Posted by
Isaac McPhee on Sunday, May 11, 2008 11:57:25 PM
What exactly is happening within the Democratic party?
Hillary is about to lose, right? It sure looks that way. And I have to admit, I'll miss her when she's gone. She certainly made things a bit more interesting.
In fact, I'm willing to admit at this point that I'll probably miss the entire clinton "dynasty" once they leave the public spotight for good, which looks as if it will happen before the end of the year. No more of Hillary's shrill tone, her constant attempts to one-up her admittedly well-spoken opponent by way of cheaply immitating his own style...
Then again, I'm probably wrong to count them out so soon. While I personally don't see how William Jefferson could show his face in the public arena again after so horribly desroying his wife's chances at becoming President, his lack of shame has certainly proved me wrong in the past, and I have no reason to think he'll do otherwise this time.
That being said, I'm sure Bill and Hillary will find some way to weasel back into the public spotlight at some point in the near future (cabinet post, maybe? Prediction: Hillary will offer to bow out of the race completely and support Barrack in exchange for his promise to enact her idea to create a "Secretary of Poverty" or some other sort of figurehead/emeritus position which holds no real power or responsibility, thus ensuring her at least a semblence of a political pulse until she can run again).
None of this will matter, of course, if John McCain is elected President. If that is the case (and I am becoming more confident each day that it will be), then Hillary's political career should be over. Barack will live (thrive, even) to fight another day - a shoe-in for the 2012 nomination. The only hope for Hillary, should this be the case, is that throughout the next six months before the election we continue to learn more and more about Barack Obama, and realize that the Reverend Wright/William Ayers relationships really do represent the values and poor judgement of this seemingly "messianic" candidate.
So, to lay it all out on the table:
Barack Obama will win the nomination. After that point, Hillary's next step is absolutely impossible to predict (and those that say otherwise are lying). Will she support him in hopes of earning a position of power in his administration? It doesn't seem very likely that she'd be willing to play second fiddle, but stranger things have happened. Would she secretly work behind his back to destroy his credibility with the American people to give her a better chance at having a political future? God bless her if she does, but the Clintons are pretty good at this sort of thing, and we probably would never know it was her.
Or... will Hillary just bow out gracefully and graciously support her colleague from the sidelines? Could be... once again... this woman is unpredictable (which, I would hope, is one of the reasons she is so very close to defeat at this moment).
Finally - I know that I am doing the same thing that I've accused so many other people of throughout this election: I'm predicting Hillary's imminent demise. We've heard it before, of course, and then she had a comeback. While this time it seems almost inevitable, I still wouldn't put it past her to have something up her sleeve...
Well then... I suppose all of that was really just a long winded way of saying that there's nothing predictable with the race for the Democratic nomination in 2008, which is why it is so very exciting for those of us who don't mind watching a little liberal implosion every now and again.