Hillary’s Four-Pronged Strategy to Obtain the Nomination
Published in La Stampa
(Italy) on May 15, 2008
by Maurizio Molinari (link to original)
(Italy) on May 15, 2008
by Maurizio Molinari (link to original)
Translated from
by Boyd T. DeLanzo.
Edited by .
Here is how the former First Lady may attempt to overturn a race that Barack Obama seems to have already won.
After winning big in West Virginia, Hilary Clinton believes in a four-pronged strategy to try and overturn the race for the Democratic nomination even though the numbers are overwhelmingly in favor of her rival, Barack Obama. The first objective is to gain more delegates in the five remaining primaries, winning by large margins in Kentucky and Puerto Rico, where she is the favorite, and making a strong showing in Oregon, Montana, and South Dakota, where Obama is the favorite.
Her second objective is to prevail in the political battle that will take place on May 31 in Washington, where she will push to have the National Committee admit the contested delegates in Michigan and Florida for the Denver convention. She will argue that the majority of the votes in those contests would have gone to her.
There is also the amount needed to officially assign the nomination: that number being 2025. But with Obama dangerously close to procuring that with his 1885 delegates, Hillary wants the party to accept Michigan and Florida into the calculation, which would make the number of delegates needed much higher: 2210.
What these first three initiatives share in common is the fact that Clinton wants to appear energetic, competitive, and successful to send a signal, the fourth and final objective, to push the 795 superdelegates, who are the party elite, to make an about face in support of her to escape defeat in November. “We count on the fact that the superdelegates now backing Obama can change their minds and support us,” said right-hand man Howard Wolfson, summarizing the goal to steal the nomination in the back rooms of Washington, which Obama has earned on the campaign trail. The justification behind this strategy is the exit polls from Pennsylvania, Indiana, and West Virginia: the white middle class vote for her.
After winning big in West Virginia, Hilary Clinton believes in a four-pronged strategy to try and overturn the race for the Democratic nomination even though the numbers are overwhelmingly in favor of her rival, Barack Obama. The first objective is to gain more delegates in the five remaining primaries, winning by large margins in Kentucky and Puerto Rico, where she is the favorite, and making a strong showing in Oregon, Montana, and South Dakota, where Obama is the favorite.
Her second objective is to prevail in the political battle that will take place on May 31 in Washington, where she will push to have the National Committee admit the contested delegates in Michigan and Florida for the Denver convention. She will argue that the majority of the votes in those contests would have gone to her.
There is also the amount needed to officially assign the nomination: that number being 2025. But with Obama dangerously close to procuring that with his 1885 delegates, Hillary wants the party to accept Michigan and Florida into the calculation, which would make the number of delegates needed much higher: 2210.
What these first three initiatives share in common is the fact that Clinton wants to appear energetic, competitive, and successful to send a signal, the fourth and final objective, to push the 795 superdelegates, who are the party elite, to make an about face in support of her to escape defeat in November. “We count on the fact that the superdelegates now backing Obama can change their minds and support us,” said right-hand man Howard Wolfson, summarizing the goal to steal the nomination in the back rooms of Washington, which Obama has earned on the campaign trail. The justification behind this strategy is the exit polls from Pennsylvania, Indiana, and West Virginia: the white middle class vote for her.