Hillary Clinton, in her Web chat, skirts the convention question

Hillary Clinton, slowly ramping up her public presence following her loss in the Democratic presidential race, fielded questions today in the Web chat she had promised, but revealed little about what was most on the mind of political observers -- the role she and her supporters will play at the party's upcoming nominating convention.

More revealing, by far, were the comments posted by Clinton enthusiasts as the chat unfolded.

Many said they would like to see her name placed in nomination at the convention -- a potentially discordant note at a confab whose main goal will be to promote party harmony for presumptive nominee Barack Obama.

Other questions typed in to Clinton made clear that some of her backers have come to terms with her defeat.

Clinton hit the expected chords in her responses to the 12 questions she fielded.

Do you really want Obama to become president, one person asked, or “are you just saying what you have to?’’

Clinton replied: “ I am completely committed to helping Sen. Obama become the next president of the United States and urging all of you to do the same.’’

Still, she was noncommittal when asked about the prospect of her name being placed in nomination. Some of her supporters want to see that happen, as a show of respect for her year-and-a-half-long campaign. 

Clinton wrote: “Sen. Obama and I share the goal of ensuring that the voices of everyone who participated in this historic process are respected. I want to assure everyone we are working together with Sen. Obama's campaign and the [Democratic National Committee], and I am confident we will have a successful and unified Convention in Denver.’’

The comments appended by participants were not so circumspect.

One person wrote: “There is no way the DNC ...

... can unify the party without having your name placed in nomination and letting us feel that there is some sense of fairness to this election. Right now, we feel like our candidate has been treated very unfairly and we demand some respect!’’

Not surprisingly, Clinton got a question about the veepstakes. Perhaps surprisingly, given that most clues emanating from the Obama camp have indicated it won't go there, she was less dismissive of joining the ticket than might be expected.

A “Larry D.’’ from Albany told her she’d “make a great vice president.’’

Clinton replied: “I have said repeatedly that I will do whatever Sen. Obama asks me to do. I am really focused and enjoying being back in the Senate and working on behalf of my New York constituents. That is Sen. Obama’s decision and his alone and I am going to respect the privacy of that process by not discussing it.’’

She pirouetted around a question about healthcare, the source of one of the few major policy disagreements she had with Obama. Clinton supports a mandate that would require everyone to carry health insurance; Obama does not. Asked about the issue, Clinton avoided the mandate matter.

“I am so pleased that Sen. Obama shares my commitment to universal healthcare,’’ she wrote. “Once he is elected, I will be working closely with his administration, members of Congress, healthcare advocates, and others to help develop a plan that ensures access to healthcare for every American.’’

-- Peter Nicholas

Comments

[N.E. BodybutHillary]

Those voices in Hillary's head are up to no good. First they tell her "You ran under sniper fire to the busses" Then they whisper to her " You should support a gas tax holliday" They now seem to be urging her to retract her secession from the presidential race.

For the good of the Democratic party those voices need to shut up. Hillary was bested by a man. She was bested by a black man. The question is does she have a problem with being bested, being bested by a man, or being bested by a black man?

[Alessandro Machi]

The statistical proof exists that proves Hillary Clinton won the 2008 democratic election.

Barack Obama's side stole way too many delegates via the caucuses. The caucus state results DO NOT match up with ANY of the polls done in ANY of the Caucus states just prior to their caucus contests.

3 caucus states, Nebraska, Washington State, and Idaho, also held primaries after their caucus vote and each time Hillary Clinton gained OVER 33% as compared to the caucus results.

Furthermore, Barack Obama's 11 highest winning percentage of votes were ALL CAUCUS STATES VOTES, NONE WERE IN PRIMARIES! This is a statistical impossibility unless inaccuracy or cheating is involved. It is virtually impossible to have 11 top wins all be from caucuses and NONE from primaries, STATISTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE!

At least 3 or 4 of those top 11 winning percentage wins should have been from the primary contests. A presidential candidate who cheats so badly that others will notice, yet doesn't even care, does not possess the necessary qualities to be a real leader, but merely a tyrant.

The audacity of excess is what Barack Obama appears to be about. This was easily demonstrated in his trip to Europe. Spending millions and millions of dollars while pretending to be a president shows bad judgement. Barack Obama addresses an audience in Germany as if he has somehow earned that right, yet walks right by soliders standing in formation and ignores them.

Back to Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton won 11 out 12 swing states and only gained 5 more delegates than Barack Obama did by LOSING those same 11 out of 12 states.

Another example of in your face fraud that I will not accept. Hillary Clinton gains 555 delegates by winning 11 out of 12 swing states, Barack Obama loses those same 11 out of 12 swing states, and still gains 550 delegates??? HUh? Since when is 11-1 almost identical in delegate counts to going 1-11?

I will NEVER support such obvious mathematical fraud.

Hillary Clinton EARNED the 2008 democratic nomination by winning in enough states. When voters had all day to vote, and voted in the privacy of a voting booth, Hillary Clintion won the nomination, that is how they will do it this fall, and that is what I recognize.

I will not recognize ridiculously one sided caucus vote results that in no way come close to representing the will of the voters in that state.

I haven't even mentioned the in your face media bias against Hillary Clinton, led by Chris Wallace and Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. Arianna Huffington, in concert with Billionaire George Soros, used the Huffington Post to attack Hillary Clinton on a daily basis.

In turn, Huffington Post fed "pundits" to MSNBC, CNN, Time, and Newsweek. Their on air bias and behavior is no different than a violent gang that meets on the street corner. A judge should bar these biased, media frauds from assembling on television.

Uh, is NOT the Answer!

http://www.HILLARY-WINS.com
http://www.CAUCUSCHEATING.com
http://www.PROTEST-POSTCARDS.com
http://www.POSTCARD-BRIGADE.com

[N.E. BodybutObama]

Okay, stop trying to claim you know what Senator Clinton is thinking. That's just stupid! Senator Clinton's supporters have been working to get her in nomination without any support from the Senator herself. She deserves it, Chelsea deserves it and all the women who have been waiting for their candidate for centuries deserve it. It may be the 45 anniversary of MLK's Dream speech but it's the 88th anniversary of women's right to vote. If Senator Clinton had had fair and equal media coverage, Obama and his supporters would be begging for a spot at Hillary's convention. Learn how to win gracefully about now, Obots!

[BJ]

Hillary won the nomination, if you count the Florida and Michigan votes... especially now that Obama says he wants ALL the delegates to count for the Convention!

Hopefully the "18 million" supporters that will show up to demonstrate at the Convention will prove this!

Obama stole this nomination, the press and media distorted the coverage & were blatantly biased towards Obama, and the DNC elders namely, Pelosi, Dean, Kerry and Kennedy bullied Hillary into submission, calling for her to step down almost every week since Feb.! They have to realize the will of the people will prevail, and Obama is incapable of taking the Democratic Party to the promised land... only Hillary can do that!!! Obama cannot be trusted.

IF the Democrats want to take the White House back, they need to get smart and give the nomination to Hillary. It's as simple as that, and the polls prove it.

[tlatexaspuma]

Registration, easy post.

In a Web chat today, Hillary Clinton wrote that she wanted to "assure" participants that "that Senator Obama and I are working together to make sure it's a big success."

She added in an introductory note that her supporters would be represented at the Democratic National Convention. "We will ensure that the voices of everyone who participated in this historic process are respected and our party is fully unified heading into the November election," Clinton wrote.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/08/07/politics/horserace/entry4327997.shtml?mpid=1732

[tlatexaspuma]

Senator Obama and Democratic party officials do not want Senator Clinton's voters or her super delegates voices heard. Oh well, this is not the first voice to be silenced at the Denver convention. They are not wanting LGBT voices to be heard either as evidenced by a lawsuit against the DNC, brought by Donald Hitchcock after he was fired as the party’s gay and lesbian outreach director.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/washington/washington/entries/2008/08/05/lawsuit_exposes.html

[tlatexaspuma]

Senator Obama and Democratic party officials do not want Senator Clinton's voters or her super delegates voices heard. Oh well, this is not the first voice to be silenced at the Denver convention. They are not wanting LGBT voices to be heard either as evidenced by a lawsuit against the DNC, brought by Donald Hitchcock after he was fired as the party’s gay and lesbian outreach director.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/washington/washington/entries/2008/08/05/lawsuit_exposes.html

[Finn]

Alessandro - no one can be that dumb. Put down the keyboard, switch to decaf, and cut down on the MSG.

[Alessandro Machi]

Chris Wallace, I meant to say Chris Matthews in my prior post. If you want an example of media bias, just look at the way MSNBC will spend hours discussing the Clintons and what they are doing and how it will affect how their "legacy", and they spend NO TIME discussing any of the caucus controversies or delegate allocations.

All they say now is that Hillary Clinton will get even a lower amount of delegates than what is publicily thought to be her total.

All this for the candidate that actually won 40 more congressional districts than her opponent. FRAUD is not the answer.

http://www.CAUCUSCHEATING.com
http://www.HILLARY-WINS.com
http://www.FAIR-REFLECTION.com
http://www.PROTEST-POSTCARDS.com

[John Milton]

Hilary Clinton should put her name forward at the Convention. She won the nomination when you look at the real figures (Florida, Michigan, The problems with the easily manipulated caucus votes).

Barak Obama has not had to face the hard questions regarding his decision making with many of his questionable associations, yet John Edwards is being pummeled in the press now for his one questionable mistake in judgment.

Barak Obama is unexamined and too inexperienced to be President. Since there is no fair coverage by the press and they may have been in some part responsible for Hilary''s loss, I believe she should test it at the Convention. It is just too dangerous to have BArak Obama as the next US President. He is more of a very good actor than he is intelligent. When he is not scripted he is boring and general and scattered in his speaking.

Go Hilary!

[Michael]

The OLD BOYS CLUB of the Democratic Party shook down the banking industry and funneled the money to Barack Obama to deny the nomination to Hillary Clinton in the belief that they can control Obama. He most likely is unaware of their actions. THE OLD BOYS CLUB does not want a woman in the White House who they do not control.
McCain/Clinton 2008 Two Independents

[Victoria Laviolette]

It's very sad that so many Democrats are willing to risk another Republican term by their relentless insistence that their candidate should be the nominee. She lost! Senator Clinton herself does not want these diehard supporters to ruin her reputation with her own party by refusing to follow what she has now asked them to do--support Senator Obama so that we can have a democratic White House. If you are one of these people, you are risking the White House, and you are risking the political future of the very candidate you care so much about!