So, What's Next?

One astute commentator at No Quarter last night mentioned how incredibly upsetting it is that Jesse Jackson got all 485 of his delegates on the Roll Call, and Hillary Clinton got only 20% of her almost 2,000 delegates. Upsetting, frustrating, insulting, maddening, disturbing, and demeaning are other words that come to mind. Frankly, if Obama has such a thin skin that he cannot acknowledge that Clinton had almost as many delegates as he did (and would have had MORE had the RBC not acted immorally), then how in the HELL is he going to stand up to the people he claims he wants to serve? He has no business running as the nominee. None. To say he is a lightweight is a gross understatement. And he CANNOT EVEN WRITE HIS OWN SPEECHES!!! Pathetic!! Absolutely pathetic! I reckon he doesn't know that his speechwriters cannot accompany him in the debates, which is probably EXACTLY why he won't meet McCain in Town Hall forums.

Now, not only is Obama going to have to deal with McCain, he is going to be outshone by McCain's running mate who can talk pretty darn well for herself. Without a speechwriter, I might add. Right off the top of her head. Just sayin'. Oh, and for whatever issues I might have with Palin, she DID veto a ban on same-sex benefits as unconstitutional in her first month in office. That counts for something. Yes, there are other issues, but I gotta say - she's a compelling figure.

But, believe it or not, this isn't about Palin. It isn't even about Obama specifically, but peripherally. It is about Senator Clinton. Now that the Fixvention is over, what lies ahead for her? There was an interesting commentary in my local paper recently by Dale McFeatter who addressed this very issue. There are some things I think he could have phrased differently, and one word with which I disagree completely with the writer (oh, don't you worry - I'll point it out in bold), but it is interesting, I think. Here's the article:
Hillary Weighs Her Future
An Editorial/Dale McFeatters (Submitted by SHNS on Wed, 08/27/2008 - 15:30. Scripps Howard News Service editorials and opinion.)

Psychologically, Hillary Clinton faces a demanding fall. If she wants a political future beyond the Senate, the former first lady must not be seen as going less than all out to elect Barack Obama, even though relations between the two camps can charitably described as strained.

Clinton's very gracious and warm speech at the Denver convention, touching all the right notes, including a tactful nod to her husband's presidency, showed that she is fully capable of that role and even of sharing attack dog duties with Obama running mate Sen. Joe Biden. But in her heart there has to be some ambivalence. You know that when she was on the podium with her tearful supporters cheering her name that at same level she was thinking, "This should have been ours,"

If Obama loses -- and the polls indicate that for all the Republicans' woes and the baggage of President Bush, he is not a sure thing come November -- she would have the satisfaction of saying, certainly in private, "I told you so," and the way would be clear for another run for the White House in 2012. Since her health-care debacle, she has proved capable of learning from her mistakes, and a second campaign for the presidency would be freer of the mismanagement and infighting that hobbled her first.

Even though she finished a close but indubitable second for her party's nomination, she is perhaps our most remarkable politician and, even though Obama's people might wish otherwise, Bill and Hillary Clinton will remain formidable fixtures in the Democratic Party. Their approval ratings with the Democratic faithful hover around 80 percent. She came achingly close to being the first woman to be the presidential nominee and retains a dedicated base of support and impressive appeal to blue collar voters.

Recall that she survived scandals -- Filegate, Travelgate, her husband's sexual dalliances -- that would have sunk a lesser mortal and then went on to win a Senate seat in a state, New York, notorious for its convoluted politics, where she had never lived and had no real connection. Her effortless re-election was a sign that she can have the Senate job as long as she wants. If Obama wins and her hopes of another presidential run are perhaps eight years off, the question is: Will she want to?

If Clinton wants to stay in public life, there aren't many options. Her husband has pre-empted one field with his Clinton Foundation. No nonprofit post could match the power and high profile of her Senate seat. Some have suggested that Obama appoint her to the Supreme Court, a job for which she isn't really qualified and one that the Republicans would certainly block. Some have suggested that she might run for New York governor but it's hard to imagine her trading Washington, her home for 16 years, for the administrative grind of Albany.

Or she could return to the Senate and take up the torch that Sen. Ted Kennedy is passing as that body's great liberal lion -- in her case, lioness. She has said she looks forward to passing universal health care and having Obama sign it. And the fact is that Obama, who was less collegial with his fellow senators than she, will need her advocacy in Congress.

A chapter in a gripping American political biography closed in Denver this week but it is far from the final chapter.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service)

All in all, not a bad piece. Did you notice how the writer said Obama will need her help in the Senate since she had more collegial relationships. Wow, really? That isn't what Obama and his minions claimed all the time. But those of us who actually PAID ATTENTION to her record knew better, didn't we? And is she the nominee? No. Not that she ever thought she was the presumptive nominee from the beginning - that was another MSM line to demean her. But she DID have the votes, and she DID have the delegates. Until the DNC stole them, that is. So, she lost the nomination, and we lost the opportunity to have someone we KNOW would be one of the greatest presidents ever.

Well, not this time, apparently. But hopefully, in four more years. In the meantime, Hillary Clinton will continue to do what she has BEEN doing - the people's work. And she will continue to do it with the same passion, brilliance, humor, and dedication she has exhibited her entire working life. We will be there for her, too, because we KNOW she is the real deal.

If you are so inclined, please consider helping Senator Clinton retire her debt. GeekLove, she of the most awesome videos, has a link she has set up for that purpose: http://www.actblue.com/page/retireherdebt