The annual convention of the Young Democrats of North Carolina (YDNC) scheduled for this weekend, appears as if it will be a vortex of political intrigue. With appearances by John Edwards, Chelsea Clinton and James Carville – there is a thinly disguised agenda operating at some level to create the impression of a pending endorsement of Senator Clinton by former Senator Edwards. However, the scene behind the arras is much more convoluted.
In actual point of fact, Senator Hillary Clinton’s bold campaign to become the first woman to be nominated for the presidency by a major party has already failed. The arithmetic of the nomination procedure no longer supports her endgame strategy. The Clinton campaign could be charitably described as the “walking wounded,” but the prognosis is actually quite grave. The political wounds Senator Clinton has sustained render her campaign untenable. The bottom line is now crystal clear: Senator Clinton is no longer viable as a presidential candidate.
The only circumstance in which the situation could be reversed to her benefit would be the retirement or disappearance of Senator Barack Obama. In other words, the Clinton campaign is now in the posture of political parties in states ruled by warlords, dictators and military juntas. Her opponent has won the electoral contest, so now they are hoping for an unpredictable intervention of fate – or force.
In the past two days, I have received a torrent of emails from many concerned Democrats from Los Angeles to London despairing of the continued onslaught against Senator Obama by the dreadnought but delusional campaign of Senator Clinton. Many Democrats are equally concerned about the mis-statements from Senator Clinton herself, a development that would immediately curtail any serious political ambition by a major candidate in a modern European democracy.
Senator Clinton’s description of her experience with the sniper in the Balkans has opened a virtual Pandora’s Box of scrutiny that is now flooding the internet with critical examinations of the minutiae of many other instances when her accounts differed from the known facts. None other than Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame is leading this phase of incisive criticism of Senator Clinton’s personal veracity in what is becoming a very unseemly campaign.
In many ways, it is now difficult to imagine that until quite recently Senator Clinton’s campaign was regarded as a major contender for the Democratic presidential nomination. But, things have changed drastically for the Clinton dynasty since last autumn.
Many of the super-delegates – now calculated at 60 – once pledged to Senator Clinton have now moved to a neutral position awaiting either an announcement of withdrawal from her campaign or another significant opportunity to realign behind Senator Obama. This erosion of Senator Clinton’s political core of heavyweight support is a major source of embarrassment. However, her staff has adopted a Masada Complex and now seems determined to continue their hopeless struggle in spite of the consequences to her career in the Senate and to the Democratic Party that twice nominated her husband for the presidency. The ultimate damage to what many are now calling the Clinton Dynasty will be incalculable.
Senator Clinton’s balking at the inevitable – her defeat for the presidential nomination – will erode her personal popularity and political standing more egregiously every day the situation is allowed to continue.
If I were in position to advise Senator Clinton personally, I would urge her to abandon her ambition to become the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008 if only to prevent further deterioration to her base of support within the Democratic Party.
Today, the majority of influential Democrats believe that Senator Clinton can no longer win the nomination or the November election. She has allowed the malcontent among the right-wing of American politics to metastasize into a virtually global antipathy to her presidential candidacy. She should stop this ruthlessly corrosive process before it devours her and her family.
Off the record commentators in Washington reveal the rising level of concern about the potentially dangerous debacle among the Party leaders in the House and Senate. Both Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid have been reported to be in secret contact with the DNC regarding behind-the-scenes steps to bring the Clinton campaign to a quiet and hopefully gracious end.
Other reports suggest that a triumvirate of party dignitaries will soon take turns endorsing Senator Obama. The names most frequently mentioned as major endorsers are: John Edwards; Jimmy Carter and Albert Gore. Some sagacious observers believe that the Clintonian Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) is melting down following the triumph of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) where support for Senator Obama is very strong due to his remarkable and consistent performance in the primaries.
Although it was not apparent at first, the nadir of Senator Clinton’s campaign came in the Texas and Ohio primaries. In the aftermath it is now clear that Senator Clinton’s pluralities were manufactured by deliberate collaboration between her campaign, the DLC and their cohorts in the Republican Party. Rush Limbaugh openly supported Senator Clinton in both Texas and Ohio while urging Republicans to cross over and vote in the Democratic primary to prevent Senator Obama from gaining even more momentum.
This campaign of vote-rigging by crossing over party preferences is classed as a felony in the state of Ohio where it could result in a two year prison sentence for Mr. Limbaugh and the others who were involved in the conspiracy – even unto members of Senator Clinton’s campaign staff and supporters. According to published reports, over 100,000 Republicans crossed over to vote for Senator Clinton in each state. This is election fraud on a massive scale.
It is alarming that no member of Congress has called attention to the appalling situation. Congressional hearings should be launched at the earliest opportunity, and a full accounting should become part of the public record. Prosecutions should be brought against the top level of the conspiracy – those involved with either the campaign of Senator Clinton or her presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain – that aimed to defraud the Democratic Party and the American people of a fair presidential election.
It may be noteworthy that James Carville has appeared together with Rush Limbaugh on CNN, and his wife, the ultra-conservative Republican operative, Mary Matalin, has been a guest on Limbaugh’s radio program. Limbaugh affectionately refers to James Carville as, “Serpenthead.” Whether federal election fraud investigators will ever interview Limbaugh, Carville or Matalin about the illegal crossovers in Ohio is not clear for it would seem as if election rigging has been decriminalized in the United States of America by a secret decree of the leading political dynasties: Bush and Clinton – who appear to have a tacit understanding between them.
Matalin and Limbaugh at a cocktail party.
From our vantage point today – March 27th – the YDNC where Carville and Chelsea Clinton will be showcased alongside John Edwards will be a crucible for Party activity that could have an impact on the outcome of the presidential nomination. The question on every mind in attendance will be: “Is the Clinton dynasty crumbling?”
