Your chance to vote: Should Hillary Clinton quit now or stay the course?

A growing number of people, mostly her opponents, are publicly calling for Sen. Hillary Clinton to withdraw from the Democratic presidential contest and cede victory to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. He leads in both total delegates and the popular votes of past primaries but has yet to gain the number required to win nomination.

This would, of course, essentially render meaningless the votes of Democrats in a bundle of upcoming primary states including Indiana, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Clinton has vowed to continue her struggle, which is her right but could produce a long-term damaging stalemate with accumulating bitterness among Obama supporters, even if she did somehow ultimately win. She's recently talked about taking the fight over disallowed primaries and their delegates in Florida and Michigan to a credentials committee fight in Denver at the national convention.

This strategy effectively consumes valuable general election preparation time and financial resources from whichever Democrat ultimately wins, as the Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, is already campaigning to unify his party, raise money (he's way behind) and set the scope of his personal campaign narrative.

Or put it this way: If the New York Giants had given up well before the....

end of regulation time in this year's Super Bowl, the overwhelmingly-favored New England Patriots would have gone undefeated. Instead, they're playing off-season golf these days and muttering unprintable things to themselves.

What's your opinion? Should Clinton give up now?

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Nancy]

Obama should be the one to get out of the race!

It's Anti-Americanism, Stupid!

The Wright, Rezko, Ayers associations/controversies are not just about racism and poor judgment. They are also about anti-Americanism!

http://obamanation.homestead.com/index.html

Also at the link below are just a few of Obama's documented lies and deceptions:

http://nocache.homestead.com/obamalies/index.html

Please pass the links along.

Obama should drop out of the presidential race. He has too many questionable "friends" and confidante's.

If he were president, he would have to swear to protect and defend the constitution from all enemies, both foreign & DOMESTIC, which he cannot do with associates and possible beliefs like Wright and others present.

[Alessandro Machi]

The only reason Obama has a "lead" is because of the rigged caucus voting. In all states that had "normal" voting hours and held primaries, Hillary leads Obama in the Delegate race AND is trouncing Obama in the Electoral College race.

What the media is doing by hounding Hillary on a daily basis to quit is a travesty.

[Tex]

I wholeheartedly support Obama, but I still think the voters should decide the race. I do not agree with Obama supporters saying HRC should exit the race. (Note - Obama himself has not said it, and I don't think Obama is any more responsible for his supporters' comments then HRC is for G. Ferraro's remarks or James Carville's "Judas" comment). Obama supporters need to stop giving off the impression that they are afraid to compete with HRC in certain states. If Obama CAMPAIGNS and gets out his message to people, enough people will vote for him that he will still win. I do hope, however, that HRC will stick to the issues and stop with the silly "he wouldn't have been MY pastor" comments.

[Gretta]

If she doesn't change her campaign approach (ie. lie, distort, whine and complain) then she should get out now while maybe 15% of the US population may still like her.

I am all for a female President. Actually if she was someone I could trust for the long haul I would be the first to get behind her, vote her in, but she isn't capable of telling the truth no matter how minor the subject is. She is a huge disappoint to me, a 50 year old female CA voter. The last thing voters should think is that she is our only chance to get a woman elected. That is criminal thinking. Our children deserve a better woman for President.

[sethook]

Hang in there, Hillary. Let the folks see just how mean and divisive you can be before losing out in the end. Show them what real dirty politics is all about.

[Marie]

Obama's not running on the Democratic Party ticket. Over the months, he and his supporters have changed and they're running on their own Obama "Change" Party ticket. It's not about the party or about the people anymore. Obama's too big for that now...he's appearing to be self righteous and smug. Republicans are waiting for Obama because they know they can beat Obama, the new poster boy for black Americans and young disenchanted Americans who want to believe in Cinderella or is it Cinderfella?!

As a life long Democrat, I can't support a Cinderfella kind of guy who talks big but has no track record to speak of.

[Dolly]

Hillarites are becoming increasingly vicious and desperate. Hillary is the one caught in lies about her experience. Interesting how the Hillarites accuse everyone else of what the Clinton campaign is guilty of. Yet another reason she should step down.

[Ross C.]

Hillary leads in the primary voting. If you leave out the phony red-state caucuses which had extremely low participation and count only voters voting in polling places or by absentee, Hillary has been winning all along (except for 13 days). Hillary leads among Democrats. Hillary leads among non-republicans!

Hillary is winning a clear majority of all primary voters, a clear majority of Democrats, and a clear majority of non-republican voters in Democratic primaries.

37% of Hillary's voters won't vote for Obama, because we're against candidates who make obvious racist appeals and we're worried about what would happen if, God forbid, an elected President Obama were to be assassinated. We don't want our homes and businesses burnt to ashes.
26% of Obama supporters won't vote for Hillary Clinton, true, but guess what? They're republicans and certainly won't vote for Obama in November, either!
Hillary's winning. Obama wins only if millions of votes aren't counted. You guys lie to America, you are just a bunch of loathsome traitors to your country. This is a Democracy, for God's sake! You can add! Count the votes for yourself! (NM's 'caucus' was really a primary with voters voting in polling places and by absentee.)

[Jan]

Obama supporters want Hillary to quit. Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina, Oregon and Puerto Rico voters want to vote. Florida and Michigan voters want to be counted. Hillary supporters want her to continue. Hillary says if she loses, Democrats should vote for Obama. Obama says the primary movie has been a half hour too long. Hillary likes long movies. For Democrats, the primary movie is entertaining, the cost of admission is as low as you want it to be, and the movie may yet have a happy ending.

[jeff]

You people for the most part have no more information in your memory banks than that which the constant barrage of major media soundbites has planted there. You are proposing to vote for president just who the major media pushes on you. However, this is an ELECTION, to be decided by VOTES in the prescribed fashion. Not that it will matter if your next president is McWar, or a Dem, they are all puppets of corporate lobbying. Try rationalizing why there are tens and perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars spent to push someone into an office that pays $400,000 a year!! Money spent by the corporate world. YOU did not contribute that money, and YOU will not be represented by what that money buys. WTFU and stop pretending amongst yourselves that you have some idea of what is going on with your government, until YOU have taken the time to actually read from offical documentation, learn what has actually transpired directly or indirectly as a result of action by your government representatives. You are being led to the slaughter, and you are helping the drive. You are lost, and do not realize it so it is not likely you will seek a new way. Don't believe me? Just watch yourself, see if you learn anything real about your governments activities, BEYOND WHAT YOU ARE FED BY THE MAJOR MEDIA. America is the last country on the planet that portends to care anything about personal liberties and personal freedom. The globalist see America as an impediment to world order. Get off the nightly beer and crack, get your family off it. Get real. THINK!! It is OK for you to decide that you do want freedom to decide what you want to do with your life. Understand that you do not need to be told what is "right" or "not right". You think it a good idea to be "taken care of by government"? Did you ever see a caged bird being taken care of that you felt was free to go about it's business in this world? The greatest cage ever is IGNORANCE. That which does not realize it is caged willl not seek to free itself. Yes I am pissed, yes I helped bring the situation we now enjoy, but no more. We have a maximum of about 6 years to salvage America as America was set to be by it's founders. After that, the elitist will have succeeded gutting all that guaranteed protection for personal freedoms from existence, and there will indeed be a new order, none of which will give a damn about you as an individual., and neither as a citizen of the Unite States of America, "land of the free and home of the brave"!

[Bon Jovi]

So 8 years later;
An Obama Presidency
A Clinton Presidency
A McCain Presidency

What do you think?

[Aki]

No way!
I voted for her and I still think she is a better candidate among 3 candidates. She should fight on!

[joeysky]

The last time I checked, FL and MI were part of the United State of America. Let their votes count. Equal treatment under the law.

[Steve]

Hillary should stay in and let the people vote, the hell with the Democratic Party. The people have a right to vote for who they want.

[izne1home]

The Democratic Party needs to do away with the whole concept of super delegates. What you are telling your constituency is that we like you, we want your vote, but we don't trust you. We may have to override you. Some might argue that an honest assessment of the Democratic voting base might justify such an override, however, I find it offensive. If you solicit voters to your party, then listen to them. Otherwise, all you're doing is asking them to give the super delegates a proxy. As far as Florida and every vote counting, ..., be careful what you ask for. You just might get it. As intriguing as it might be, America will not elect a woman as president, nor will it elect a black man as president. At least not in 2008. But it's fun to debate in the meantime.

[Perry]

HILLLARY DOES NOT LIE!!!

She really believes it!

In her marvelous mind she was under fire in Bosnia, brought Peace to Ireland, there IS a Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, all those women lied about Bill, what Monica did was NOT sex, and the definition of "is" DOES make a difference.

THAT's what's really scary.

[Chris]

I hope he uses this same method to defeat McCain if he gets the nomination, can ya see it:

(Ring Ring, ….Ring Ring)

McCain: “hello?”
Obama: “listen up old man…I’ve got just one thing to say to you…”
McCain: “look punk, who are you calling old?”
Obama: “shut up biaatch, I’m telling you, i’m up in the polls, its now October 4th and you know what is happening in a month, dontcha?”
McCain: “now look..”
Obama: “I’m telling you, you better now, I’m gonna be President, so you should just quit while you’re still able.”
McCain: “now wait a minute..”
Obama: “no, you wait a minute you typical white person. I’m Barack Obama, and I don’t remember seeing your picture on the cover of Rolling Stoned.”
McCain: “look here Sen. Oba…”
Obama: “shut it flap trap, I’m telling you what its going to be like, you see, and just drop out now so you can save some face.”
McCain: (click)
Obama: “You hang up on me! You dare hang up on me?!! But I’m Barack H Obama, boy, and I’m gonna eat your lunch”

(the above is a fictional narrative and not intended to smear anyone but Barack “I’m the fucking nominee” Obama. Any resemblance to McCain is purely fictional and presumptive on the part of the author who could care less what gimpy has to say.)

[Pete Wittlin]

Rules are established to be followed, not broken. The rule is that you don't give up or quit until the game clock expires: that is the August convention. That is why one was scheduled. Anyone who advocates throwing in the towel before the gameclock has expired doesn't deserve to be a member of the party. It is that simple. Leahy, in otherwise proposing an early Clinton exit, has acted like an idiot without loyalty to his own party or to its principles. Honest debate between the candidates makes the party stronger, not weaker. Also, anyone who insists that the super delegates must vote in the same ratio as the regular delegates strips away the purpose of the super delegates which is to save the party from its own misguided vote. It has yet to be determined whether the regular delegates majority support of Obama is misguided. The test at the convention should be "Who can best beat John McCain?" If at the convention the vote of the super delegates makes Clinton the winner, or the loser, then the party rules will have worked as intended and for the best. To deprive the super delegates now of their vote would be a travesty and make a mockery of the party rules. Simply put, Leahy should shut up.

[Humphrey]

Where is the love?

[Randy Riley]

Please drop out Billary!

[Kitty]

For those of you fortunate enough to have already voted, it is presumptuous of you to presume that the rest of us should have to follow your lead. I reside in a State yet to hold its Primary and I resent the implication that I should be disenfranchised simply because certain people are fearful of how this makes the Party look. That is an absolute absurdity. NEITHER candidate can reach the requisite number of pledged delegates and until this Primary process is over, no one can make a decision on the Nominee. The Super Delegates will decide this for either candidate and they would be doing a grave disservice to the members of this Party by making a decision before having every vote included in this process and that includes Michigan and Florida. They were not the only States to break the Primary rules, they were just the only two not granted waivers from the DNC.
The super Delegates have much to weigh in making their decision and the votes of every Democrat is critical in that process. If the Nomination process stops abruptly, then the Democratic Party risks losing far more voters than if it take its natural course. That is a risk we can hardly afford.

[glenda coovert]

let the eleephants get our country out of the mess that they created,they put us in a 9,000,000,000,000 trillion dollar debt,they put us in a war with the biggest lie of all,forget about the stain onthe blue dress,the4000 DEAD and the100,000 and more before it is over invasion of another country under FALSE,I listen to a higher power bull shit . LET THE ELEEPHANTS CLEAN UP THEIR OWN MESS WHAT I WANT ISTHE HOUSE SENATE CONGRESS CONTROL back for the people.The president is nothing but the mascara of the party any way.

[Shirley]

I am a 60 yr old white married woman who lives in Oregon and who has always voted Republician. I repectfully request the voting continue in the states that have not voted. That each state be given the courtesy of participating in the voting process. I personally plan to vote for Hilliary Clinton for many reasons. I trust Hiliary more than any of the men presently running for office. I think she is very bright, articulate and still varily young but mature enough to handle serious issues. Women for years have had to handle difficult situations and the majority of men running for office are weak kneed sivalers. I think Mr. Obama is a great speaker, but talk is cheap and I don't think he has the maturely to handle situations that might need to be handled quickly without having to call all his advisers and his life long minister friend. If Mr. Obama does win the nominations I will vote for John McCain. I'd rather have a woman as a President as very few of our past President's have really been able to follow through on their promises and have put this country in a pickle financially.

So, please stop suggesting Mrs. Clinton withdraw ........ others who are tax paying citizens would appreciate any opportunity to vote for our choice just as you have been given that chance.

[Adrienne Larkin]

No, Hillary shouldn't quit. How ridiculous. As I recall, the Notre Dame team that broke UCLA's 88 game win streak was down 11 points with 3:28 to go -- impossible odds --I guess Patrick Leahy, Chris Dodd, and Howard Dean would have phoned up Digger Phelps and told him to pull his team off the floor because the situation was hopeless...

Besides the utter absurdity of this suggestion (You better quit now while you're gaining ground!) -- one thing that the media, the Democratic Party, and Mr. Obama's supporters utterly fail to grasp is the tremendous symbolic power Hillary Clinton's candidacy has taken on for millions of women. Whether she wins or loses the nomination, she has become a heroine to us for her toughness and courage in the face of terrible, personal, relentless attacks and the good-old-boy, locker-room atmosphere that surrounds them. Her fight is now our fight. If the Democratic Party forces her out now, before all the voters have had their say, we will not forgive the Democratic Party -- and we will certainly not forgive Mr. Obama.

Let the voters decide this. Or are they afraid of what the voters will decide?

[Not Again]

Ha Ha! The Clinton and Obama operatives have dominated this blog. Some of the Clinton ones, seem particularly nasty and some are definitely playing the "race bait" game.

My voting preference is: Obama, McCain, any Cartoon Character, any Circus Clown, That's All Folks!.