ABC: Hillary out by Friday
posted at 7:00 pm on June 4, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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How many times will the networks have Hillary Clinton conceding the primary race? We’ve heard the rumors a few times — after North Carolina and Indiana, after Oregon, and earlier this week after the Rules & Bylaws Committee meeting. ABC says this time the rumors are true, and that she’ll be out by Friday:
It’s over.
Sen. Hillary Clinton will drop out of the presidential race on Friday, ending her historic bid for the White House and ceding the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama, ABC News has learned.
Clinton’s decision to leave the race ends a long, often bitter battle for the right to challenge Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the general election.
I’ll believe it when I see it. Why bow out now? She has two months to work on the superdelegates, trying to convince 200 or so to change their minds and their votes at the convention. Even while Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid demand commitments now, nothing prevents them from switching between now and then.
If ABC has this right, Hillary got a deal to save face and retire some debt. She will need a lot of help in the latter, being over $20 million in the red. She will also want an important role, one from which she can run again for President if possible. Secretary of State, perhaps? That will infuriate Joe Biden, but that’s just a fringe benefit.
Now we can look forward to something else besides the mythical Michelle tape this week.
Update (AP): McAuliffe must have known. He’s been drinking since this morning.
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Shouldn’t it be “curtsey” out?
TexasDan on June 4, 2008 at 7:02 PM
that would be sexist.
jbsaff on June 4, 2008 at 7:03 PM
But Bob Beckel said there’s a tape of Michelle Obama pledging allegiance to Satan coming out today.
Chuck Schick on June 4, 2008 at 7:05 PM
Dissimulator fades out of picture…temporarily…only to resurface later like gas bubbles from a rotting whale.
whitetop on June 4, 2008 at 7:09 PM
Exactly. She’s an utter dimwit if she bows out now – a true loser.
She may ’suspend’ active campaigning in these twilight hours, but, as you say, she’s got time to see what bad smells emanate from BO & MO’s past. The superdelegates ain’t in the bag until the convention.
She has everything to fight for.
LimeyGeek on June 4, 2008 at 7:11 PM
“She will also want an important role, one from which she can run again for President if possible. Secretary of State, perhaps?”
Ed has it right. This woman will never quit running. She already probably has an exploratory committee in the wings ready to begin the 2012 run to either oppose McCain as “the older-old man” or to take over from the failed Carteresque years of Obama.
DukeofDeLand on June 4, 2008 at 7:13 PM
Yeah, I agree with others. She’ll stop spending huge amounts of money on active campaigning, but she probably won’t withdraw her candidacy. She’s gonna keep quietly working on the superdelegates and hoping Obama screws up royally between now and the end of August. Why the heck not? What does she have to lose at this point?
aero on June 4, 2008 at 7:22 PM
I’ll believe it when the cankles start singing. It’s over when it’s OVER. And that’s not yet.
SarahW on June 4, 2008 at 7:24 PM
Hillary thought Obama was a longshot but then she’s use to sniper fire and should have know better.
William Amos on June 4, 2008 at 7:26 PM
I will believe when I see it and even then…..
Terrye on June 4, 2008 at 7:26 PM
Just think how different things would be if the tapes of Wright had been aired about a day or two before the Iowa primary.
Terrye on June 4, 2008 at 7:27 PM
$64,000 Question now is who will she endorse. Will she endorse Barack Obama, whom she says it not ready to be president or John McCain, whom she said is.
ConservativePartyNow on June 4, 2008 at 7:30 PM
That means it will be after Friday that the “Whitey tape” appears (if it ever does) so that Hillary can say, “if only I knew she did that….”
But, it won’t be too late for Hillary, will it?
RBMN on June 4, 2008 at 7:32 PM
I thought it was like the Spinners said:
You made a choice
And now it’s up to me
To bow-wow gracefully.
Dan Collins on June 4, 2008 at 7:53 PM
I’ll believe it when I see it.
NOW what wil Obama do?
Who will Pubs choose?
originalpechanga on June 4, 2008 at 7:57 PM
Is she, like, quitting the marathon or just stopping to get some water and a cold sponge? She’d be a fool to drop out now, but she IS a democrat so it wouldn’t surprise me. Those people never know how to finish anything.
SouthernGent on June 4, 2008 at 8:00 PM
In my humble opinion…she should stick around until the convention because of all of the negatives Barak’s got going on. Instead of him being literally shot and killed, something big could very well come along and kill him politically. He’s got more TUCC, Wright, Pleger, Michelle, Rezko, Ayers (and his coquettish wife, the lovely Ms. Dorhn), and who knows what other political time bomb waiting to go off. If the ol’ HillBilly can just hold out, something just might go ka-blooey!
Big John on June 4, 2008 at 8:09 PM
Except, y’know . . . *whispers* Vince Foster.
Dan Collins on June 4, 2008 at 8:09 PM
I wonder what the Clinton war room has to say about this……?
Seven Percent Solution on June 4, 2008 at 8:23 PM
SPS – Probably starts with “Mu” and ends in “ha”
SarahW on June 4, 2008 at 8:28 PM
Friend of Barry Rezko just found guilty of corruption. Who cares about the fact that Michelle Obama is an utter racist, there is a string of “friends” who are very unsettling for Obama’s chances. Hillary will be working this angle up until the convention.
highhopes on June 4, 2008 at 8:41 PM
Hillary Clinton has become a time compressed version of Harold Stassen.
MB4 on June 4, 2008 at 9:08 PM
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will endorse Senator Barack Obama on Friday, bringing a close to her 17-month campaign for the White House, aides said. Her decision came after Democrats urged her on Wednesday to leave the race and allow the party to coalesce around Mr. Obama.
Mrs. Clinton’s aides said she would “express her support for Senator Obama and party unity” at an event in Washington that day. One adviser said that Mrs. Clinton would concede defeat, congratulate Mr. Obama and proclaim him the party’s nominee, while pledging to do what was needed to assure his victory.
- New York Times
MB4 on June 4, 2008 at 9:15 PM
Great point, Terrye. And the stupid thing is that they were sitting out there on the TUCC website, for sale and for all to see. Who would have ever thought a Clinton would go down for lack of oppo research.
Missy on June 4, 2008 at 9:25 PM
Heh. The woman candidate is now subservient to a man.
Darth Executor on June 4, 2008 at 9:57 PM
She will return. Just like the old horror movies, the monster is never really dead, there is always enough doubt for a sequel.
I expect even if she died during a campaign, they would just say she has a bad cold and Bill would run things with her mummified corpse in the White House family quarters after the election.
KW64 on June 4, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Obama was groomed by Hillary to be her VP running mate.
Hillary got him his speaking slot at the 2004 Democrat convention.
Hillary helped him win his Senate seat.
Hillary never did oppo research on him because he was supposed to only pretend to run against her, and then drop out and become her VP.
She was totally blindsided when he won Iowa and she realized he was going to challenge her for the nomination.
Hillary did plenty of oppo research on the Republicans, and she chose McCain as her opponent of choice, then manipulated FL & MI in an attempt to get Democratic voters to crossover and vote for McCain. It is what helped McCain win Florida. The fact that Hillary picked McCain as her opponent means that she most certainly has dirt on him.
Red Pill on June 4, 2008 at 11:44 PM
True.
Red Pill on June 4, 2008 at 11:45 PM
She’s still twitching… don’t turn your back on her AND MR. Obama should beef up his security. Remember during Bill’s impeachement hearings before the Senate? Do you recall the car accident killing one of the leading people? By car accident, I mean the person was struck with a friggin car! I read not too long ago that Obama didnt even have proper Secret Service coverage.
I see she wants to keep her delegates? uh…why? If she’s bailing, she’s bailing. Don’t keep an eye on her, keep an eye on who her husband is meeting with.
johnnyU on June 4, 2008 at 11:52 PM
No, I don’t. Do you have a link?
Red Pill on June 5, 2008 at 1:18 AM
The media thinks they can force her hand?
They’re dreaming.
Saltysam on June 5, 2008 at 1:23 AM
Does anybody else find it ironic that Hillary is supposedly ‘Dropping’ out on Friday…D-Day?
HarryStar on June 5, 2008 at 1:50 AM
That clip is truly entertaining. :) Truly reason enough to drink on air.
Dr. Manhattan on June 5, 2008 at 2:37 AM
Friday is tomorrow. But tomorrow never comes.
Hillary remains the Energizer Bunny.
No need to concede until the convention tally.
There’s ONE thing Hillary now shares with Fred Thompson, the MSM premature predictions of the resignation time and date. Everyone wants to play Nostradamus. I’m a seer! I’m a seer! So crystal balls can be bought and sold, just like Super Delegates.
maverick muse on June 5, 2008 at 5:48 AM
Notice she stayed committed to her campaign longer than she stayed committed to supporting the effort in Iraq?
I guess it comes down to what is important to YOU.
Bicyea on June 5, 2008 at 6:27 AM
Finally, the Fat Lady can stop singing and go back to her late night job cleaning office buildings.
pilamaye on June 5, 2008 at 7:18 AM
Why should she concede? She has a better argument and more support than the senior drunk from Massachusetts did when he took the party train all the way to the convention.
Alden Pyle on June 5, 2008 at 7:48 AM
I was just reading some comments from a hard left blog, and one girl said “I really like Hillary, I admire her grit.”
Somehow through my reading glasses, I mistook the comment to read: “I admire her grift.”*
And I thought to myself, you have just read my mind, girlfriend! Mrs. Clinton is working out the logistics of forcing Senator Obama to pay off her campaign debt. Which means she’ll receive principal and interest on her campaign loan. Bottom line: Mrs. Clinton turned a profit by running for the Presidency of the United States.
If I were a young idealistic kid, clacking at my keyboard to drop $20 cash into Senator Obama’s coffers via PayPal, I’d feel like a total chump.
* grift (=noun) (1) A swindle (2) Money made dishonestly, as in a swindle.
jeff_from_mpls on June 5, 2008 at 9:29 AM
Depends on what Barry O’ gets from her at concession time. He gives her 20 very large to retire her debt and she’d better give him a promise not to run or interfere signed in blood with one of her porcine hoofprints on it. Even then I’d worry if I were him. Rules, promises, pledges, etc. mean nothing to Herself or the Impeached ex-President. He’s not going to see his dream of being “First Laddie” go away.
GeneSmith on June 5, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Good point.
As the door slams on Clinton’s ample rump, I’ve just got to wonder what is next for her thighness now that her decade-long plan to win the Presidency is coming to an end. I suspect that she’ll linger until the convention and then go back to the Senate and become a slightly less attractive version of Teddy Kennedy.
highhopes on June 5, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Now we know why ‘the rum is always gone’. That may be a problem when he starts his career as bartender.
Who woulda thunk it…Terry is charming when he gets together with Bacardi.
Rumors, shrumers, Hilly is goin’ nowhere baby.
(Heck, I feel like I’ve been sucking down those shots too! I got a contact drunk from McAwful? Whoo-hee…hit me again.)
Christine on June 5, 2008 at 12:04 PM
CHELSEA 2012!!!
fossten on June 5, 2008 at 1:04 PM
I just got this from Hillary:
I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.
On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.
I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party’s nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.
When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.
I made you — and everyone who supported me — a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I’m going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.
I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.
I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.
In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.
I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.
She must not have understood my emails that I wouldn’t contribute to her campaign…she’s persistent
originalpechanga on June 5, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Hillary comes from the Alinsky school, where the end justifies the means. Friday is “D-Day“, indeed. 40 years to the day.
Could she really make that happen tomorrow?
Could she really get away with it?
Please tell me Obama won’t be in California tomorrow.
Red Pill on June 5, 2008 at 6:33 PM
Perhaps she really will drop out tomorrow and wait a while…using that day might be just her way of “sending a message” to Obama. Kind of like a fish head.
Red Pill on June 5, 2008 at 6:34 PM
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