CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
June 6, 2008 – 10:31 a.m.
Five Questions About Clinton’s Goodbye
By Jonathan Allen, CQ Staff
Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to end her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and throw her support to presumed nomineee Barack Obama at a Saturday event in Washington, D.C.
Here are five questions -- and CQ Politics’ answers -- that are raised by the end of her campaign story (or is it?).
1) What are Clinton’s plans?
While Clinton is not talking publicly, the Clinton campaign e-mailed its surrogates the following talking points:
* On Saturday, Hillary will host a noon event at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. to thank her supporters and express her support for Sen. Obama and party unity.
* During the event, Hillary will praise Sen. Obama and the campaign he has run.
* We all look forward to seeing her and hearing her message on Saturday.
* Originally announced to be held on Friday, the event was moved to Saturday to accommodate the desire by many supporters to attend who work during the week and wanted to include their families.
2) Will Clinton actually endorse Obama?
It is unclear yet how Clinton plans to “express her support for Sen. Obama and party unity.” But that phrasing leaves little room for the imagination to wander anywhere other than an endorsement. She praised him, albeit more lightly than his partisans wanted, in her speech following the last two primaries on Tuesday night. Clinton then vouched for him as a friend of Israel at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee meeting the following day. She has yet to use the word “endorse.” That may be because an endorsement would come at the time and place of Obama’s choosing or it could simply be that she plans to endorse on Saturday.
3) What about the second spot on the ballot?
Even if Obama has no intention of putting Clinton on the ticket, he is likely to include her name in the discussion as a sign of respect for her and, more important, her most ardent supporters. Ultimately, an invitation to join him on the ticket would only come if Obama concluded that she could do more to ensure his election than any other candidate.
She has told surrogates that she would be open to running for vice president and has encouraged them to make the case for her. That has rubbed Obama’s camp -- and even some in the Clinton camp -- the wrong way and it appears that such public pressure will be decreased. Top Clinton backer Ed Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania, said this week that a candidate cannot negotiate her way onto the ballot. And Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz , D-Fla., said Thursday that a plan to write a letter to both camps urging that they unite to form a ticket has been abandoned. “It was felt that the letter was being misconstrued as a demand on Senator Obama and we’ve decided to communicate our views informally,” Wasserman Schultz said.
Five Questions About Clinton’s Goodbye
4) What does it mean if Clinton “suspends” her campaign rather than ending it?
There is no textbook definition for suspending a campaign, and it is generally indistinguishable from ending a bid. However, the term leaves room for resuming campaign activities should the nominee for some reason cease to be a viable candidate for the presidency before the party convention. It also would allow a candidate to continue to raise money to pay off debts without appearing to solicit money for an active campaign.
As of the end of April (the latest information on file with the FEC), the campaign was $19.5 million in debt. Part of that is the $10 million she loaned herself. But she also gave the campaign $10 million from her Senate campaign funds that is not considered part of the debt.
5) Will Clinton release her delegates?
That decision may not come until later in the process. Actually, the notion of “releasing delegates” is only symbolic and not substantive. The best answer to the question might be, “It’s irrelevant.”
Here’s what a DNC primer on the delegate selection process says: “Delegates are not ‘bound’ to vote for the candidate they were elected to represent. They can, and have in the past, cast a vote for another presidential candidate at the Convention. As a sign of good faith, most former candidates will ‘release’ their delegates from voting for them; however, this is not required . . . ”
Some of Clinton’s staunchest allies will no doubt want to see her name put in nomination at the convention so that the first woman to run a truly viable presidential candidacy will have her name etched into the party’s history books. However, such a roll call could be deleterious to party unity, and she also will be advised to forego that route in the interest of party unity. In addition to casting votes for Clinton, her delegates can be used to try to leverage policy, rules or credentials concessions from Obama during the convention, though such efforts also could erode party unity and Clinton’s standing.
Comments
Obama needs to distance himself from the Clintons; they have had more than their fare share at the podium and they bring too much wreckage with them! Hillary, the Queen of Spin and a Legend in Her Own Mind! http://klintons.com
Who cares what she wants and what she will do unless it's to get out of our face. SHE LOST, LOST LOST. Even a person as delusional as she is will get that fact eventually.....
HELP WANTED Need VP for the president to be, Baraka Hussein Obama Qualification and requirements -will fight for him till the end and win the Electoral College and popular votes (sorry caucuses don't count) -strong commander-in-chief and leadership quality - Strong in national security and military -knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with issues such as economy, healthcare, education, housing -knowledge, leadership and experience in foreign affairs -knowledge, leadership in dealing with our national energy and housing crisis - knowledge, leadership in how turn our economy around and create Green Jobs! -must reach out to women, blue-color workers, elders, Hispanics, and low-income voters -has high skills in speech and can deliver and articulate speeches without teleprompter -must look presidential and handle debates regarding presidential election For God sake who need him when we can have all that and more with Hillary.
He should choose Hillary. Then, when he is president, and an opening appears on the Supreme Court, he should nominate her for the spot and pick another vice president of his choice.
Hey BOB, I can see that your spelling is an indication of your intelligence.
Until the very end, I thought this was a help wanted ad for Richardson.
Barack Obama doesn't need someone who said he was unelectable for the Presidency and someone who said that she could "train" him by August to become the Vice-President if she became the nominee. Not to mention all of the other hateful things she's said about him through the campaign. Now she and her co-horts want to strong arm their way on the ticket???? I don't think so.... The Billary Camp has been drinking the Kool-Aid.
Hillary is not going anywere exp.short vacation... Keep attacking Hillary, and more Hillary people will vote for McCain, or not vote at all. You will be blame for pushing away Hillary supporters, because of You ignorance. Obama can not and will not win, if milions of US turn away Our support for DNC and Obama . Hillary was trash by DNC,CNN,MSNBC, Haward Dean, Richardson, and afcourse by Obama and His gang. So dont be suprise if millions will say; enough is enaugh" and it is time to quit Democratic Party, because YOU and Obama and DNC deserve just that kind of treatment...
the only person who made hillary look bad in the media was herself. her and bill's endless attacks on obama were the things that made her look like a constant whiner. obama has avoided making negative comments or personal attacks on clinton at all costs, even when she degraded him the most. i am a woman, and by all means, i would love to put a woman in the white house, but hillary has proved nothing except that she will do anything to be president, whether it is degrading her opponent, putting herself before her party (uh, hello? democrats have been BEGGING her to drop out for weeks), or exaggerating her accomplishments to the point where she had to rebuke them. yeah, not very president-like attributes, if you ask me.
I know it is a done deal, and I accept it. However, my anger over how Hillary Clinton has been treated by the mainstream media and SOME Obama supporters has not subsided. I HIGHLY recommend watching this video. Watch to to the very end, even after the credits, as there is a message on it from Maya Angelou, who Oprah claims was her mentor. http://youtube.com/watch?v=kcdnlNZg2iM "MAD AS HELL/BITCH"
I don't know if Obama supporters still blog here,but if you do it is now Aug 19th,2008 and Obama isn't doing to good, people are starting to second guess themselves. Do you still think he can do this all by himself,without any help from The Clinton's or their supporters? I THINK NOT. OBAMA,IS A MAN OF ALL TALK, WITH NOTHING TO BACK IT UP.
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