Now that Clinton's chances for the nomination are dimming, party insiders are feeling freer to criticize Clinton and her husband. But Democrats must also be cautious in how they treat the couple, said Charles Manning, a GOP consultant based in Massachusetts.
If Obama sews up the nomination, he will need both Clintons to help heal wounds among some female voters and others who had worked so hard for Clinton's historic candidacy, Manning said.
"There almost seems to be a glee among a lot of people to throw Bill and Hillary Clinton overboard," Manning said. "My guess is [the Clintons] are going to have long memories about this."
First off, why are they talking to a GOP consultant? I'm sure he's completely impartial, right?
Anyway, the Clintons are going to have long memories? What about the rest of the Democrats? Aren't they going to have long memories of all the shit she's pulled during this primary? The attacks on Obama's fitness for office, and unfavorable comparisons to John McCain? The repetition of right-wing talking points and appearances on right-wing media? The racial divisions that she and her campaign have fostered? Her blatant hypocrisy on Florida and Michigan?
If Hillary or anyone else thinks that she's headed for a VP slot, they're dreaming. There's no way in hell that Obama will put her in that position. The "dream ticket" is anything but, which is obvious to all but the least experienced political commentators. The last thing Obama wants is to have to deal with the Clintons and all their baggage. The VP is supposed to be someone non-threatening and supportive, and someone who will not hurt your chances in the general. Does that description fit Hillary Clinton? Hardly.
There's a lot of talk about healing the rift with all the disgruntled Clinton supporters. Just today, Obama said to "be nice" to them. Frankly, they have no one to blame but themselves. By the end of February, it was clear who the nominee was going to be. Instead, they drank the Klinton Kool-aid, and continued believing her ever more ridiculous spin. They believed her "tide is turning" speech just a couple weeks ago, even when it was clear that she had not won the delegates she needed from Pennsylvania, or Ohio and Texas before that. They've been fooling themselves, and their rhetoric has become increasingly more deranged and crazy. Check over any of the die-hard Clinton supporting blogs, and you'll see conspiracy theories about how superdelegates secretly know Obama is unelectable and are just waiting to go over to Clinton en masse. You'll see stupid arguments about how Clinton leads in the popular vote....but only if you count Florida, and don't give Obama any votes in Michigan, Nevada, Washington state, Maine, and Iowa. You'll see endless concern trolling over how Obama cannot win the white working class vote, despite the fact that no Democratic candidate has won the white vote in decades. There is no mention, of course, as to why this does not apply to Hillary and the black vote.
They are living in a fantasy land. And it will be up to Hillary to appease them, not Obama. She is going to have to bow out gracefully (if that is even possible at this stage), and tell them to get over it. Dispense with the conspiracy theories, tell them she lost fair and square, and now let's go beat McCain.
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