I Think the Prospect of Hillary Dropping out of the Primary Race is Very Real.

[jalan48]

I don't see how she can weather the email scandal. Perhaps her goal is to make it through the Convention and then drop out shortly after she gets the nomination (the Super Delegates are there for a reason). It would allow someone like Joe Biden to come to the rescue of "The Party" after the Convention while not allowing Bernie the nomination at the Convention (if she was to quit beforehand). To my knowledge there is no requirement that the runner-up automatically gets the nomination if the winner can't continue running.

[jalan48]

3. I'm not sure. Biden could be seen as the white knight and he's better liked than Clinton.

It's a form of 'shock doctrine' politics. We Bernie supporters will be pissed but what could we do? Vote for Trump?

[jalan48]

5. Maybe. I think Trump is so dangerous we won't have a choice.

[Art_from_Ark]

25. And in 1968, after handing the nomination to Hubert Humphrey, Democrats thought

"Surely no one in his right mind would vote for Nixon-- he's a crook".

[dana_b]

10. Not to young people

they won't give a damn about Biden. They won't understand and would be pissed off.

I'd be with them 100%. I am voting for Bernie on Monday - not Biden.

[cui bono]

11. Agree. The party would lose so many people they would be stupid to do that. n/t

[SheilaT]

27. There's no way they can possibly do that, unless

every single pledged Clinton delegate switches to Biden along with enough unpledged delegates, aka super delegates, go to him in the Convention.

Without knowing any delegates at all personally, it's sort of hard to imagine that monolithic shifting. I'm not willing to suggest that lots of them would switch to Bernie, but it certainly wouldn't take very many.

If nothing else, many supers will drop her like something poisonous.

[jillan]

2. I am a huge Biden fan (yes, I know about his bankruptcy bill vote). If they do that

all hell will break lose.

Bernie has earned over 9 million votes, add another million to that from indies that couldn't vote in the primary.
Joe hasn't earned 1 vote.

They will rue the day if they try to pull that off.

[TBF]

16. Can't agree with you on Biden -

there is more besides bandruptcy bill. Plagerism to start with is why he was knocked off his pedestal in the past.

We've had too many stadiums full of people across the country. Some of the people want Trump, the rest of the people want Bernie. No one is looking to go to the polls and vote for Joe Biden. I'm an older lady now so I'd dutifully show up and vote for the Green party (I'm in Texas - I can do what I want), but the young people who have worked so hard for Bernie - they will flip out if the party tries to pull a bait and switch on them.

[Bob41213]

7. I'm not sure she drops out till the indictment comes....

If it does. I'm not sure the Justice Department can stonewall anymore--things are breaking in a bad way for her. It's literally new bad news every day. We never even saw the Judicial Watch testimony we were supposed to get. The press conference was a train wreck. The IG report was scathing and that was from the State Department. I don't see how the FBI isn't recommending an indictment. When that gets out is when she has to pull out. I don't know if that's imminent or not. She claims she still hasn't been interviewed but you know what her claims are worth.

And the runner up definitely doesn't automatically get the nomination. What we need to happen is the remaining states to break strongly for her like might happen if more shit hits the fan. At that point, if she is clearly damaged goods, and Bernie is in the lead close enough to the mark, he can win it. If that doesn't happen, they'll give him the shaft and call in Biden. All IMO.

[HereSince1628]

13. An indictment isn't a conviction. I don't see her dropping out over an indictment

about anything in the emails. If the indictment was about something like racketeering or espionage maybe. She hasn't prepared her supporters for such charges.

But, she long ago bridged this problem with her supporters, and expects that -Fear Of Trump- will be sufficient to carry the election.

[Bob41213]

21. That's an interesting point of view...

One I've never heard seriously proposed, and I can't say I would be surprised if you were right.

I originally didn't expect an indictment but I expected essentially an indictment (the FBI recommending one). If there was one, I expected a pardon. Now I wonder if things come out and it's sooooo egregious, maybe Obama can't/won't pardon her. That was a pretty scathing report. I can only imagine how the FBI report would look.

[hopemountain]

33. she and her aides are refusing to be interviewed

- she was asked about it and claimed she said she agreed to be interviewed by the fbi. however, she clearly stated that she would cooperate without indicating with whom. yet, now it is being reported she did refuse the doj interview.

[Bernin4U]

8. No, her goal is to assume her rightful place on the throne

This is certainly only a minor and temporary setback, as far as she's concerned.

[LibraLiz1973]

12. I'm cracking up that anyone thinks this will make a difference

Regardless of whether I support her or not (I do)
I think this whole thing is pathetic. Bottom line- It's EMAIL.
They haven't found a thread of messages about killing people or
approving rape.
Everyone makes mistakes- including Jesus. I mean Bernie.
She isn't going to drop out. If the shoe was on the other foot, Bernie wouldn't drop out either.


Don't put so many eggs in the "she's going to drop out" or "be indicted" baskets.
It ain't happening.

[LiberalElite]

14. I'm cracking up that

you DON'T think this will make a difference. And Bernie isn't Jesus. No one thinks he is except the Hillary fans. How ironic.

[JudyM]

18. Succinct and right on.

Love! Your dog umbrella pic, LiberalElite.

[in_cog_ni_to]

19. This was no innocent "mistake." Before she was ever sworn in as SOS, her staff applied for DOMAIN

NAMES she wanted to use for her PRIVATE SERVER. She had the private server to avoid the FOIA! Russia and China have our State secrets. They now know about "Dark Programs" that ONLY 10 people are allowed to know exist.

She's finished. This was no innocent mistake. This was her ARROGANCE and hubris of thinking RULES AND LAWS don't apply to her because she's so special and powerful.

Also, this is the BERNIE GROUP. Why are you here? You have your own group you can go whine in.

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE p

[dorkzilla]

22. Piss off--you're in the Bernie group

Take your "it ain't happening" crystal ball elsewhere.

[TBF]

15. They've been floating Biden and Warren

personally I have been disgusted with all of the mainstream dems for not saying anything about Hillary's election fraud, and Warren is top of my list on that.

I like the idea of Trump debating Bernie. Bernie will be prepared and Trump will do his usual thing (bullying and gibberish). It does however give people the 2 candidates they want to see and I think establishes them both as the front-runners, no matter what the democratic party is saying. The pressure is still very much on Bernie, but he seems to thrive on it. Convention is still 2 months away and lord knows what Guccifer has on that cloud of his. Bernie says the convention "will be messy" and I'm expecting that's an understatement.

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. If she hasn't removed herself from this race by convention time, there's no freakin' way

Super Delegates remain loyal to her. If they do, they destroy the party from the inside out. And just let them try to anoint Biden as the nominee. If they think we're angry and "violent" now, try installing Biden over Bernie. Just try it.

We have the rest of May, all of June and until the end of July for more info to leak...and for the FBI to indict. There's no way she survives until the convention.

Stick a fork in her, she's done!

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[nc4bo]

20. She's waaaah to selfish and arrogant to do that.

I fiND irony in how everyone describes Trump as arrogant, selfish and narcissistic but here we are stuck with the same, worse with the State Dept and FBI Investigation ongoing.

[mmonk]

23. That would be 1968 all over again. I hope they wouldn't be that stupid.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

24. Bernie

is a very savvy politician, but he's also a statesman and a gentleman. He would, in a debate with Hillary, NEVER mention her unfolding scandal. He hasn't so far. But Trump would, and I think if this debate transpires between him and Bernie, he'll do it then. I can hear him now: "Well, at least neither one of us in under FBI investigation." (Cheers on both sides.) Listen, here they come.

[grasswire]

26. yes, I have seen that floated.

She steps aside for health reasons (cough cough) and Biden gets her delegates. I believe that is plan B.

It would not be the worst thing that could happen to the country, especially if Warren was tagged as VP. Biden would easily beat Trump.

HOWEVER.....the millions of us who have voted for Bernie would sure take a hit. Some very YUGE concessions would have to be made to him.

[jalan48]

28. Another poster (SheilaT) pointed out that if Hillary were to drop out after the Convention she

would have already chosen a VP nominee. It would seem logical that that person would become the candidate , not Biden. That makes more sense than the Democratic Party drafting a new person to run.

[Scootaloo]

29. I think, first off, that a Clinton drop-out is unlikely

She could be facing certain conviction and she'd cling to the nomination like a fucking barnacle.

But. Assuming I'm wrong on that, and assuming she's unable to continue - both I'm dubious on - I think the party will simply shift to Bernie. The party apparatus is shitty, but it's not stupid. Despite the harblegarble from professional hate maestros here on DU, most of Clinton's supporters would be comfortable enough with Bernie, if it came down to it - more so, at least, than having their delegates thrown to someone who didn't even campaign.

If a "white knight" is appointed, it'll likely be O'Malley, for just that reason - at least he showed up. And he seems pretty acceptable to both Bernie and Clinton supporters - not as a first choice (obviously) but I've seen very little "fuck him and the horse he rode in on" sentiment towards him.

[noiretextatique]

30. One can only hope

She does the right thing, but I doubt it.

[eridani]

31. I still think that nothing bad ever happens to members of The Club

Scooter Libby took the fall for a lotof criminals who were far worse. I expect something similar to happen here.

[w4rma]

32. She's going to have to be forced out. She'll take the whole party down for her selfishness. (nt)