Hillary Clinton, speaking in Kentucky, has superdelegates in mind

Hillary Clinton has indulged a taste for history of late. And that was on display tonight, as she claimed her overpowering victory in the Kentucky primary (while ignoring an expected defeat looming across the country in Oregon).

Campaigning in West Virginia earlier this month, on her way to a huge primary win last Tuesday, she stressed that since 1916, no Democrat had won the White House without carrying the Mountain State.

This evening, in Louisville, she put forth a vaguer proposition. It has often been said, she asserted, that "as goes Kentucky, so goes the nation."

Frankly, that was a new one on us. But if it's so, that's bad news for Barack Obama. As we noted earlier, he would seem to have little chance to being competitive in Kentucky as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Kentucky has had a winning track record in recent decades -- the last time the Bluegrass State picked a loser in a White House contest was in 1960, when it backed Richard Nixon instead of John Kennedy.

A handful of other states can make comparable claims as bellwethers. Still, Clinton pointedly noted that her husband won Kentucky in both of his successful presidential races. And that helped frame the message in a victory speech that was directed more at Democratic superdelegates than the cheering throng in front of her.

After she spoke kind and gracious words about Sen. Ted Kennedy in the wake of the revelation that he suffers from a malignant brain tumor, after she touched upon her commitment to universal healthcare and ending the war in Iraq, after she made her now ritualistic pitch for cash by reciting her website, she got to what she and her aides see as the nub of the matter.

When the primary season wraps up on June 3 ...

... with contests in Montana and South Dakota, she insisted, neither she nor Obama will have reached the "magic number" of delegates needed to declare the nomination clinched. (In her formulation -- and this is essential to her cause -- that figure will be higher then the current 2,026 because some accommodation will have been made to seat delegates from the rogue states of Michigan and Florida).

At that point, she said, the party's superdelegates "will have a tough choice to make" in putting one contender over the top. And "tough" she implied, should be the guiding principle -- as in, who is likely to wage the toughest fight against Republican John McCain.

"Dream on," Hillary, most party heavyweights likely were muttering to themselves. But this we know -- she simply will not be nudged or cajoled out of the Democratic race until she's decided all is lost for her candidacy. And who knows when that may be; as she said in her speech, she plans to keep making her case -- "until we have a nominee, whoever she may be."

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[readytomoveon]

WOW, I'm consistently impressed with HRC's ability to spin whatever news for her campaign, no matter how bad, to her benefit - I'm baffled and bemused at her persistence in the face of insurmountable odds, and instead of being charmed by her sticktuitiveness or gumption, I'm sickened.
There is no way I would ever want a president that would be so blatantly in denial about a bad situation - haven't we had enough of that for the last 8 years?
(and, just to the HRC voters don't think I'm being sexist, I'm a woman - and I would love to see a woman in the white house, but preferably not this one)

[rob]

Nobama.

not with 135 "present" votes on major matters.....

a second rate motivational speaker who won't beat mccain.

[M]

She is so full of herself it won't be long now until her head is so overinflated with pride that she will float away into the blue and we won't have to listen to her pat herself on the back anymore.

[wanda]

i am from ky and I know exactly the card she played and it was not sexism. she and her husband know how to play ky and wv. sadly there are only a minority of whites here who can see what she is doing.

[Had Enough]

I sometimes feel like I'm tied to the rack, forced to watch Hillary's Perpetual Magic Show.

Hey 'sweetie', the show is over !

Pack up the stage props, take off the top hat and cape, and go back to the Senate. I'm sure there is enough 'slight of hand' going on there to keep all of you losers amused !

[Quentin Khoo]

Everybody speaks that Hillary Clinton's supporter will vote for McCain if Obama is the Democratic Nominee.... but what about his supporters ?? what do you think they will do if she is the Democratic Nominee ?? Why is there only a one sided report on this ?

[Quentin Khoo]

Everybody speaks that Hillary Clinton's supporter will vote for McCain if Obama is the Democratic Nominee.... but what about his supporters ?? what do you think they will do if she is the Democratic Nominee ?? Why is there only a one sided report on this ?

[Bob]

Obama's inevitable big win in Oregon will cancel out Hillary's in Kentucky!

Delegates will continue to flood into Obama's corner.

All together now:

♫ Ding-Dong the Witch is dead…♫

http://klintons.com

[Jeff]

Sorry, Rob, but the polls just don't agree with you. Obama is perfectly capable of beating McCain, as is Hillary Clinton. But since HRC's chances are over, the party needs to rally around its nominee, Obama. So, let's mend fences now that this thrilling primary is over, and take out McSame!

[Jose Luis Sabori]

I am an immigrant that is about to vote for first time in this country. Bringing with me some experience in the political field, I was pretty exciting in thinking in going to the polls here. How ever, since the race started, I could have seen how most of the media started a crusade to sway the public intention to Obama. By now, any one who were informed about the run only by the media might easily think that there is nothing to fight over yet, that the run has been decided long time ago. I am really sicked and tired in seeing how the media has been fabricating out of a motivator a candidate.

[Ryan]

"Electibility" It's an interesting concept, one that both parties have forgotten over the past several decades. It's amazing to me that all a politician in this country need do is wrap him/herself in the American flag and hold the bible and the masses will blindly believe anything they say.

This country has just lived through nearly 8 full years of the democratic process being steamrolled by that war monger President of ours.

Mr. Obama may be a phenominal motivational speaker but he really doesn't have any experience in how to run a country as complex and these United States.

What the Democratic superdelegates role in this election process is to determine which of the candidates is electible. The popular vote, while not binding, does seem to lean towards Hillary Clinton.

It's time for the Democrats to take a page from the Republican play book and pick the most electible candidate and unify the party behind that person. It boggles the mind how many races have been lost because they can't grasp that simple philosophy. When will they learn?

[greg]

what is it about losing that she can't take? bow out! mathematically she cannot win.

[lake erie man]

As a lifelong democrat, I am astonished at the racist campaign hillary and bill have run, with comments about hard working white supporters that richard nixon had the good taste not to say.
I hope we will be rid of Hillary, her snotty and spoiled child, and the WC fields character who is, nominally,l her husband.
Let them spend all of that ill-gotten 109 million. Just go away.

[sup]

Out with the old! No to Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton. America is not some monarchy to be handed between a few powerful families. She's sticking around because she made her rich, powerful donors a lot of promises.

[Anee]

The snobama posts prove this obama problem, their constant ugly attacks on clinton and her supporters, make him ugly and unelectable.
No win for no bama in no vember.

[Aerin]

Quentin, since you asked, in the very same poll, 7 out of 10 Obama supporters in KY said they would vote for Clinton if she were the nominee. I wonder why the media don't see fit to report this more widely. Basically, if Obama is the nominee, McCain will win KY, and if Clinton is the nominee, she will win KY.

The sexism in the media makes me sick. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Clinton. I don't hate Obama, but I haven't seen or heard anything to indicate that he actually can beat McCain or be an effective president. In interviews, he is inarticulate, and as a legislator, he has shown himself to be a gutless wonder. Once again, the Democratic party is shooting itself in the foot. I'm so tired of saying "I told you so," but I can feel it happening again in November.

[Jerry Smith]

Hillary learned well from Bill, Bill could put a great spin on anything and people who knew he was a liar would believe him.

Hillary still thinks she already has it in the bag, that there is no way her party will deny her being the candidate for president.

[John_Lai]

Comparing results of Caucaus and primary tells us that many caucuses are so misleading that democracy is at stake:

Comparison of Texas primary and caucas results

TEXAS PRIMARY
Candidate Votes Vote% P.Deleg
Clinton 1,459,814 51% 65
Obama 1,358,785 47% 61
4 points win of Clinton
A gain of 4 more delegates to Obama

TEXAS CAUCAS
Candidate Votes Vote% P.Deleg
Obama 23,918 56% 38
Clinton 18,620 44% 29
12 points loss of Clinton
A loss of 9 pledged delegates to Obama

Comparison of Washington Caucus and Primary:

WASHINGTON CAUCAS
Candidate Votes Vote% P.Deleg
Obama 21,629 68% 59
Clinton 9,992 31% 31
37 points win of Obama

WASHINGTON PRIMARY
Candidate Votes Vote% P.Deleg
Obama 339,166 51%
Clinton 303,151 46%
6 points win of Obama

Comparison of Alaska and Virginia
Alaska
Candidate Votes Vote% P.Deleg
Obama 6,674 75% 9
Clinton 2,194 25% 4
A win of 4,480 votes
A win of 5 pledged delegates

West Virginia
Candidate Votes Vote% P.Deleg
Clinton 239,298 67% 20
Obama 91,747 26% 8
A win of 147551 votes
A win of 12 pledged delegates

BO's lead in pledge delegates counts are won in caucuses where Hillary would have won in primaries. Caucus misrepresent voters will.

Hillary has indeed won more votes from voters and should be so in general election.

[Rabin Deka]

This is democracy by the way!

So why would Hillary not continue race until each ballot casted being counted? Any who are these super-delegates announcing who they vote? By announcing so aren't they not trying to mislead ordinary voters?

Rabin Deka

[Scott]

This Just In! Kentucky proves to be a hotbed of racial bigotry with a poorly educated populace.... Oregonians with their "fancy college degrees" and "free thought" step in late in the evening to cancel the wave of ignorance thereby saving the day..... I'm sure we'll have more on this in the morning....

[peggy sue]

Listen folks. She is not going to roll over for the pundits in DC or TV.

Her argument that she is going to carry the states that count out to be keeping John the Dean up at night.

While the media continues to sing about her impending political death, she is not going quietly into the night.

So when the media starts discussing these two points seriously, they can join a ten step recovery program for Clinton Bashers.

[Zeerover]

Well, I'm a guy and prefer Obama, but as she aptly points out, there is no nominee. It doesn't cost that much to see it through, so why not stay in? Anything can happen in politics. A long shot is still a shot.

[peggy sue]

Listen folks. She is not going to roll over for the pundits in DC or TV.

Her argument that she is going to carry the states that count out to be keeping John the Dean up at night.

While the media continues to sing about her impending political death, she is not going quietly into the night.

So when the media starts discussing these two points seriously, they can join a ten step recovery program for Clinton Bashers.

[good reader]

I can't believe this poorly written "article". Don you need to get another job.

[pahqlle]

Quentin Khoo asks, "what about his supporters ?? what do you think they will do if she is the Democratic Nominee ?? Why is there only a one sided report on this ?"...

Answer: The Clinton supporters are "the Democratic base" to the party...if they loose their base the Party has MAJOR issues.

The Obama supporters, as they have shown, will vote for any Democrat, (they're not particular) and via the Exit Polls, only a small percentage of the Obama supporters wouldn't vote for the Clinton if she was the nominee....on the other hand Obama will lose Clinton supporters in droves.

He needs the Hillary Democrats to win…plain and simple.