Make Your Call. Will the Clintons Unify Behind Obama Next Week. Go on the record.

[David Zephyr]

I have no doubt that the Clintons will continue to sow discord and prevent our party from unifying behind the presumptive nominee, even when he goes over the top in securing the delegates needed for that nomination.

Maybe I am wrong. But I am convinced that the Clintons will want to carry their ambition all the way to Denver and create, yet another nationally televised spectacle there. This will leave our nominee a mere eight weeks to raise funds, to pick his VP, to mount a 50 state campaign against a long united Republican Party.

So make your call. After running out the clock, shortening our calendar, draining away tens of millions of dollars for primary contests when the result were already known, will Bill and Hillary do the right thing next week and unite behind our presumptive nominee?

I say they won't. I'm willing to eat humble pie if I am wrong. But what do you say?

Make your call. Go on the record. And we'll re-visit this post and poll next week when we will know.

[XemaSab]

1. I have never been able to figure out what's going on in that woman's mind

:shrug:

[MercutioATC]

2. Yes, they will. Anything else would be political suicide.

And, whether you agree with their method of politics or not, they are politically savvy.

[kentuck]

3. Yes and no..

She will say publically that she will do everything she can to help Obama win but privately, she will do little to assist him and may undercut him, if given the chance?

[David Zephyr]

20. Apparently, there are a lot of DU'ers who agree with you. See below.

I don't think they will even unite behind Obama at all until they've had their fight in Denver.

[dkf]

4. Doubt it. They only care about their own power.

[bunnies]

5. Nope. nt

[RichardRay]

6. Yes. Where their hearts lie will remain a mystery, but

they will make the political play required of them. They are, above and beyond anything and anyone else on our party's playing field, the political couple. It's the only thing they can do.

I wouldn't want to be the furniture in their living room after they do it...

[Beregond2]

7. The Clinton's know they have already burned all their bridges.

The only chance they have of regaining any power is to stage some kind of coup at Denver. At this point, I think they are crazy enough to try it.

[frickaline]

8. Yes.

[Vinca]

9. The Clintons will have their moving van at the White House unloading

the day before Obama is inaugurated. Count on it.

[quark219]

17. *LOL* That was good....

Hmmmm. Maybe that's why they took so many items from the White House after Bill's second term. It wasn't stealing--they were just borrowing those things until Hillary's "inevitable" return.

Yes, I'm bad. Time for me to return to the Unity Bubble. :)

[quaker bill]

10. Yes, if she holds any hope

for 2012 or 2016. No, if she wants to end her political career here and now.

[book_worm]

11. Maybe. If SD and MT go strongly for Obama I think she may. If not...

[VotesForWomen]

29. i'm in SD; it's very close as far as i can tell.

[Diane R]

12. They will call for party unity, then knife him in the back & kneecap him every chance they get.

[stillcool]

13. Going by past experience No.

and if that is the way it is, I would expect some organization and mobilization coming from the grass roots.

[WeDidIt]

14. Looks to me like 75% of the people voting in the poll at this point

are going to be shocked by Hillary next week.

[Lerkfish]

23. I will be THRILLED to be shocked.

I PRAY to be shocked.

I won't be, though.

[dems_rightnow]

15. I'm naive, I think she will

Now, make me look stupid.

[4themind]

16. Can I recommend an Other?

Which is that they will "call" for unity while still dispensing rogue surrogates, like ferraro, grunwald and ickes to poison the well further

[ecstatic]

18. They will say one thing publicly, but continue dog whistle politics

behind the scenes so that she can try again in '12.

[EFerrari]

19. Wish they would but I don't believe they will. n/t

[MarianJack]

21. Hillary will do the right thing...

...as she's said from the beginning with "We will be STRONGLY united".

If for no other reason than the pure pragmatism of preserving her political career, their influence within the party and to assure Chelsea a possible political future if she desires.

Why don't we set the venom fest that has been succeeding in marginalizing this site aside for a few minutes and remember that Bill was a damn good president, evin if not as ideologically pure as some here would like.

[Lerkfish]

22. I will guarantee you that they will not unify behind the candidate next week.

If I am wrong, I'll be happy with that, actually. But I don't think I'm even in any sort of danger of being wrong.

[scarletwoman]

24. I voted no, but I don't think we should worry. They've already been pwnd, and they know it.

Once Obama reaches the "magic number" (which will be by the end of the week with the super delegates weighing in), the Democratic party will declare him the "presumptive nominee" and the general election campaign will move forward. Obama will have the money and the momentum.

The Clintons can do whatever they like, but they really won't be able to overtly attack him once the Party has declared him the "presumptive nominee". I don't doubt that they will try to covertly undermine him, but that's where we vigilant keyboard warriors come in -- we watch them like hawks.

The other thing to think about, who's going to give them any money to keep going? (other than Richard Mellon Scaife) No sensible lobbyist is going to throw contributions to a failed campaign, and they simply don't have the ground game that Obama has that could make up the difference.

They may carry their ambition all the way to Denver, but it will be in a pretty raggedly-ass portmanteau patched with duct tape. I don't think the party elders are going to put up with them raising a ruckus by that point, because they will have already been largely disgraced and discredited by then.

I'm thinking positive thoughts! :D

Peace,
sw

[H2O Man]

25. On the record:

I am basing this on the message that Rahm Emanuel was tasked with delivering to Senator Clinton in mid-May. It has to do with an "understanding," rather than an "agreement." But I think it covers the bases.

After the June 3rd primaries, the undeclared super delegates will put Obama over the top. Senator Clinton will drop out shortly after that. If she fails to, and instead says she will take it to the convention, a significant number of her current supporters in DC will step away from her, making it impossible for her to contest Obama's victory.

She is expected to withdraw on June 6.

[KittyWampus]

26. 3rd option. They'll make a big show of Unity but carry on w/small gestures that amount to stabbing

Obama in the back.

[TragedyandHope]

27. Yes, they're politicians

and they've proven over and over again that they can flip-flop on a dime. Doing a 180 on Obama would be consistent with the other multiple personalities displayed during this campaign.

[VotesForWomen]

28. why should they? maybe you weren't aware, but the nominee is decided at the convention, not on DU.

[newmajority]

30. She will concede this week

But I honestly don't see her actually supporting the candidate at all. After the sleazy hateful campaign she has run against him, I simply can't see it happening.

As far as carrying on a crusade against him.... only if someone gives her free air time to do so. I guess FAUX Noize probably would.

[CakeGrrl]

31. I expect *neither* a concession or any move toward unity from Clinton

Either one after the campaign she's run so far would be a surprise.