"Clinton to the Convention?"

If you read yesterday's DUmmie FUnnies EDITION about how the KOmmies fear a deadlocked Democrat convention, these fears were raised by a Rachel Maddow report on how Hillary can achieve this. Well, today we shall analyze Maddow's own HUffington POst BLOG titled "Clinton to the Convention?" in which she lays out in detail the nightmare that is now facing the Democrats. That nightmare for Democrats is also entertainment for the rest of us so let us now watch the HUffies face the prospect of Hillary ruining that party in Bolshevik Red while the commentary of your humble correspondent, wondering if Mike Gravel will be chosen at the dark horse candidate at their convention, is in the [brackets]:

Clinton to the Convention?

[Best August TV entertainment ever!]

When the Democratic primary calendar ends on June 3rd, Senator Obama will have more delegates than Senator Clinton.

[That won't stop the Michael Myers of the Democrats.]

On what grounds could a candidate who is behind at the end of a race avoid conceding that he or she has been beaten? On the grounds that the race really isn't over!

[Thanx to Operation Chaos!]

After the primary calendar has ended, Clinton's campaign can only justify or explain her staying in the race if she makes the case that the Democratic Party still has not chosen a nominee conclusively. Clinton needs an argument that the game should go into extra innings. Overtime. Bonus round. Detention. Whatever. Clinton has now found that argument -- she says she will not stop campaigning until the issue of the Florida and Michigan delegates is settled to her satisfaction.

[Thanx to Howard Dean! YEEEEEEAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!]

The Florida/Michigan issue get settled, of course, by the Democrats' Rules and Bylaws Committee... unless of course that committee's decision gets appealed to the Credentials Committee... unless of course that decision, too, gets appealed... to the floor of the convention.

[Any Democrat rule can be appealed or bent in any manner since they mean nothing to begin with.]

Do you see where this is going? If there is an open, unresolved procedural issue involving the Florida and Michigan delegations, Senator Clinton will be able to cite that as her justification for staying in the race until the convention even though she is not ahead in the nomination contest at the end of the primary calendar.

[I see this as going to some TERRIFIC entertainment in August.]

If she can ensure that the Florida and Michigan issue stays unresolved until the convention (and by appealing it every step of the way, I don't see how that can be avoided), then Clinton stays in the race until the convention. Staying in until the convention buys her three more months of campaign time, three more months to make her case to the party and the country, three more months for some potential political unfortunateness to befall Senator Obama.

[Wiliam Rivers Pitt, before his recent RECANTATION, declared this to be a "blessing."]

And it keeps the race for the Democratic nomination open, at least theoretically, for Senator Clinton to win instead of Senator Obama.

[An entertainment blessing.]

How could Clinton win at the convention? Seems to me that three months is a long time in this race, and if it gets that far, anything could happen.

[No much needed summer vacation for Barack.]

Pffft! You say. Scoff.

[Drool!]

Listen: you don't need a vivid political imagination to recognize that if what you really want is to be President of the United States -- a slim chance of becoming President (a fight at the convention) is better than no chance of becoming President (because you dropped out).

[Hillary is hanging on by her claws.]

The Clinton strategy, as best as I can tell, is to stay in the race. You can't win if you don't play -- conceding the nomination is sure defeat, not conceding means there's still a chance.

[The Audacity of hope.]

The way for her to avoid conceding is for her to avoid conceding that the race is resolved.

[Continue the sweaty nail-biting, KOmmies and DUmmies.]

We should also expect that if the Democratic Party's committee system takes up the Florida and Michigan dispute through its rules as they stand now, Clinton's campaign will be able to keep the Michigan and Florida dispute alive until the convention. If there's a secret Democratic-insider plan to keep that from happening, it's time for that plan to become un-secret.

[Just curious. Where is Howard Dean in all this? He seems to be MIA?]

The pundit corps has been counting Clinton out and saying the race is over -- but saying it doesn't make it so.

[Chris Matthews just felt something run down his leg and it's not a thrill.]

If Clinton fights to stay in until the convention -- which seems utterly plausible to me -- then I believe the Democratic Party's nominee (Obama or Clinton) will lose the general election to John McCain. This last point is of course infinitely debatable -- but my take is that in November, the party that's had a nominee since February/March, beats the party that only got a nominee the last week in August.

[A Democrat presidential loss in November will overburden all our asylums.]

So, how does the Democratic Party get a nominee before the convention? Seems to me there's two things that need to happen. One small, one big.

[Rush will toss a monkey wrench into both.]

First, Obama's campaign should stop believing what most of the press says, and start believing what Clinton says -- she isn't budging. If they don't mind the prospect of a divided convention, then fine -- if they do mind that prospect, they'll have to fight for their desired outcome. Clinton is now arguing that taking the fight to the convention is OK for the Democrats -- even noble. This argument won't be defeated if it is ignored -- Obama's camp will have to rebut.

[Please continue deluding yourselves.]

Second, if the Democrats are to avoid a divided convention, the Florida and Michigan dispute will have to be taken off the table -- settled in a way that avoids the risk of a rules dispute that stretches the nominating contest out through the convention. I can think of only one way to do that, but there may be others.

Here's my way: based on my read of NBC's delegate math, I think if the Clinton campaign won 100% of what they wanted on the Florida and Michigan dispute, Obama could still clinch the nomination -- even according to the most pro-Clinton math -- if 90 of the remaining 210-or-so undeclared superdelegates declared for Obama.

[Of course, that would set the Clinton Bribe Machine into action. Plus their collection of secret FBI files.]

If they so declared before May 31st, the Rules and Bylaws committee would have no reason to take up the Florida and Michigan dispute because it would be a moot point -- Obama's camp could concede every Clinton demand on the subject and still win the nomination.

[Superdelegates---Please don't ruin my birthday.]

Otherwise? I'll be the twitchy one on radio row at the divided Democratic convention in Denver... spooked by the ghosts of 1968, 1972, 1980...

[Recreate '68! And now to hear from the HUffie Peanut Gallery...]

Rachel has hit it right on the head. IF the superdelegates stay silent and allow this to go on, it will go on to everyone's detriment. Hillary will use any and alll excuses to continue this battle. Rachel has said from day one that Hillary would fight tooth and nail and not acquiese if there was even the most remote possibility she could grab the nomination.

[Continue the entertainment! GO HILLARY!!!]

I am hopeful that the Leadership of the Democratic Party and the DNC will be able to withstand Hillary's manipulations and will be able to abide by the established rules regarding Florida and Michigan. Rules which Hillary even agreed with months ago"

[Too bad for you that the leader of the DNC is a whack job. YEEEEEAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!]

Funny how in 2000 the clamor of the day was count all the votes now in 2008 it really doesn't matter to some. Hmmmmmm.

[Really bad timing for that HBO "Recount" fiction coming out this Sunday. It ends up HELPING Hillary.]

I fully expect Hillary Clinton to position herself for a possible run as an independent candidate should things not work in her favor for the Democratic nomination. I put nothing past this woman, and I mean NOTHING! She reminds me of some "people" I know who are more than willing to cut off their nose to spite their face and would go to any length until circumstances are bent to their will.

[From your lips to Gaia's ears.]

In the end, even in politics, there are rules. Some good faith is required. Clinton appears to have no good faith, so there is no way to "resolve" this issue with her. She intends to take the party down to defeat so that she can run in 2012. There is only one word to describe her candidacy's effect on the Democratic Party, and that is "toxic."

[Yet more proof of how FANTASTIC Operation Chaos has been.]

Hillary's only remaining tactic is to disrupt the convention with rich her supporters promising million-dollar grants to superdelegates. Subvert the nomination, buy the votes, sow chaos. KARL ROVE is jubilant. If Clinton takes it to the convention (CERTAIN DOOM for the Democrats) she will drive a wedge through our party and will hand power to the Republicans for the foreseeable future. She is on thin ice. I will not belong to a party that allows this to happen. Folks, it really is getting this serious. Clinton lost the nomination. She LOST. Fair and square, she LOST. I have not worked this hard for the Democratic causes all these years to have Hillary sacrifice our values on the altar of her ego.


[Sow chaos as in OPERATION CHAOS. WOO! HOO!]

I wish you Obamabots would collect your tears in a jar when Obama loses in the fall and send it to me where I can drink them!!

[Will they be as tasty as Scott Tenorman's tears?]

Oh Rachel you are the harbinger of doom. I think you're right. Hillary will torture us all the way to the convention.

[And entertain the rest of us.]

This is not only an outrage, it just shows that people will do anything and it shows that people don't have a conscience. We should always be able to live with anything that we do. How could Hillary really feel that she had won anything if she had to steal and cheat to win. There used to be a time when a persons word was their bond. This is really a sad day.

[Was there ever a time when the Clintons word was their bond?]

If Florida and Michigan is seated as she wants, doesn't that move the number of delegates needed to over 2100? Can we not see she is attempting to move the goal post?

[YUP! And what's with the networks constantly citing 2025 as the magic number of delegates needed when that will probably change?]

The race ISN"T over. Count the Florida votes. Hillary should absolutely take this all the way to the convention.

[Is that you, Bill?]

I think Hillary Clinton is a bully. It is not attractive in the school yard nor is it when displayed by an adult. It is a very bad precedent to make for future female presidential candidates. I know why she is so insistent despite her lower standing in the poles. "He can't win. He just can't win. " You have to be concerned with what she will do to make her statement true. I can't trust her. I have become very afraid of her. Who is this demon that is within her. I am disenchanted with the idea of a Hillary Clinton presidency now or ever. Even her voice has become something ominous, grating, and evil. I can see no redeeming quality in Hillary.

[Hillary as Tracy Flick.]

I liked Kucinich, too, and was appalled at the way he was treated by the Party and the media.

[And by his own press secretary.]

Clinton isn't going away no matter what happens with Michigan and Florida.

[Hillary has become the Michael Myers of Democrat party politics.]

I still think this whole thing is about 2012. Hillary is using the pretense of MI/FL to further damage Obama thus causing him to lose the election. What else could it be?

[McCain should just take a vacation during the whole general election campaign and simply allow Hillary to defeat Obama for him.]