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Opinion
Feb. 17, 2008
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JOHN BRUMMETT: Beware of Hillary now

JOHN BRUMMETT
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Never underestimate the Clintons. That's what one of their early close associates reminded me the morning after I'd fallen for the prevailing notion that Hillary was about to lose New Hampshire.

And I will never do so again.

It is true that Clinton has lost now eight primaries or caucuses consecutively to Barack Obama, most by embarrassing margins.

It is true that Obama seems to be mounting not just a campaign, but a movement, and would appear to hold all the vital momentum.


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    • It is true that Obama is now winning white votes, if mostly men and not so many women, and a few Latinos.

    It is true Obama won every income group Tuesday in Virginia and Maryland.

    It is true that Obama now leads in delegates and that party rules will make it hard for Clinton to make up large chunks. That's unless the superdelegates bail her out, which they can't do until she starts winning somewhere.

    You must win congressional districts by large margins to make appreciable gains in delegates. Hillary could use some winner-take-all states right now, but Democrats don't believe in those.

    So how could it be that Clinton is not finished, or effectively that?

    The Clinton cultists are surely in doubt and pain, if not panic. They're reduced rather pitiably to wanting to count those rogue primaries in Florida and Michigan.

    So let me try to give them some encouragement: Hillary lives by three factors, mainly.

    One is that the imminent slowdown in the pace of primaries or caucuses will temper Obama's streak and give her a chance to get up from the mat and dust herself off. A movement needs to keep moving, and the reduced pace of events will decelerate the Barack surge.

    There will be only Wisconsin and Hawaii for Hillary to lose next week, most likely. Then there'll be a two-week respite before she puts everything on the line in Ohio and Texas, where, still, demographics and odds are in her favor.

    The second factor is something one of the talking heads said smartly Tuesday night. It's that the stirring outcomes from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia made Obama the clear front-runner. It's that we can now expect a period of buyer's remorse, or at least reconsideration. Obama's experience, his readiness, his fitness to weather Republican attacks -- look for worries about those to start crossing the minds of Democrats yet to vote.

    The third is that Hillary surely can and will help with that. She now needs to attack, in part by saying Democrats need a tough candidate who can and will go to war against the Republicans.

    That's to be distinguished, you'll be given to understand, from a sweet and naive talker like Obama who gets Republicans' crossover votes in primaries and sounds sometimes like he practically longs to be a Republican.

    She's going to say it's all about the war and that John McCain would be better able in that context to exploit Obama, so young and inexperienced.

    Two upcoming debates are huge. Obama needs to be advised to bring protective gear. Hillary's situation calls for meanness. She has an aptitude and an inclination.

    There's this recurring theme with the Clintons: They always face dramas, be they personal or political. Their political obituaries have been written too many times to count. They live by fourth-and-long, and they always convert.

    Am I really buying all of this about Hillary's lurking revival? Or am I merely fearing it -- girding myself, that is, should it happen, considering that my recent columns ought to make clear that I don't want it to happen, and that I find Obama to be the far superior candidate and wish the Clintons would do us all the kind gesture of fading away?

    It's both. I expect it. And I sure do dread it.

    John Brummett is an award-winning columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and author of "High Wire," a book about Bill Clinton's first year as president. His e-mail address is jbrummett@ arkansasnews.com.



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    adams wrote on March 16, 2008 10:55 AM: OBAMAS RUNNING OUT OF RACE CARDS HE USED IT IN THE M.L.K. RANT TO WIN VOTES NOW HE USED IT TO TAKE MISS.

    THE COLD HARD TRUTH IS THAT AFTER YEARS OF SUPPRESSION BLACKS ARE RACIST, THEY ARE VOTING OBAMA AT 90% DO THE MATH!


    D in Seattle wrote on February 24, 2008 11:17 PM: Why do you say you expect a Clinton revival? Because both Bill & Hillary have narrowly escaped criminal prosecution, impeachment, campaign contribution fraud, and countless other scandals? Is it because they have had nine lives?

    Well, I dare to HOPE and do not expect anything. I hope for the good judgment of the American people to select the better candidate, Barack Obama, of course. Otherwise the collective collapse of spirit will be a national disaster.


    idolwannabe wrote on February 24, 2008 08:49 AM: I believe a ticket of Barack Obama and Jesse Jackson is in order. Mister Jackson ran for President himself in 84 and 88 and he certainly knows how to run a good campaign. Yes! He would be a great asset the Obama presidency and a great leader of the Senate. If not VP then maybe an important cabinet post. Yeah man! I can't wait to see all the changes in our government Obama promised us.


    Sunny wrote on February 20, 2008 09:46 AM: The cable and other media have been asked to suppress the Larry Sinclair story and they are obliging. In a recent blog it was said that Novak is waiting to hit him with the LS/BO cocaine/gay sex scandal after a Hillary loss. That means if Hillary loses(they will get the disgusting story out then) and we will surely be in we for more years of Republicans in the White House. Everyone-- must demand that the story be investigated and reported by the main stream media...NOW.. to see if there is any truth to it.


    shirley wrote on February 19, 2008 06:50 AM: I'll tell you why I'm voting for Clinton..It's because of Obama's poor judgement..His choice of shady associates, such as Rezko, and Ali Ata, both under arrest for corruption..Come on now..How can you know someone for 20 years and judge them so poorly??..And what about this Larry Sinclair lawsuit against him filed Feb 11?? And what about him saying he pushed the wrong buttons sev times? And what about his constant use of phrase," what I meant to say was"...??..What about the speech he gave at the Wisconsin Democratic convention this week, all plagiarised?? And at the time, people thought those words were coming from his heart?? And what about the fact that his Houston office has a che-cuban flag displayed?? what about him being part of a anti-white church with a non-negotiable committment to Africa?? And what about after he said he didnt know about Rezkos corruption (even though it was all over chicago newspapers), Michelle was a guest of Rita Rezko at a charity fashion show several days after their real estate transaction and after Obama said that it was just a business deal?? And sooooo much more..Why would anyone vote for someone who has so much poor judgement??? I'll tell you why: he makes them feel sooooo good..And another reason why: The republicans are waiting to flatten out this guy, and they will..Obama wont have Hillary to pick on anymore..and we will lose in the general election..$ more years of the same!!!!


    whatamess wrote on February 18, 2008 08:20 PM: I too dread that they will somehow figure out a way to win...

    With that said, I keep reading about Clinton supporters, yet not one single one has stated WHY they support Clinton...I'd love to know what she plans on doing that they believe in...

    PS - everyone has a brain...even Hillary...the only problem is that some of them are good brains with high IQs and some are crappy brains with low IQs...and yes, Hillary should be proud of herself that she has the Latino vote, especially since most of these Latinos have elected such horrible presidents in their own countries and not only that, most don't know enough english to know what the heck it is that Hillary is planning to do...they just hear Hillary and recognize her name...So, well, I guess Hillary should be very proud to have Latinos backing her up...I can assure you they are not the well-off Latinos, the ones who work and not the ones with 10 children they can't support...and which by the way, DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH...

    PS - and this is not a racist comment, as I myself am Hispanic...I have yet to meet a Hispanic friend of mine who plans to vote for Hillary, except again, the ones I know who DON'T speak english and have no clue what Hillary plans to do...or the ones with the 10 kids...


    TracyMD wrote on February 18, 2008 03:01 PM: If you like cults and cult leaders you'll vote Obama.

    If you are have a brain, you'll vote for Hillary.


    RB wrote on February 18, 2008 02:12 PM: Unfortunately I don't think a Black Muslim can carry the south so we might as all well get used to the end of the middle class and being in IRAQ for the next 100 years. I sure miss the nineties, are you better off now?


    Lynne B wrote on February 18, 2008 01:44 PM: Hillary got blindsided by Barack Obama, she never saw it coming- how does that speak to her 'experience and judgment'? combine that with her voting record, her list of corporate slime campaign contributors, the 8 years she was 'health insurance czar' and did NOTHING. She is as disingenous and mean as they come and who knows, with her brand of Karl Rove politics, she just might be capable of swift boating Barack..it honestly would not surprise me.


    Peter Thorogood wrote on February 18, 2008 11:33 AM: Hillary has got to call Obmama out on some facets of his record that have been glossed over:

    According to the Congressional Quarterly, Obama's Senate voting record has been MORE supportive of the Bush agenda than Hillary's. So much for being the agent of change!

    Obama's actions speak louder than his rhetoric 'against the war'. Since joining the Senate, he's voted four times to continue funding the war.

    Regarding his vision for the future, Obama's official education plan indicates that he will gut the NASA budget and postpone the Constellation program (Constellation is the Space Shuttle's successor) for five years to fund early education. I thought education and other worthy programs would be funded with all the money Obama will free up by ending the war in Iraq?

    But what disturbs me more is the utter lack of that JFK "to the Moon" spirit that so inspired this country.

    With apologies to Star Trek, Senator Obama's motto might be, "To boldly go NOWHERE..."


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