Why Hillary Won't Be VEEP

Columnist Ron Hart totes up the reasons, including the following:

Part of Hillary's problem was her insistence on staying in the race against Obama after she was mathematically out of it. She felt that math was elitist, and because many Democrats are not good with numbers, she kept going. Unlike "American Idol," where Americans actually take their vote seriously and when you lose you have to go home immediately, the Democratic primary allows losers to linger and make life hard for those who beat you. And linger she did.

More here.

Comments

[Lesbian Dictator Barbie]

She felt that math was elitist

Math is tough....
It's not fair....

[Nigel Watt]

I would think Obama would want a safe, unobjectionable choice (ie Sebelius).

[Junter Klops]

Actually, I have arrived at the sound mathemalogical conclusion that Hillary CAN STILL beat Obama. First, plot a graph of Hillary's votes for the nomination over time. Then fit the results to a 3469 degree polynomial (The 3469 is so large that it makes it extra precise). Then take the absolute value of this function (because it doesn't make any sense to talk about negative votes). Finally, take the limit of this function as time approaches infinity. The result is that, sometime in the distant future, Hillary will have infinite votes. Beat that Obama!

[Taktix?]

She felt that math was elitist

No surprise here. Women suck at math...

[Orange Line Special]

Actually, she figured that BHO would be forced to drop out when many realized what she could already figure out: he's close to the furthest-left major party candidate of all time. And, unlike others, he's not clear on basic U.S. concepts.

See, for instance, these recent Obama remarks. Search at my site for much more, or see the list here.

[ed]

many Democrats are not good with numbers

Black ones, you mean? Was he being sarcastic? Funny anyway.

[Tulpa]

She wasn't mathematically eliminated until just before dropping out. Yes, it was clear that her likelihood of winning was infinitesimal long before she quit, but mathematical elimination is another animal entirely.

How come no one's jabbing at Ron Paul's math skillz, when he stayed in the campaign for months after he was eliminated?

[SIV]

Lonewacko,

Hey, one of those links actually went somewhere other than your site.I often hover over them and check but I never click if it goes to you.

[squarooticus]

How come no one's jabbing at Ron Paul's math skillz, when he stayed in the campaign for months after he was eliminated?

Because RP isn't trying to be McCain's running mate?

Hint: this blog post isn't about "jabbing" HRC.

[Reinmoose]

I still think HRC will be the nominee.

[James Ard]

You think Hillary's gals would be a blow to the Dems chances? imagine the damage if the party drops the black guy from the ticket.

[Unsubstantive Kurt]

Honestly, if you were in charge of any organization and your beating hear was the only thing standing between her and ultimate power in that organization, would you want HRC to be your #2?

[John C. Randolph]

Women suck at math...

She not just a woman, she's a socialist, and socialists have always been hopeless at math.

-jcr

[Paul]

Math is tough....
It's not fair....

Hence Democrat hostility towards it.

But seriously, folks. She won't be veep because Obama doesn't need her. It's a matter of simple math (har har). Hillary voters aren't going to switch to McCain in any large numbers. Obama's trying to capture swing voters with this choice, not hard-line Democrat baserunners.

Even I can figure out this politics-as-sports thing, too.

[Unsubstantive Kurt]

*beating heart

[Orange Line Special]

imagine the damage if the party drops the black guy from the ticket.

There's going to be a lot of damage when he loses (if he's nominated). It's going to be a lot worse than the last two elections, BDS, etc. And, if you think the Dems are sleazy now, wait until they base most of their policy around calling their opponents names.

The best thing for the U.S. is to clearly show to everyone what's obvious to me and many others: BHO is not only not qualified, he's a borderline radical. Do that well before the election, and a lot of problems will be prevented.

Now, libruhtarians should take their naps.

[Elemenope]

Actually, I have arrived at the sound mathemalogical conclusion that Hillary CAN STILL beat Obama. First, plot a graph of Hillary's votes for the nomination over time. Then fit the results to a 3469 degree polynomial (The 3469 is so large that it makes it extra precise). Then take the absolute value of this function (because it doesn't make any sense to talk about negative votes). Finally, take the limit of this function as time approaches infinity. The result is that, sometime in the distant future, Hillary will have infinite votes. Beat that Obama!

LOL. "Take that, subspace!"

[R C Dean]

Hillary voters aren't going to switch to McCain in any large numbers.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. A good chunk of Hillary voters are probably what used to be called "Reagan Republicans" - socially conservative blue collar types. That's the group Obama can't crack; they may well break for McCain.

[Gene Berkman]

Ron Hart's column has another great zinger:

"It is too bad Hillary did not win the nomination. She seemed so presidential during the race by running up the largest campaign debt in history, $22 million."

"As a consolation prize for her exiting the race so early and gracefully, Obama went through the motions of having a fundraiser dinner for her to pay off debts - except he forgot to ask those in attendance to donate to her. Oops - his bad."

[Paul]

I wouldn't be so sure of that. A good chunk of Hillary voters are probably what used to be called "Reagan Republicans" - socially conservative blue collar types.

And on this point, we'll have to agree to disagree. I'll be the first to bow down to your brilliance if a post-election poll shows this happened, and I'll re-evaluate my knowledge of the Hillary voter. But I just don't see this as happening. I feel that these blue-collar Reagan Republicans are already with McCain and never were with Hillary.

[Paul]

On further reflection, RC Dean, these Hillary voters of which you speak would probably be considered "swing voters" which would be covered under my first presumption. He'd still do well to pick someone besides Hillary to capture them. People who preturnaturally like Hillary aren't, in my opinion, Reagan Republicans, no matter how hard she's tried to capture them these last few years.

[PapayaSF]

Hillary might well have drawn lots of votes from younger blue-collar women who might not vote for Obama. As VP she might help get Obama elected, but after that it'd be hell for him, always looking over his shoulder, trying to figure out what Hillary and Bill were plotting or what new scandal they were involved in. (Actually, I think she'd have done better this year if she'd divorced him years ago.)

As for Sebelius: no way, unless Obama really wants to tick off Hillary supporters.

And Hillary getting the nomination? Also no way, short of (say) video of Obama machine-gunning a playground showing up in the next few days. Anything less than that and the Obama true believers will make Chicago '68 look like a tea party.

[t. j.]

i loved the line in that article where he said hillary was "america's exwife" haha

[James Ard]

No way Bill would let Hillary spoil his party by forcing her way onto the ticket. Obama is the true teflon candidate. The spoils Bill is drooling over can't be achieved if his wife is drawing the scrutiny he knows she will.

[zig zag man]

"And linger she did."

Like a greasy fried egg fart.

/I didn't just say that.

//Yes I did.

[No Comment]

With all due respect, and I'm by no means a Hillary Clinton supporter, but she did lose the primary by under a 1% margin of votes, considering all votes cast.

If not for primary which-state-can-be-first arms race, two of our largest states, Florida and Michigan would have counted fully in terms of delegates.

I think we all can agree that the media bump from those substantial victories would have very likely made this an even closer contest, if it wouldn't have tipped the primary in her favor entirely.

The eventual compromise did show what we all knew, however: the GOP and DNC have no balls, and given a close election, they were going to at least consider back away from their threats of slashing/eliminating the nominating delegates from states thatn moved their election calendar up against the wishes of the national parties.

[Joshua Holmes]

She not just a woman, she's a socialist

She isn't a socialist, just a typical crony capitalist.

[Roger Maltz]

Yay somebody's been reading Klein. Yay.

[Dwayne Mayor]

"During the final leg of the campaign, Hillary and Barack seemed to fight a lot, which was odd because they do not differ on many issues. The only one that I can think of where they have opposing views is affirmative action. Hillary differed with her party on that one. She felt strongly that one in every 45 Democratic nominee being black represented a quota, and she is against quotas."

This is fantastically funny!

[Paris Hilton]

Clinton creates 'whip team' to quell anti-Obama protests

That's hot.

[Santiago]

BHO-HRC would be a horrible ticket. Carter was right. (Must wipe down keyboard.)

I know we're not supposed to talk about this, but let's combine the folks who won't vote for the black guy with the folks who won't vote for the woman, then just to round up, add in the folks who hate the Clintons. Your running mate is supposed to get you more votes, not less.

On the plus side. HRC would be one hell of a follow up to Cheney.

[sage]

Caption Contest!

"Here's to me, Hugo Chavez in a pant-suit!"

[Aptor]

What sexist bullshit

[dpsc]

Duh. Seriously, Duh.

[Warmongering Lunatic]

It doesn't matter if she's a lousy VP choice or not. It doesn't matter whether Obama wants her for VP or not. It doesn't matter if BHO out-and-out resents and hates her or not. If Obama nominates anybody other than Clinton, he needs her pledge, in advance, that she will stop her delegates from nominating her.

There are only three possibilities right now:

1) Hillary Clinton withdraws her own name from consideration as VP.

2) Hillary Clinton is the Democratic VP candidate.

3) Obama loses the general election.

Remember, the convention nominates the VP. If Hillary's name is put in nomination from the floor of the convention for Vice-President, she starts with 40% of the voters being people who wanted her to be President. Any fight at the convention that manages to keep her out of the VP position then does incredible damage to party unity.

Obama is already at effective parity with McCain in the (non-Zogby) polls; if all "leaning" states are assigned, McCain has an electoral majority. Obama needs the whole Democratic base and a solid convention bounce. He cannot afford for the convention to change from a triumphant celebration of unity to a bitter floor fight that re-offends Hillary Clinton's supporters.

[Ethan]

Hillary voters aren't going to switch to McCain in any large numbers. Obama's trying to capture swing voters with this choice, not hard-line Democrat baserunners.

But according to the polling I've seen, which of course could be wrong, a ton of voters now in the "Undecided" category are Hillary supporters. I suspect you are right, though, and that most of those Hillary supporters will move to Obama's side, not McCain.

[Ethan]

I think we all can agree that the media bump from those substantial victories would have very likely made this an even closer contest, if it wouldn't have tipped the primary in her favor entirely.

Well, what reason do we have to say that Hillary would have scored "substantial victories" in those states? Obama's name did not appear on the ballot in one, and he did not campaign in the other (while Hillary did). We can look at the demographics and speculate about what might have happened had proper elections occurred in those states, but it would be just that--speculation.

[CaptComp]

Hart is about as good as it gets these days with writing political humor. He is our Jon Stewart...Stewart of course being a hard left only satire pimp. Hart pimps for us at least. Let's buy him a big pimp hat!! He is great.

[jtuf]

Neither Obama nor Cliton has enough pledged delegates to guarantee the nomination. Obama has it wrapped up, because the superdelegates support him. A Clinton win is still possible, but very improbable, especially after 2 pro-Hillary superdelegates end up in the emergency room in one week.

[R C Dean]

During the final leg of the campaign, Hillary and Barack seemed to fight a lot, which was odd because they do not differ on many issues.

They differed on the only issue either of them cares about: who should be the next President.

[James J.B.]

I for one was solidly behind BHO until I saw his most recent speech. See it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65I0HNvTDH4&feature=related

[Nick]

She ain't. Biden is.