Hillary Clinton stepped off the national stage today. She took herself out of the equation.

[Faygo Kid]

There have been many national figures who have come and gone in our long history. Some have never been elected president, but have had distinguished careers nonetheless (think Henry Clay, Al Gore). Others have even BEEN president, but have contributed extraordinarily afterwards (John Quincy Adams, Jimmy Carter).

And others have been First Lady, and gone on to better our lives greatly (Betty Ford, and of course the incomparable Eleanor Roosevelt).

But today, Hillary Clinton sealed her legacy. And it's a stench that will follow her long after we are all gone. Pathetic, sad and destructive - if Obama wins despite her machinations, she is marginalized. If he loses, she will be blamed for it.

Her legacy is written.

[polichick]

1. Hope she doesn't bother with an encore!

[Bigleaf]

2. Great Post. I agree 100% with you. Either way, she's done. K&R

[jasmine621]

30. If (or when Obama loses) it will be entirely on his own.

His supporters have been setting everything up to blame Hillary for his loss in November long before the MI and FL mess.

[Faygo Kid]

33. And you would no doubt cheer that result. But fortunately, from afar.

Not from DU, that's for sure.

[papau]

3. Love the unity

[Faygo Kid]

6. It's time for you to get on board. The Obama supporters have apologized enough.

What I wrote is the truth.

I'm reminded of Harry Truman, who said that “I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell.”

Welcome to the truth. Or hell. Either way, unless she becomes a distinguished elder statesperson senator (which I doubt), she's through.

[PretzelWarrior]

9. thanks for the pic. what an awesome day that was with my daughter

as we saw Obama and his daughters. and that HUGOMONGOUS crowd of supporters. I was honored to be there.

[Faygo Kid]

11. I'm in Maryland, but I bet that was special.

Congrats. My daughter is 31, and I can't tell you how much I remember all the Christmases and Halloweens.

Don't ever take them for granted, my friend.

[Shakespeare]

7. You first!

:rofl:

[cliffordu]

14. Fuck that. She's earned every punishment coming....

I smell Pizza.....

[Zhade]

16. Oh man - I'd love to see that plagiarist (got caught by the mods TWICE) burned.

NT!

[habitual]

19. unity....

[Cheap_Trick]

25. sorry, we're not here to massage your fragile ego

or to kiss your ass.

Vote for McCain, get MORE people killed.

Vote for McCain, get Roe V Wade overturned.

Vote for McCain, help sink this country further into debt and war.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. You Think She's Suddenly Going To Say "OK, The DNC's Correct?"

I think she's sticking around on stage as long as she can, to have her best shot at destroying Obama.

[polichick]

8. Nobody is gonna pay her any mind - her media coverage ends Tuesday.

[iconicgnom]

27. If she stays in it to the convention, and she's consistent in saying she will

the MSM will play up every bit of dirt that Carville/Matalin Penn/Black and the rest of her team can dig up, or make up. Bet on it.

[polichick]

31. I think even the msm has had enough of Hillary and Bill Clinton.

[Heather MC]

28. She had 13 supporters on the panel today

and she couldn't get all of them to support her.
It's like watching humpy dee dumpty fall in slow motion.

Only not one will be putting her back together again

[MadMaddie]

5. Something else I have thought about .....say she were to beat

Obama.....and she loses to McCain because she reenergizes the Repug base...no one really has talked about that. She would be less than marginalized.....

Just a thought...

[MindMatter]

17. What are you talking about?

She lost to Obama and therefore is not running against McCain. Your scenario doesn't make any sense.

[MadMaddie]

20. Mindmatter that is a given.....she has lost.

What I am asking is a hypothetical....she and her campaign boasted of how they were the only ones that could beat McCain...what "If" she had run a better campaign then she did....got into the race against McCAin and lost.....Her argument of invincibility against McCain would have been another failure.....

Just askin....

[MindMatter]

21. Who knows?

I believe she would have lost against McCain. Her negatives are just too high. She doesn't really have that much support among Democrats at large. She does well in a few demographic groups, but not well enough to offset the millions of Republicans who would rally to vote against her.

Generally speaking, losing an election does not make for a notorious legacy. I mean, look at Dukakis and Kerry. They lost Presidential elections, but are not thought of as all-around creeps and vultures. And that is the real legacy that the Clintons face. It isn't as if Bill left office with such a great legacy, and this campaign surely has not improved that legacy at all.

[MadMaddie]

23. Exactly...you know just random thoughts sometimes....

her campaign will definitely be examined by political historians for sure.

:hi:

[IsItJustMe]

10. Exacty. K&R

[Shakespeare]

12. I love the looks on the faces of the people watching her.

:rofl:

[MindMatter]

18. Me too. Like "Can somebody give this pea-brain directions to the Libertarian Party meeting?"

[Shipwack]

13. Nothing is ever sealed in politics...

Especially American politics.

You won't have Nixon to kick around any more, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference and it will be one in which I have welcomed the opportunity to test wits with you.
--Press conference after losing the election for Governor of California, (7 November 1962)

Which is fine with me. While not a fan (or even a supporter) of Hillary Clinton, I hope that she takes time to reflect on what went wrong, why her message didn't get the fertile ground she thought it would, and change into a more progressive person that will serve the state of New York and the US.

I have no desire to see her washed up and bitter, making perennial runs for the Presidency until her name becomes a punchline for future generations.

[Faygo Kid]

15. Like Harold Stassen, of course. But she sealed her legacy today.

Very thoughtful post, and I agree with you. But I think it's too late. She could have called off her supporters, but didn't. Today was a bridge too far. She will have to live with this legacy the rest of her life, because today is how she will be remembered.

Tragic? Yeah, but I have extremely limited sympathy for Nixon, too. Like none. Maybe she won't be bitter, but she's washed up. And she did it to herself.

[starroute]

22. Nixon was only 49 in 1962

He had time to remake himself. Hillary doesn't.

[SoCalDem]

26. Yep..unless Grandpa wins in Nov, she's D O N E..

Obama serves two terms and then his veep runs(wins & serves 2)..Hillary's pretty old by then..she'd be what?? 76??

If GrandpaMcGrump wins, she gets to try again in 4..Guess what she's hoping for:grr:

She's got until Jan 20th for some "catastrophic" event to occur and hand it over to her..after that, she has to wait until 2012 or NEVER..

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. Exactomundo

though it depends on what she truly does

If she takes this to the convention, I suspect she's become a pariah and a joke

If she doesn't... she still has a future

[AZBlue]

29. Does anyone have any strawberry jam?

[Douglas Carpenter]

32. On a purely personal level I actually feel sorry for her

Sen. Clinton is obviously an extremely intelligent, capable and talented person and not without genuine human compassion

She has in the past few weeks and especially with the most recent bazaar antics made such a fool of herself and has made such outlandish statements, I don't believe she can ever again be a major player. And I don't think she can be a particularly infuential U.S. Senator anymore

She just plain self-destructed.

[guruoo]

34. The rope a dope strategy was brilliant...

Seriously! Kudos to Obama's campaign team for launching attacks through
a grassroots supporter network rather than through the candidate himself.