Rachel Maddow puts Democratic Party on suicide watch

Rachel Maddow was the only pundit on MSNBC on the night of the Indiana and North Carolina primaries who didn’t buy into the prevailing notion of the evening that Hillary Clinton was going to gracefully bow out of her presidential run. Even Keith Olbermann announced: “I disagree with Rachel. I don’t think it’s ever happened before.” You can watch her analysis of Hillary’s impending “all-out, scorched war” below (starting at about the 5:10 mark):

Starting yesterday, during both her appearance on Race for the White House and on her radio show on Air America, Rachel officially put the Democratic party on a ten-day suicide watch. I couldn’t find video or audio of either, but fortunately she posted her thoughts regarding this topic on her Air America blog:

When the Democratic primary calendar ends on June 3rd, Senator Obama will have more delegates than Senator Clinton.

On what grounds could a candidate who is behind at the end of a race avoid conceding that he or she has been beaten? On the grounds that the race really isn’t over!

After the primary calendar has ended, Clinton’s campaign can only justify or explain her staying in the race if she makes the case that the Democratic Party still has not chosen a nominee conclusively. Clinton needs an argument that the game should go into extra innings. Overtime. Bonus round. Detention. Whatever. Clinton has now found that argument—she says she will not stop campaigning until the issue of the Florida and Michigan delegates is settled to her satisfaction.

The Florida/Michigan issue get settled, of course, by the Democrats’ Rules and Bylaws Committee… unless of course that committee’s decision gets appealed to the Credentials Committee… unless of course that decision, too, gets appealed… to the floor of the convention.

Do you see where this is going? If there is an open, unresolved procedural issue involving the Florida and Michigan delegations, Senator Clinton will be able to cite that as her justification for staying in the race until the convention even though she is not ahead in the nomination contest at the end of the primary calendar.

If she can ensure that the Florida and Michigan issue stays unresolved until the convention (and by appealing it every step of the way, I don’t see how that can be avoided), then Clinton stays in the race until the convention. Staying in until the convention buys her three more months of campaign time, three more months to make her case to the party and the country, three more months for some potential political unfortunateness to befall Senator Obama.

And it keeps the race for the Democratic nomination open, at least theoretically, for Senator Clinton to win instead of Senator Obama.

Hillary in Florida yesterday: “Not. Going. Anywhere.”

Rachel’s 100% right. Read it all. Hillary has zero plans of going away before the convention in Denver. She plans on fighting this thing through the summer. The only way to cripple the inevitable is for a flood of super delegates to go Obama’s way before the 31st. And with the wankery I’m hearing from her staff and reading from her supporters, I don’t even know if that will matter. They’re pretty much convinced this thing won’t be over until every vote is counted in not Florida or Michigan, but in Denver.

MORE: Olbermann’s take on Clinton’s appearances in Florida is worth a look, too.

Posted by Kevin K. on 05/22/08 at 05:41 AM • Permalink

Categories: Politics • Election '08 • Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • Editorials • Poliblogs • Television • YouTubidity •

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Good god, I hope Rachel is wrong for once, but it’s not looking good. If Clinton drags this out past June 4, it will be indisputable that it’s all about her and that the Clintons don’t give two shits about the party getting back the White House. If that nightmare scenario comes to pass, I hope there’s a gigantic backlash that costs her the senate seat.

Comment by Betty Cracker on 05/22/08 at 10:06 AM

“I hope there’s a gigantic backlash that costs her the senate seat.”

If she does do it, I’ll be here in NY leading the backlash.

Comment by Kevin K. on 05/22/08 at 11:16 AM

With all due respect, Rachel is an idiot.

Even when Florida and Michigan are counted, Obama still leads.

And if Rachel wanted her favored candidate to look like a LEADER, she would urge him to allow the seating of both states for the sake of the party.

Her attempt to blame Clinton for what Obama is unwilling to do is a cheap manipulation that NO ONE is accepting.

THOUSANDS of Democrats want the two states seated, regardless of who wins the nomination.

On this issue, Rachel is completely wrong, and should urge her candidate to UNITE and LEAD, period.

Comment by Mary on 05/22/08 at 06:14 PM

With zero respect, Mary, you’re the fucking idiot. Everyone knew the rules going into this. Lay off the Drool-Aid. And the caps lock.

Comment by Kevin K. on 05/22/08 at 06:30 PM

Sorry, Kevin. Some troublemaker in a comment thread on another popular blog linked to your post.

(I didn’t think Mary of Appalachia could read.)

Comment by poputonian on 05/22/08 at 06:44 PM

poputonian, how you doing?

No problem, I saw where the traffic is coming from. Out of respect for Digby, I’m staying out of the comments over there. As you can tell, like TBogg, I’m feeling like scorching a little earth myself these days.

Comment by Kevin K. on 05/22/08 at 06:50 PM

I’ve been asleep in the Catskills for a while, but I can hardly keep my keyboard shut anymore. And I don’t want to soil dig’s thread either, but she brought up some criticism of Hillary, so what the hell. Rumproast has been a nice read to balance the silence on other blogs ... silence about Hillary’s self-destructive, and party-destructive, acts.

Comment by poputonian on 05/22/08 at 06:58 PM

Sorry, was BBQing up some dinner…

Well, there are a few blogs calling her out. Mostly, I’m going after her wingnut-like supporters. Digby may be upset about the leftosphere not calling out the sexism, but I’d like to see a lot more blogs calling Hillary and her supporters out for racism and shady wingnut-like oppo attacks on Obama. Taylor Marsh is still high up on Digby’s blog roll and Taylor’s leaving behind a godawful slug trail of stuff for the opposition to use against Obama. Aside from the Tuzla stuff, I don’t see the “Hillary hate sites” leaving behind much to use against Clinton if she gets the nomination.

And, really, someone as politically savvy as Digby should realize how much damage Hillary did to the Democratic brand slinging that “elitist” horseshit around.

Okay, I’ll stop now. ;)

Comment by Kevin K. on 05/22/08 at 08:17 PM

Was it a rumproast? :-)

It would be nice to beat up on McAngry without worrying about our guy getting hit by friendly fire, but I’m afraid she’s not going to go away. It was a cool move by TBogg to say enough is enough.

Good to see you back blogging. Maybe one of these days I’ll do the same.

Comment by poputonian on 05/22/08 at 09:20 PM

I think you’re a great writer and I’d love to read you again, but, sweet jeebus, the last thing I’d ever do to someone I like is recommend they get back into blogging.

Where’s my whiskey?