Dan

Calabrese

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June 5, 2008

What Does Hillary Want? Who Cares? She Lost

You didn’t really think she would just concede, did you? Just because it’s over? Just because she lost? Just because her campaign now has no chance, no point and, oh yeah, no money either?

She’s Hillary Clinton! She’s not giving up on you! (Funny the way Hillary spells “me”.)

One of the things people do, when they don’t want to do the only thing they can do, is act like it’s not clear what to do. The deposed Queen Inevitable demonstrates:

"This has always been your campaign,” she told supporters at a “victory” rally held on the night she lost. “I hope you'll go to my web site at HillaryClinton.com and share your thoughts with me and help in any way that you can. And in the coming days, I'll be consulting with supporters and party leaders to determine how to move forward with the best interests of our party and our country guiding my way."

Yes, she needs to consult supporters and party leaders to “determine how to move forward,” and as many of them as possible, because if she asks enough people, she might find someone who will say something other than, “Get a clue, give it up and concede.” None did, which is why we now hear that she will formally end her campaign on Friday – although I’ll believe that when I see it.

Good night. Is there anyone more narcissistic than this woman? Even Al Gore, a man who shamelessly tried to sue his way to the White House, made a reasonably gracious concession speech once every possible avenue to victory had closed to him.

Not so, the junior senator from New York. Why concede? You never know what might happen. There’s that rumor about a nasty Michelle Obama video surfacing. Maybe that will scare Barack Obama’s superdelegates into switching back to her. And hey! Obama could be assassinated! After all, Bobby Kennedy was. And Obama’s never come under sniper fire, so he might not know enough to duck. Someone should be hanging around, waiting in the wings, just in case.

Hillary Clinton. Ready to horn in on someone else’s achievement on day one.

Officials of her campaign are unsure about Hillary’s priority at this point. Some say she wants to be vice president, and imply that she will make life difficult for Obama if he doesn’t put her on the ticket. Others say she just wants respect, which she thinks she has earned.

Either way, the question on everyone’s lips is, “What does Hillary want?”

Whatever. Can you imagine this question being so predominant with respect to any other losing candidate?

Everyone knows what she wants. She wants to be president. It is the sole purpose of her life. She considered the Democratic nomination her birthright – not, memo to Rev. Pfleger, because she is white, but because she is Hillary Rodham Freaking Clinton.

But she doesn’t get to be president. Once this became irreversible, she started flailing around like the robot on Lost in Space declaring “that does not compute,” trying to maneuver every which way she could to stop Dr. Smith from yanking her power pack and calling her a bubble-headed booby.

Sure, we know what she wants. But who cares? I want a lobster, but I’m not gettin’ a lobster. Lots of people don’t get things they want. And almost everyone who wants to be president doesn’t get to be. It’s not that unusual.

One of Hillary’s minions defended her refusal to concede on the grounds that it is too soon after the loss, and no one could possibly be expected to step up and congratulate the winner so soon. Beautiful! It’s only been obvious since March that Obama would win the nomination. How could Hillary possibly be over the shock? I hear the Colorado Rockies just conceded last year’s World Series this afternoon. Take your time, Hillary. A patient America will wait.

There was never any serious rationale for her candidacy to begin with. She’s not a particularly outstanding senator. Her policy ideas are unremarkable. And she has this tepid relationship with the truth, which is part and parcel to the shameless serving of her own self-interest to the exclusion of all else.

But she’s a fighter! And in the world where Hillary gets to define things, refusing to give the other guy props for beating you somehow translates into a presidential quality.

Some of us had had enough of Mrs. No-Cookie-Baker around July 1992. The rest of the nation – save for a handful of sycophants and the odd angry feminist – has now joined us.

It doesn’t matter what Hillary wants. It only matters what she gets, which is to be a loser. It’s the only thing she’s earned. The sooner she takes her medicine and goes away, the sooner a grateful nation will finally sigh deeply and say, “Thank God that’s over!”

Buh-bye.

© 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

This is Column # DC179.  Request permission to publish here.