Clinton Concession Looming?
There were several points in tonight’s debate in which Hillary Clinton seemed — rhetorically, at least — to be getting near the end of her game campaign-wise. Undoubtedly running out of steam — her campaign initially figured on securing the nomination after February 5 — she had very little going her way tonight. For every time she slammed Bush policies, she used them to back up her own, not to mention her complicity in shaping many failed Bush policies (Obama joined the Senate in January 2005, well after Congress allowed BushCo to open up the trap doors to Quagmire-ville).
I thought she was gonna cry again toward the end as she waxed sentimental in a way reminiscent of her pre-New Hampshire speech. But it was a strong closing in that she sounded warm and almost likeable even as she shifts her speech from saying “I will” to “I would …. as president.”
But in my opinion Clinton shot herself in the foot with the poorly-timed and horribly-received “change you can Xerox” line. CNN and AP immediately seized on this line, with AP calling it an accusation of “political plagiarism.”
In a typical two-faced HRC maneuver, however, she followed the Xerox line by arguing “If you look at the YouTube of these videos, it does raise questions.” (No really, look at the YouTube below….) I actually admired the iconoclastic paradigm presented by Clinton’s careless phrasing and felt a bit of jealousy (of Obama’s gift for rally gab) in her tone.
It’s not officially over until after Texas and Ohio in a couple weeks at the very least. But is she subconsciously conceding the race? Is it, for all intents and purposes, over?
Many people on all sides think so.
Let the Hope Shine In
Here’s to Barack Obama. Bring the goods tonight in Austin — the last debate was a veritable tie — let’s see the next president finally out-debate the competition once and for all. I’ll be watching at 5 PST from the office.
Pictured: Poster by Shepard Fairey, north wall of my living room, 8:45 a.m.
Also, it’s taken all week but the theorem is complete:
IF http://barackobamaisyournewbicycle.com/
THEN http://hillaryismomjeans.com
Have fun with that!
Obama Sweeps on 1-Year Anniversary of Campaign
Sen. Obama won convincingly in the popular vote in Nebraska, Washington caucuses, Louisiana and Virgin Islands primaries. NYT. His “victory” speech in Virginia below:
Also, Mark Cuban wrote a post yesterday endorsing Michael Bloomberg for president. Nice to see Bloomberg’s name bandied about again, but personally I’m pulling for an Obama-Bloomberg ticket.
UPDATE: Obama had another spectacular caucus showing today to beat Hillary in Maine and also beat Bill Clinton (among others) to win his second Grammy for best spoken word, this time for The Audacity of Hope.
One Year Ago: Obama Declares