http://www.dailyhowler.com/CAPUTO ON CONSTRUCT: We’re in a bit of a rush today. But we thought Lisa Caputo fleshed out a basic point on last evening’s Verdict with Dan Abrams. In yesterday’s HOWLER, what did we mean when we said that the modern pundit corps tend to hand you “constructs?” As has long been obvious, most modern pundits are only happy when they’re All Saying The Exact Same Things. On Tuesday evening, they stood in line to marvel at the fact that Clinton didn’t concede to Obama; they marveled at this, even though they’d been told that she wasn’t going to do so. Below, we’ll offer some thoughts on why she didn’t. But here was Caputo, fleshing out more of the background we offered yesterday:
ABRAMS (6/4/08): I mean, there were people on our air today, Charlie Rangel was on our air today, talking about this, saying–but expressing–and look, whether you agree with them or not, they felt that she should have been, said different things last night.
CAPUTO: But you know what, Dan? With all due respect, let’s just put this in a historical context, if you would. Bill Bradley got out of the race in March and didn’t endorse Al Gore until July. Jesse Jackson took it to the convention. Ted Kennedy took it to the convention–
ABRAMS: But that’s an explanation of why they–
CAPUTO: No. But hold on! Why is there a different standard for Senator Clinton?
Why is there a different standard for Clinton? Putting Congressman Rangel to the side, the answer to that is obvious. But Caputo adds to the brief capsule history we offered yesterday (see THE DAILY HOWLER, 5/4/08). In Campaign 2000, Bradley waited several months to endorse. There was nothing especially “wrong” with that–and the pundit corps didn’t bellow and howl, in One Loud Voice, berating his vile, ugly conduct.
Should Clinton have given a different speech? That is a matter of judgment. But why didn’t she endorse? We can think of several obvious possible answers. But let’s stick with one.
Here it is: Candidates often don’t endorse for a while because they’re extremely competitive people. It has long been clear that, barring some sort of disaster, Obama was going to win the nomination. But it wasn’t clear to Hillary Clinton, to judge from today’s report by the Post’s Kornblut and Balz. In this passage, they walk us through the weeks before North Carolina:
KORNBLUT/BALZ (6/5/08): What happened in Indiana and North Carolina was a classic case of expectations getting away from the campaign. Obama had always been heavily favored in North Carolina because of the size of the state's African American vote...
Ace Smith had been sent to North Carolina after pulling off important victories in California and Texas...
In late March, the Clinton team gathered at the candidate's home in Northwest Washington, and there, according to several present, Smith offered an optimistic assessment of North Carolina. Smith declined to comment about what he said was a private meeting. But, he said, "we were cornered and we had to fight that battle, and when you go into fight a battle you'd better be optimistic or you're doomed to failure from the beginning."
Others did not begrudge Smith his determination to fight for all the resources he could muster from a team that believed the best outcome was holding Obama to a single-digit margin of victory. But the campaign's problems were compounded by the enthusiasm of the Clintons themselves, who thought they were making progress in the state. North Carolina, Hillary Clinton told an audience days before the primary, could be a "game-changer."
Nothing the campaign could say later could roll back her confidence.
People who compete and achieve on this level tend to be highly competitive. Obviously, that was true of Bradley, a famous, world-class athlete (although the press corps, through its Official Script, kept insisting on the opposite). People who compete and achieve on this level have a strong tendency not to give up. We have an anecdote about the last NFL years of Johnny Unitas which reflects this matter quite nicely. But people who compete on the Bradley/Clinton level are trying very hard to win. Historically, they haven’t instantly turned around and endorsed their beloved opponents. Indeed, some of our most famous, pundit-honored pols have fought it out right to the end.
For the most part, that isn’t a good idea–and Clinton isn’t going to do it. Personally, we hope she busts her keister helping Obama win.
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