Clinton Fights Pressure to Withdraw, Tees Up for Fight With Party Elders
Hillary Clinton campaigns at Mishawaka High School in Indiana Friday. She rejected mounting pressure to end her campaign. (AP Photo)
Hillary Clinton, under mounting pressure to bow out of the presidential race and avoid a floor fight at the Democratic National Convention in August, is standing firm in her determination to fight Barack Obama to the finish.
Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, a former candidate himself, said Clinton has virtually no chance of winning, and Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said Friday the New York senator should just end her campaign.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants the party’s uncommitted superdelegates to support the candidate who has the most votes, which to this point is Obama. And Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean on Friday urged all those superdelegates to announce whom they will support by July 1.
But Clinton says she will not abide by anyone’s timetable.
“There are some people who are saying, ‘You know, we really ought to end this primary; we just ought to shut it down’,” she said Friday in South Bend, Ind. “Well, one thing you know about me, when I tell you I’ll fight for you, I’ll get up every day and that’s exactly what I will do.”
Clinton told FOX News in an interview Wednesday that the race is a “long way from being over,” and that she’ll take it to the convention if she has to.
The Clinton campaign sent a fund-raising letter Friday that argued: “Every time our campaign demonstrates its strength and resilience, people start to suggest we should end our pursuit of the Democratic nomination … and they know we are in a position to win.”
The promise of short-term reward is not lost on Clinton. Polls show her way ahead in Pennsylvania, which holds its primary April 22 and offers an attractive 158 pledged delegates. That is roughly how many delegates separate the candidates.
“I think there’s very little chance that Hillary Clinton will drop out at all,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “I think this will go all the way through to the end of the primaries. And look, she’s poised for a very substantial victory in Pennsylvania.”
But Democratic primaries are not winner-take-all. With a proportional allotment, Clinton has little chance of gaining much ground on Obama in Pennsylvania, even if she wins handily.
And party leaders are concerned that every day the Democratic race lasts gives another opening to presumptive GOP nominee John McCain.
On the day that McCain launched his first general election ad of the campaign, Obama supporter Leahy called on Clinton to withdraw, citing Obama’s endorsement by Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey as the latest sign of her undoing.
“There is no way that Sen. Clinton is going to win enough delegates to get the nomination,” Leahy told Vermont Public Radio in an earlier interview. “She ought to withdraw and she ought to be backing Senator Obama. Now, obviously that’s a decision that only she can make. Frankly, I feel that she would have a tremendous career in the Senate.”
Dodd, who also has endorsed Obama, told National Journal radio that party leaders need to “reach a conclusion” over the next several weeks.
“I think it’s very difficult to imagine how anyone can believe that Barack Obama can’t be the nominee of the party. I think that’s a foregone conclusion,” he said. “I think you have to make a decision, and hopefully the candidates will respect it and people will rally behind a nominee that, I think, emerges from these contests over the next month.”
The upper-level pressure is coming from Pelosi and Dean. They are both uncommitted and are not outright calling on Clinton to leave the race, but they are stonewalling part of her victory strategy.
Clinton and her supporters are banking on uncommitted superdelegates to put her over the edge, and they are looking to the convention as a final opportunity to settle the dispute over the Michigan and Florida delegations. Clinton won the primaries in both states, but they were disqualified for holding their primaries early, and none of the candidates campaigned in either of the states.
Dean’s determination to compel the superdelegates to announce their picks on July 1 could result in a candidate being chosen before the Florida and Michigan controversies are resolved.
Appearing on CBS’ “Early Show” on Friday, Dean said: “Well, I think the superdelegates have already been weighing in. I think there’s 800 of them and 450 of them have already said who they’re for. … I’d like the other 350 to say who they’re on between now and the first of July so we don’t have to take this into the convention.”
In a separate interview with The Associated Press, Dean warned against “demoralizing” Democrats with a drawn-out fistfight between Clinton and Obama.
Pelosi, meanwhile, has urged superdelegates to follow the choice of the pledged delegates, more of whom favor Obama. She rejected an overture by wealthy Clinton donors Wednesday that she recant that position.
With no end to the intra-party squabbling in sight, Obama joked Friday that this primary season is “like a good movie that lasted about a half an hour too long.”
“I think there are some people who felt like ‘God, when will this be over?’” he told a Pittsburgh, Pa., crowd. He later qualified, adding: “It’s been hard and tough because both Clinton and I understand what is at stake, how important this race is, how important the next presidency will be to the American people and to families right here in Pennsylvania.”
Though trailing in Pennsylvania, Obama’s shown a resilience to the recent controversy over his former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.
According to a Gallup Poll released Friday, Obama leads nationally with 50 percent to the New York senator’s 42 percent, his biggest lead in that survey since the Wright controversy broke.
In response to Leahy’s calls for the race to end, Clinton supporter Sen. Chuck Schumer in a conference call Friday urged supporters to wait and see, citing the upcoming Pennsylvania primary.
Former Vice President Al Gore said Thursday that he expects the Democratic nomination fight will work itself out before the party’s convention.
“What have we got, five months left?” he told The Associated Press in a brief interview after a speech at Middle Tennessee State University.
“I think it’s going to resolve itself. But we’ll see.”
Gore didn’t elaborate.
FOX News’ Aaron Bruns and Bonney Kapp and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
These NObama Dems should shut up … the remaining states have a right to have their votes counted … and NO ONE HAS WON YET … Dodd and Leahy can just go home and watch Hillary win!!
I don’t think Hillary Clinton will give up until she is pushed out and has to leave. I live in NY state & I think she just used our state as a “stepping stone” for her own political gain so she could run for the office of president. (There are others who live here who agree with me, as well). I think the Clinton’s are in politics for their own personal gain. Hillary doesn’t care about what’s best for the country. She won’t give up (until forced to) just like her husband wouldn’t give up even when it was revealed that he lied about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. He should have been thrown out of office!
People have criticized former President Nixon for what he did with Watergate. I do not condone what he did, either. However, he did do the honorable thing and resign (albeit under a great amount of pressure). Bill Clinton stayed in because he had his own personal gain in mind, not the welfare of this country. I think Hillary is the same way. I also think she stayed with him because she stood to gain from it. I would like to recommend the book “Hillary Rodham Clinton What Every American Should Know” by Christian Josi. It is very insightful. By reading it, it is blatantly clear why Hillary Clinton is not a good choice for president. Too many poor choices, and too much deception on her part.
It’s interesting that the last opinion in this article is from a man who did exactly as Hillary is doing, going on until the BITTER end. He held this country hostage even though it was obvious that George Bush had won. They both demonstrate that selfish ambition is more important to them than the good of the country.
Why should Hillary quit? For the first time in a primary election two candidates have alot of power. If Obama could he would have already taken Hillary out. Look at McCain and Hucklebee. HUcklebee stayed in until McCain got the amount of delegetees he needed and he did not have nearly as many delegetees as Hillary has. She has won alot of big States and with all this bad talk about her. Obama has what, the Wright thing and he did nothing about it. He has big ideas, but nothing to back them. Hillary is a fighter and that is what we need now. TheDNC is looking at this all wrong. Less that 200 delegetees seperate them, with not all the primaries in. For the first time alot of states get to votes and their votes mean something. Their votes are counting, making a difference. As for Fl and MI? The general election will show them and ther votes will count. The question the DNC should be asking is if those millions of votes they discount now will be there for them in November. If Hillary is the candidate more likely and if Obama was the candidate. In November the two States in question now will more than likely decide the election and if the Dem’s lose they will want to blame Hillary when the DNC is the blame. I would ask the media to stop pushing Obama down our throats, but I know that will not happen. The DNC should really think what is happening here. They seem to be ready to blame Hillary for the November lost and it’s only the end of March.
Again, think of November. McCain can not win against Hillary, but he can against Obama.
Obama just does not have the fighting power. He can’t win in his own party without Hillary being asked to pull out. What? Going to ask McCain to pull out too, because the race is too close and he can’t win on his own?
Stop blaming Hillary for all his problems! She did not make him go to that church. She did not make his wife say what she said. She did not make up his voting record. She did give him his lack of experience.
Hillary keep fighting!
Let me think for a minute, all experts said she has the best economic plan, the best Iraq war plan, the more experience and the most vote from the democrats only and you people wants her to quit? I don’t think so. If the medias had done their Job Obama will not be where he is this is a fact. Now because the Medias are still not doing their job about trying to find out more about this fake guy, we are going to loose big time. Our only chance is to go on and maybe that why all those super liberal people want her to quit as they are going to loose with their rock star who is an empty suit, a liar, a typical politician with 2 faces. I got news for you. You better believe since this has been a fake and unfair election if he is the nominee all of us true democrats will not vote for him. I really don’t’ care if McCain wins it’s much better than a riot from the black population because this is what we are going to have if he is the nominee. So wake up people before it’s too late.
I agree…..Hillary should NOT QUIT! You notice the ones calling for her to bail out are Obama supporters…..those who can’t wait to “crown” Obama as the Dem candidate. Hillary seems to be the only voice of reason left in the Democratic party.
Obama is the one who should drop out. He’s a sleazeball, in terms of character and judgment and honesty, and is waaaaay toooo far LEFT for my more centrist Democrat taste. Any further Left and he’d topple over the edge and out of sight (I wish….).
Hillary or McCain - 2008!
Why should Hilary Clinton drop out now? Is this not a democracy? If she doesn’t get the democratic nomination she should run as an independent. If she were to come out for strong control of immigration she would win on just that issue. Our political situation is destroying our ability to be a true democracy.
Hillary should not quit the race. Her perception and that of her surrogates is that the American public does not have the mental capacity to see through the facade she is still attempting to hide behind. We are smart enough to call something what it really is. A lie is a lie. It does not depend on what your definition of the word “is” is. The Obama and Clinton camps are doing the work for the GOP. Let them continue to spend the time and effort discrediting each other while McCain raises the much needed funds necessary for the fall.
I honestly believe Hillary needs to stay in the race. She is giving all she has and deserves the chance to win. Why does leaders not allow a person to allow an American chance to be Pres of the USA.. You so call experts need to stay out of it and let the people speak…
I hate our so call leaders to rule our country.
An uniform american.
LEAHY: He is the judiciary committee chairman and an Obama surrogate. But where is his sense of fairness and judgment? He represents about 0.6 million people of Vermont. He is telling over 70 million people (Pennsylvania (>12 million), West Virginia (>1.8 million), Kentucky (>4 million), Oregon (3.7 million), Indiana (> 6 million), Guam (0.17 million), Florida (>18 million), Michigan (>10 million), North Carolina (8.8 million), Puerto Rico (3.9 million), South Dakota (0.7 million), Montana (0.9 million) to shut up. What an injustice. If he is concerned as the chairman of judiciary committee, he should against the disenfranchisement of millions of people of Florida and Michigan stead of taking sides with Obama to disfranchise people of Florida and Michigan.