Clinton Insists Democratic Race Is ‘Long Way’ From Over, Looks Toward Convention
Hillary Clinton, shown here campaigning Monday at a community college in Blue Bell, Pa., tells FOX News the race is a "long way from being over." (AP Photo)
The Democratic race is a “long way from being over,” Hillary Clinton told FOX News on Wednesday, and she has no qualms about taking the primary fight all the way to the convention floor.
In a sit-down interview with FOX News’ Greta Van Susteren, which aired Wednesday night, Clinton said not to write her candidacy’s obituary yet, even though she’s trailing Barack Obama by 157 pledged delegates with opportunities dwindling to make up that gap.
“Sixty-two percent said let it go on,” Clinton said, referring to a new Rasmussen survey that found that portion of Democrats aren’t ready for either candidate to leave the race. “That is what people are telling me. That is what we have to do. Let the voters have a chance to be heard. Nobody should be writing obituaries on this race, because it is a long way from being over.”
The Democratic race has taken unexpected twists and turns in the last two weeks, from the controversy over Obama’s long-time pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. to criticism of Clinton’s claims that she landed in Bosnia in 1996 under sniper fire.
But neither candidate is expected to lock down the pledged delegates needed to clinch the nomination before the August convention. And although Democratic leaders are scrambling to avoid a prolonged fight that could give GOP nominee-in-waiting John McCain a decided advantage, Clinton said Wednesday there are too many ifs for the matter to be settled yet.
“Well this is a really close election. Despite what some might say, it is a very close election in the popular vote and in the delegates,” she said. “We have 10 contests ahead of us, plus, don’t forget, Florida and Michigan. You know, I keep beating this drum … millions of people are going to be voting in the next three months, and I hope that will include Florida and Michigan.”
Clinton’s campaign has argued for seating the Michigan and Florida delegations, which were stripped after those states held early primaries in violation of party rules. Recent efforts to hold re-votes in those states have fallen through.
Clinton won both of those states’ primaries in January, though none of the candidates campaigned. Obama was not even on the ballot in Michigan.
Clinton said, barring a resolution on Florida and Michigan, the fight goes to convention.
“You know, you can always go to the convention. That’s what credential fights are for,” she said. “Let’s have the Democratic party go on record against seating the Michigan and Florida delegations three months before the general election? I don’t think that will happen. I think they will be seated. So that’s where we’re headed if we don’t get this worked out.”
Clinton also has weighed in this week on the controversy over Wright, whose anti-U.S. sermons have raised questions about Obama’s judgment in choosing his associates. Clinton said she would have left Wright’s church.
“I was asked point blank yesterday what I would have done had I been in a position where someone was making those kinds of comments, and I said I would have left,” she told FOX News on Wednesday. “I’ve spoken out against all kinds of words that I thought were inappropriate. … You know, you don’t get to pick your family, but you do get to pick the church or synagogue you attend.”
Obama’s campaign on Tuesday blasted Clinton for trying wedge her way out of the fallout over her Bosnia claims by breaking her silence on Wright. Obama said Wednesday that he already has condemned Wright’s most offensive statements, and “we can’t afford to be distracted” from the real issues in the election.
Likewise, when Clinton was asked Wednesday about the Bosnia flap, she said that’s not what voters care about.
“I’m a human being. I made a mistake and owned up to it,” she said. “But that’s not what people talk to me about. When I’m out campaigning … people want to talk about the economy and health care, and they want to know what are you going to do to get fix our country and get it back on track, and help my family and me.
“And that what I’m really engaged in. Because, you know, when you’ve been on a campaign for 14 months there’s all kinds of other distractions, but at the end of the day this is a hiring decision,” she said.
It just never ceases to amaze me just how low the Clintons will stoop to achieve
their goals-the ends justify the means seems to be their motto. It is just so uncouth.
While Hillary is correct in saying that you don’t get to pick your family, you do get to pick your mate and she has chosen to align herself with and defend someone who has also said and done inappropriate things and, rather than distancing herself as Barrack has done, opted to continue that relationship.
If the nominating process is akin to a job interview or hiring process, HRC’s repeated inabuility to tell the truth would get her kicked out of my office in a heartbeat. You may be the next best thing to come along but if I can’t trust you, I don’t want you working for me!
Dear Hillary,
Your husband didn’t trust you - he cheated. Why should we trust you?
Fortunately for all voters, this nearly ridiculous tenacity that candidate Senator Clinton demontrates does serve a purpose. It better vets both Democratic candidates. For the Clintons reason will not prevail (yea!).
Neither Democratic candidate is truly qualified to be President of the United States based upon their resumes with the exception of the personal beliefs of each Democratic voter that one of these will bring better personal judgement to our government, bring to bear their Democratic views on the war in Iraq (defeat for all the US blood and treasure invested in winning, which we are doing, winning.), socialized healthcare, remove the current tax relief, and increase the Federal government in size to spread the wealth of the burdened taxpayer around to those in our society who believe they have a right to be financially supported by their government.
The clarity generated by this continued political conflict, hopefully, will provide to the mainstream conservative Democratic voter and those independent democrats just what is the real character and substance of each of these Democratic candidates. It will also provide the Republican and Independent voter the resolve necessary to vote for Senator John McCain.
Unfortunately, Democrats (and Indpendents) voted to keep Bill Clinton for a second term even after his moral flaws were revealed to be socially repugnant.
Keep it up Hillary we are rooting for you to succeed in getting John McCain elected our next President. It is our “Democratic” party in full, unadultrated bloom and Hillary is leading the march.
Some pundits say, Obama is leading in popular votes and pledge delegates, so stop the process
and give Obama the nomination. If that is the case, where were they when Obama won the Iowa caucus? Right after that, Obama was leading on the popular votes and delegates, why did not someone come out and say, OK, Obama is leading on both counts, FORGET the other
49 states, stop the process, give him the nomination. Is this not the same situation?
As we have seen, Fox news is the Clinton network and once again we see that this is true.
That’s funny. Hillary Clinton says don’t write her obit yet, and to “let the voters have a chance to be heard”, then why on Earth is she against the superdelegates voting with the will of the voters, i.e. the pledged delegate? I’m a little scared with how easy it is for her to lie. Does no one else see that all she is doing is telling the American People what they want to hear, but she is so far removed from the American people that she has no idea what we want to hear. Which, by the way, is the truth. It seems that every single day, she tries to insult our intelligence. I’m so thankful I’m a Republican.
I cannot believe that people would vote for Hillary! She has proven over and over that she lies when she gets in a tight spot! Just as she supposedly didn’t know about Monica!! Tried to take credit for NAFTA (until she found out it’s not popular with anyone out here). Said she landed in a hail of gunfire in Bosnia (Oh Brother!!)
I am a true blue Republican (never voted Democrat in my life) who if I get the chance will vote for Obama! Please, please, please Democrats Wake Up!!!!
Mrs. Clinton’s approach to getting the nomination seems to be taking on the form of being so consumed with winning the battle (nomination) that she runs a good chance of losing the war (election). Doesn’t sound like a good long-term strategy to me. Winning the nomination has become a crusade for her where “anything goes no matter what”. The “anything goes no matter what” approach is disturbing because while Mrs. Clinton is planning a slug-fest “all the way to the convention” to try to force a win of the nomination by any means possible, the real issues, the competition, the country, and the world are taking a back seat. She may do so much damage in the coming months leading up to the convention that even if somehow she manages to wrench the nomination out of the convention, it may not matter. Furthermore, in the broader scheme of things, is this the approach to issues we want in a President? What about Healthcare? This has (admirably) been a key issue for Mrs. Clinton since the early 90’s. But, while it is a very important issue, it is certainly not the only one. However, she almost always drove the discussion to it during the debates and then hauled-forth incessantly about it until the moderators changed the topic. Would Healthcare become her “crusade” if elected – to the detriment of most everything else (e.g., the economy, Iraq, terrorism, the environment, etc)? It seems to me we’ve had a President for the last 7+ years whose “crusade” has been Iraq (to the detriment of pretty much everything else) and look where we are now!