Policy Center sums up the McCain-Bush-Hillary pander scheme nicely: "That's $10 billion, and it's going into the pockets of oil refiners. The last time I checked, they didn't need it."

How's that for taking on the oil companies? With enemies (Democrats) like that, the oil companies don't even need friends (Republicans).

Oh, and the voters? What might they get out of this? According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan watchdog group, the average consumer will likely save a whopping $18, that is if they drive 4,000 miles this summer. If you don't drive 4,000, you will get less than $18. If you only drive 2,000 miles this summer, you get $9. NINE DOLLARS! Hillary wants you to give her the presidency because she will pass on $18 or less (probably less) in savings to the average American, while making them pay the difference in taxes, while giving the oil companies a $10 BILLION gift for Labor Day. Yes, Hillary is fighting for the little guy! Look at her go!

Update: Here is Obama's newest ad hitting Hillary on her pandering:



Update #2: Obama mentions many of the points I made in a speech he made today.

Update #3: Colorado Rep. Mark Udall, an undecided superdelegate and one of the Party's best chances for a Senate pickup in November had this to say in response to Hillary's threats to congressional Democrats:

Senator Clinton claimed yesterday that I either stand with her on this proposal or stand with the oil companies. To that I say: I stand with the families of Colorado, who aren't looking for bumper sticker fixes that don't fix anything, but for meaningful change that brings real relief and a new direction for our energy policy. We can't afford more Washington-style pandering while families keep getting squeezed.

It is exactly the kind of short-sighted Washington game that keeps us from getting real results to our energy problem. Experts across the ideological spectrum agree that it will increase the deficit, drain money away from Colorado roads and bridges, and hurt the environment, all without actually making prices lower for drivers.

Obama Looks In Good Shape For When Hillary Moves Goalposts To Indiana

Two days ago Politico wrote that none of the five US House Representatives from Indiana had endorsed either candidate in the primary. Today, that changed, with Obama picking up the endorsement of Rep. André Carson. Carson said the following of Obama:

I am proud to support Barack Obama for President because he represents the kind of bold leadership and change that our country desperately needs. I know Senator Obama, like me, is committed to ending the war in Iraq, bringing down gas prices, and creating good jobs here in Indiana, and he has the judgment and courage to solve these problems. Senator Obama is a fighter for working families, and part of a new generation of leadership that will bring needed change for our country and I am proud to endorse him for president.

In other Indiana news a Bloomberg/LA Times poll out today shows Obama with a 5% lead over Hillary in the state that will most likely be the next "big prize" after Hillary again moves the goalposts, again ignoring the incontrovertible math, and with the media dutifully pretending she still has a shot, again.

As usual, I won't put too much emphasis on this poll, but it, like all the other polls, indicate that Hillary doesn't have enough delegates stacked up anywhere to even make a dent in Obama's lead.

In other polling news, it turns out nearly 60% of Americans view Hillary as "not honest and trustworthy", a number that is increasing quite rapidly. I can't imagine why...