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Saturday, November 23, 2024

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Ready, Set, CHEAT!


In the last few days, the rhetoric out of the Clinton campaign has hit new lows.  As her efforts to cheat by counting the Michigan delegates (where Obama removed his name from the ticket when the DNC DQ’d the delegates) and Florida (where he did not campaign) failed, Mrs. Clinton has turned to more desperate measures.  Hillary Clinton has all but stated that she intends to poach pledged Obama delegates.  As for Nancy Pelosi, who has exercised her Constitutional right to free speech by opining that Democrat "superdelegates" should vote for the person from their state who won the popular vote, has been threatened by large donors who support Clinton.  To her credit, the Speaker has not bowed to such hooliganism.  Finally, several Democrats are suggesting a "Plan C" brokered convention.  Presidential Candidate? Al Gore.  Plan "C" is unlikely, leaving Hillary out there to attempt to cheat her way into the November election.

Let’s face it:  Black America will stay home, or vote for John McCain, rather than vote for anyone but Mr. Obama, if he comes out of the primaries the popular and/or delegate leader.  They will feel that any other result would be theft of their nominee; their point is well taken.  News organizations are picking up hints that Jojhn McCain is approaching Condi Rice to be his Vice Presidential nominee; she is an outstanding choice, even if Mr. McCain’s motives are a bit cynical.  As I have opined before, Mr. McCain is in the driver’s seat for 2008.  The Democrats are tearing each other apart.  Mrs. Clinton is not worrying about the long-term effects upon "her" party.  Frankly, if she thought that the GOP would stomach her extreme leftist, this ex- "Goldwater Girl" would be a Republican -- as long as she’s in the finals in November.  That’s her sole goal in life.

Mrs. Clinton does not care about the Democrat Party.  She does not realize, or realizes and does not care, that a floor fight where she gets the nomination even though she places second in popular vote and/or delegates, will alienate the voters.  She would lose in November, and her anti-coattails would drag congressional candidates into the sewer of her failed candidacy.  Moreover, Mr. McCain would nominate Condi Rice as his running mate, and split an already-infuriated black vote by continuing a highly-visible GOP track record of placing minorities into the highest offices of government.  But, Mrs. Clinton doesn’t care about that.  She is either deluded, or has a strategy in the general election that does not depend upon actually winning that election.  After all, her husband is the only person elected twice to the White House on less than 50% of the popular vote.

What Mrs. Clinton doesn’t have, however, is an addled billionaire to run an independent campaign for President.  Ross Perot, had he not lost his mind in 1992, would have been president in place of Mr. Clinton.  Even after his "Republicans threatened my daughter" stunt that caused him to pull out and then re-enter the campaign, he pulled in nearly 20% of the popular vote, costing George H. Bush his second term.  In 1996, Mr. Perot ran again, taking about 10% of the vote, but the GOP ran Bob "It’s my turn this cycle" Dole, who had no vision for the job.  Mr. Clinton won re-election on a minority of votes cast.  It wasn’t until 2004 that a President won the White House again with a solid majority.  But, things are different.  Michael Bloomberg has given up on the role of Perot 2008.  The Democrats are polarizing themselves instead of the country, led in their efforts by Mrs. Clinton’s efforts to cheat Mr. Obama out of a nomination he has rightly won.

John McCain should already be visiting tailors for his inaugural suit.