"...She's taking it to the convention, I don't know how many times she has to say it before we start believing her"

That's what you said on 'Race for the Whitehouse'. It's not her choice. Obama will have clinched the nomination with the support of just a few more super delegates and the party will not entertain Hillary's insane ambition. Once Obama has 2025 delegates he will declare victory if Hillary doesn't bow out. If she doesn't bow out she will lose all credibility and lose anyway.

My headline: Clinton can make waves but she can't change the tide.

I've yet to hear a political pundit mention that the candidates' four-state pledge included not just a pledge to not campaign in Florida/Michigan, but also a pledge to not even participate in the primaries in those states. That's why the candidates were supposed to remove their names from the ballot in Michigan ... they promised to do so.

Hillary broke her promise.

Again, I've yet to hear a pundit/commentator mention that the pledge covered both campaigning AND participation.

Yesterday, Rachel pointed out the lack of non-white Republican Congressmen, Senators (6 year drought in Congress) and Governors.....the only one being Bobby Jindal recently elected Governor of Louisiana....and now today, apparently he's being interviewed for McCain's list of VPs......

Hank in Albuquerque

A malignant glioma tumor killed Republican political consultant Lee Atwater in 1991.
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/21/MNI710PS9Q.DTL&type...

Lee Atwater RNC Chairman, 1988-90

Republican dirty trickster and rhythm guitarist, providing shenanigans to both the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush campaigns. During an advertising campaign against Michael Dukakis, he introduced America to Willie Horton. After diagnosis of a brain tumor in 1991, Atwater found Jesus Christ and renounced his old ways, and died one month later. He said in an interview, "A reputation as a fierce and ugly campaigner has dogged me. While I didn't invent negative politics, I am one of its most ardent practitioners."
www.nndb.com/people/019/000043887/

Life magazine hit the newsstands featuring "Lee Atwater's Last Campaign." The subhead explained, "Battling an inoperable brain tumor, the bad boy of Republican politics discovers the power of love -- and a dream for America."

Atwater's "deathbed confession" remains controversial to this day. Many interpreted it as a renunciation of the political decade he had helped make possible.

"Long before I was struck with cancer, I felt something stirring in American society," he said. "It was a sense among the people of the country -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- that something was missing from their lives, something crucial. I was trying to position the Republican Party to take advantage of it. But I wasn't exactly sure what 'it' was. My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood."
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/bckgrnd/atwater.htm

New Instruments of Surveillance and Social Control: Wireless Technologies which Target the Neuronal Functioning of the Brain

In military–speak the term ‘experience set’ implies a person’s stored memories and life experiences; thus suggesting that such a technology could delete and then replace a person’s memories, or ‘experience set’. Research and development along these lines have so far materialised a technology dubbed by the military as active denial system (ADS).

The Active Denial System is a non–lethal, directed–energy weapon system recently unveiled by the U.S. military and which directs, or pulses, electromagnetic radiation at a frequency of 95 Gigahertz (GHz) towards the target subjects.

http://eldib.wordpress.com/2008/03/10/new-instruments-of-surveillance-an...

Yes the DEMS are committing hari kari but that aint what's gonna doom them in Nov.

But I can't believe how off base you are!

Let me start with this: I agree with you, if the fight goes to the convention the party is screwed. As I have stated before, this is not going to happen.

You also said that McCain has had a 3 month head start. You could not be more wrong. This primary season had 2 major effects: it shook out the 'Scandals' for Obama and he's still going strong. Voter registration for Democrats has been through the roof.

My prediction: LANDSLIDE Democratic victory ... due to these factors:
- Huge democratic registration
- Voter turnout in the primary is at record levels.
- 50% of Americans self identify as democrats compared to 37% as Republicans (to the best of my recollection) (this was roughly equal in 2004)
- Democratic fundraising is slaughtering republicans when viewed across the board
- Religious Right is not enamored with McCain... he will not be able to get out his base

I think this victory will be so big Texas is in play, McCain might even need to campaign in Arizona.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/21/clinton-says-shes-willing_n_102...

I'm worried about cheating at the polls this fall. Diebold voting machines, and wasn't there a story about moving unmarked ballots from outlying districts around in Ohio?

So it looks like the Democratic Party is being held hostage by one person. Leave it to the Democrats to shoot themselves in the foot. I am so disappointed in the DNC leadership. This has turned into a never ending nightmare.

Dr. Maddow,

Given Hillary Clinton’s . . . What word am I looking for . . . “Evilness(?)” . . . No, that’s overly accurate . . . “Tenacity,” if she looses the DEM nomination in Denver, do you think that she goes all Lieberman on the Party?

Inquiring minds wanta know,
Richard Adlof

- - - - - - - - -

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history."

MAY 9TH THE DEMOCRATICS FELL ON THEIR SWORD!

On May 9th the Democratic Party fell on its sword and allowed (D-NY) US/Senator Hillary Diane Rodham-Clinton, to prove the "Black Guy Can't Get Elected, "Senator Obamas support among working class, and hard working American, (WHITE) Americans is weaking, and how the, you know, (WHITE's) in both states who had not completed college were supporting me." (Source: (D-NY) US/Senator Hillary Diane Rodham-Clinton).

And, racism didn't play a role in (West Virginia, and Kentucky)? If you believe that then I have a bridge in across a river in Seattle with a little wind damage I, could sell you.

So, now Hillary has her change to take the entire summer and a bank of lawyer to fight the (DNC) Democratic National Committee about the seating of Florida and Michigan, the way Hillary want's it seated, running Hillary into the Democratic National Convention in Denver for a 2nd ballot stealing of the nomination from (D-IL) US/Senator Barrack "Barry" Hussein Obama.

The arguments will be simple one's (1) The Black-Guy with the funny sounding name will never win in the "General Election", (2) According to the New Math "Clinton" Math, Hillary as won the "Primary", (3) Poor, Poor Hillary, has also been the victim of decrimination, "Sexism" and the Good-Old-Boy, Glass Ceiling, after having been elected to the US Senate twice, having over a ($100M), One hundred million in the bank, two mansions one in New York State, and one in Washington, D. C. that is some victim of "Sexism", but all the women have to vote for the "Sisterhood".

I'm (INDEPENDENT) and right about now the Republicans (GOP) Grand Old Party are starting to look pretty good. Ya! they screwed it up the last (8) years, but after the loss of (3) three special elections they seem to have gotten the message. And, (R-AZ) US/Senator John Sydney McCain III, have been a torn in their backside for a long time and is a "Maverick". The Republicans don't fall in love with their candidate's but do support and fall in line behind them.

This whole Democratic "Primary" makes one stop and wonder, if they have an (11%) Legislature now, can't get passed the (GOP) on anything, and they run a "Primary" as disfunctional as this one, running it into a Racism Vs Sexism Convention, Give Me A Break!

Hillary is going to the Democratic Convention, and its only going to be a lose, lose Change Vs Status Quo, The Black Guy Vs The Split Tail, Unity Vs Division, etc. etc. etc. Good Luck With That!

... And you keep on playing clips of Hillary's insane bloviation about her campaign.

Its making me cringe. My work is BORING. I listen to air america to stay sane. Please let me keep my headphones on.

Who cares what Hillary says? You keep on saying every pundit has been wrong however every pundit has been right about this being locked up, starting with Ed Shultz when he said it in February. Each domino is falling exactly how we expect it to fall.

The next Domino? with just 10% of the super delegates remaining and the final contests at even conservative margins Obama will have 2025 delegates. The Democratic party will acknowledge him as the nominee. Clinton will be given a final chance to exit gracefully. IF SHE DOES NOT... the supers will PUSH her out by moving over to Obama's side. Ted Kennedy will make sure this happens, and due to his recent illness he will move those senatorial super delegates.

I for one believe Hillary will not allow herself to be pushed out, and she will leave even if it is reluctantly. Her credibilty will be ruined if she keeps on fighting and it will end well before the convention. She will be given this choice privately by her peers in the senate and the party. If she doesn't listen to them... PUSH!

I still don't see going to the convention as a big problem, however I take Dr. Maddow's concerns seriously because she is THAT kind of doctor, and I'm a lowly economic research assistant.

I think in the absence of massive media failure and election fraud, any democrat, including Dennis Kucinich, could beat any republican, including Ronald Reagan, in a landslide. We can count on massive media failure propping up McCain, and massive election fraud is already going on. I am so disgusted by the previous two democratic nominees conceding the elections they won before the votes were counted, I am voting for Nader.

The problem is the media, republican election fraud, and democratic failure to deal with either.

Rachel: I've been a fan for a long time but my respect for you has dropped tremendously today with your shrill hysteria on something that isn't even real. And what I am most afraid of is you are going to say this so many times, over and over again, that you will actually make it happen.

The date when we get a candidate is irrelevant. The three times you mention where the dems were late and lost are absurd. They lost because they had crummy candidates that couldn't have won if they had a year's head start. The fact that they picked the candidate late is meaningless. In 1968 the candidate was Hubert Humphrey!! He couldn't have won if he didn't have an opponent! In 1972 it was George McGovern! The worst candidate the dems ever had except for Mondale and Dukakis (OK-McGovern was worse than them). And 1980 had Jimmy Carter against Reagan after the Iran Hostage fiasco. Every one of those was a slam dunk for the pubs and the timing of the nomination had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Today we have a very different candidate, the Ronald Reagan of our era, and the opponent is the Dukakis of the Republican party. Frankly, I think the most dangerous thing for the Democrats right now is YOU! Keep saying this and it will become a self-fulling prophecy, so stop it right now. It's just about impossible for the dems to lose this one unless you keep saying what you are saying. If people start thinking the dems can't win then they won't. And they will think that because you are telling them that.

Kevin
http://dailybbg.blogspot.com/

If you take the delegates that Hillary won, by percentage, in Florida and Michigan and award her with those, and give the rest to Obama...Obama clinches the nomination in Florida. Then goes well over in Michigan. Do the math, it's right there. Hillary? Still about 70-80 off from clinching.

If they don't add in those two states, if you take half of the remaining 212 supers as well as the delegates from Montana, Dakota, and Puerto Rico...Obama's got it easily. He's only about 60 off from clinching right now.

Americans favor diplomacy on Iran - Reuters poll

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - A majority of Americans want the United States to increase diplomatic efforts over Iran's nuclear ambitions, while 70 percent oppose the use of U.S. troops to thwart Iran, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll.

Asked the best course of action for the United States in dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions, 45 percent said Washington should join with allies to increase diplomatic efforts and another 17 percent said the United States should step up diplomacy on its own.

One in four respondents, 26 percent, said they supported the use of U.S. ground troops in Iran, while 70 percent opposed it. Nine percent favored air strikes on selected military targets in Iran. ...

http://elections.us.reuters.com/top/news/usnN27288539.html

Here's what I see:

Clinton has enough pledged delegates that Obama cannot win on pledged delegates alone.

If all 800 superdelegates announce tomorrow that they're backing Obama, and she wants to keep fighting, she makes a speech declaring that she won't let this antidemocratic maneuver silence the voters of America and that all we know now is how many supers she needs to switch (or switch back). Then she spends the summer stumping, asking people to put serious pressure on their local supers.

She goes to the rules and bylaws committees -- and heck, the committee in charge of decorating for the prom, if she can find one -- with the objective of minimizing the number of switches she needs.

So: Absolutely nothing that can happen in the next 10 days (or, for that matter, before the delegates pick a nominee) could give the party or anybody else the authority to tell her, "You can't take this to the convention."

We have to wait for the party leaders to get united, call her in and tell her (maybe have Ted Kennedy deliver the news for added impact), "You really, really don't want to take this to the convention."

And I'm thinking that this year, they'll be inclined to let South Dakota vote before they do that, on the grounds that half a week's wait is not too much to pay for two benefits: the goodwill of actually letting everybody actually have a chance to vote, for the first time in forever, in a meaningful competition (potentially useful as a contrast to the R's -- and I bet all the ballots have been printed anyway), and the fact that basic negotiation says it ought to be easier to help her figure out she really, really doesn't want to fight in Denver if you give her the dignity of having carried her oft-repeated point of wanting to let everybody vote.

Also, a friend of mine says there's an obscure FEC rule that puts her in a better financial position if she sticks it out until June 4 versus withdrawing before the end of the primaries -- which makes absolutely no sense to me, but he's pretty smart and has extensive experience in politics, so I'm not just assuming it's baloney.

It's my impression that even if she files an appeal on June 1, she can still withdraw it before Denver -- surely there isn't a rule against that, is there? She could, like Edwards did, do and say everything as if she were planning to fight on to the convention right up until her announcement that she's withdrawing (although she really won't have the luxury of waiting as long as he did afterwards before speaking in support of Obama). I mean, I don't think she has some inherently deeper honesty that would forbid her to present as determined a face as Edwards' even while she was contemplating a change.

So I'm not convinced that the pressures available to people trying to nudge Clinton off the podium change on May 31, but I think they might well on June 4.

(My darling wife should have some credit for helping me work out this analysis, but since she doesn't bother to post here, I cheerfully claim it as mine.)

Hillary won't stand down until the Super Delegates stand up.

Hillary has told us this, and Rachel has underscored it in her reporting.

To eliminate any convention shenanigans 92 delegates must stand up.
Game over.

If not, the goal posts will continue to move.

The clock is ticking.