With Hillary Clinton on the ropes and recent polling showing Barack Obama right at her doorstep in Texas and Ohio, it is increasingly looking like Hillary Clinton has little chance of reaching the convention as the leading and viable candidate. Unlike Mike Huckabee, however, she still has a lot of political assets and delegates in her position, so her decision would be much more self-sacrificing.
However, for the good of the Democratic Party and its chances in the general election, she must do the noble thing if defeated on March 4th and bow out with dignity.
More below the fold.
The particular issue at hand here is the six-week gap between the primaries on the 4th and the Pennsylvania primary on April 22nd. If Hillary continues her campaign, there will be a siege of epic proportions--a new Iowa. As we can remember, the financial toll of Iowa was brutal:
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the big winner in Iowa, raised about $23 million in the past three months of 2007 but spent heavily to beat third-place finisher Senator Hillary Clinton of New York in the leadoff state of Iowa and had a modest balance on hand heading into New Hampshire, a campaign official told the Globe.
Thus, we could see tens of millions poured into Pennsylvania over the six week battle. This could be a fatal blow to the candidate and party with it, as with John McCain embroiled in issues of financing as well as the recent scandal, there is a real opportunity to run up the score in terms of financing. The more money that Barack Obama has handy to spend and the longer he has to raise it, the more states come into play in November, and the more competitive he is, the better state and federal legislative candidates will fare.
If there is to be a Blue Revolution this election, the Democratic Party must be well-prepared and well-financed. The bombardment before Pennsylvania would be self-destructive and could very well allow the hobbled McCain to become more competitive in terms of financing. Thus, if Clinton suffers a loss in Texas and Ohio, the best thing she can do is to congratulate her staff and herself for a good campaign, thank her supporters, and throw her support to Barack Obama.