Sunday, May 11, 2008

Jog my memory

As you know, quite a few people are demanding that Hillary remove herself from the race, even though she is poised for big wins in West Virginia and Kentucky.

Far fewer people demanded that Reagan drop out in 1976. Far fewer people demanded that Teddy Kennedy remove himself in 1980. Far fewer people demanded that that Hart concede in 1984. All three of those challengers kept fighting until the convention, even though everyone knew that they would prevail only if a major scandal were to hit the front-runner.

But Clinton rules are different.

Many scream at her to drop out. More than that: Quite a few "progressive" fascists would, I think, be genuinely pleased to see her drop dead.

The phrase I keep hearing (or seeing online) is "sore loser." Hillary is a "sore loser," we are told.

Her supporters are also "sore losers" who can't "get over it."

The phrase has a certain familiarity.

You know that frustrating feeling you get when you can't think of the word you want to say? Well, this "sore loser" meme has a similar effect on me. It reminds me of a previous situation in which I often heard that very same phrase.

But which situation? As I recall, it didn't happen very long ago. In fact, it seems like yesterday. And yet, for some reason, it seems to have slipped my mind.

Can you help jog my memory?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Comparing the primary to the general election is not really honest. The problem with letting the primary last until the convention is that with all the assholes on each side fighting, it doesn't help the party at all and it's giving cranky McCain a free ride while the Democrat are fighting each other.

If the situation was reversed and Obama chances of winning were mathematically NULL, the Hillary camp would have asked Obama to get out of the race the Wednesday after Super Tuesday (or they would have accused him of trying to destroy the party). But Clinton rules are different I guess.

Even if she wins big in West Virginia and Kentucky, who cares ? It's still mathematically impossible for her to win (are these states going to vote Democrat in the general election anyway) ?

There's a simple trick if you don't want to be call "sore loser": don't act like one.

Joseph Cannon said...

Nonsense.

Speaking as someone who voted for Teddy in 1980 (although I'm a little ashamed to have done so, considering his recent behavior), I would have been pissed off if he had conceded before the convention. He owed something to us, to his supporters.

Hillary can still win. Superdelegates can change at whim.

And if the truth about Obama and the Daley/Rezko machine comes out, lots of 'em will have just such a whim.

Joseph Cannon said...

By the way -- I wish you O-bots would just stop it with this "Number 6 is unmutual" crap. You're only making yourselves look bad -- in the eyes of history.

To paraphrase Churchill: History will be unkind to you, for I intend to write it.

John said...

People crack me up when they say Hillary can't mathematically win.

If Florida and Michigan is counted, she is losing by less than 40 delegates. And any superdelegate can change their minds before, or at, the convention.

Polls consistently show Hillary running stronger than Obama against McCain. Electoral projections consistently show Hillary winning and Obama losing.

Democrats need to win Ohio or Florida - she is poised to win both; he can't win either of them.

John

Joseph Cannon said...

John, if she really had no chance, the hate would stop and there would be orders from Obama Central to start the reconciliation process.

At least, that's how things would operate if the Bots were behaving rationally.

Gary McGowan said...

But the "sore loser" meme was used by the neocons and those who blindly voted them into power, wasn't it?

And they had a mandate!

Absolutely no comparison. :)
.