I have to agree with the BBC’s Kevin Connolly that Hillary Clinton’s ‘die-hard battling’ in West Virginia is something you can’t help but admire. However, I disagree with his speculations on the source of Clinton’s determination to stay in a race she is apparently losing. He offers three reasons for this hardcore campaigning where many would have given up long ago. A quick comment on each of these suggests there must be something more to it.
“First, she might want to be the vice-presidential nominee. Unlikely, and there are plenty of Obama supporters who think he would be crazy to have her, but you never know.” I agree with Connolly’s point that Obama would be very unlikely to have her under the best of circumstances, but wouldn’t this stubbornness put him off even more? He wants a committed, dedicated vice-president but not someone who is so inflexible as to waste precious resources fighting a losing battle. And speaking of precious resources.....
“Second, her campaign is $20m (£10m) in debt and it is possible she might try to cut some sort of deal which would involve using his cash surplus to help with that in some way.” How will continuing the campaign help her in this? Will Obama not be even less inclined to strike a deal with someone who seems to be financially quite irresponsible?
“And finally - and this is good news for those of you wearying of Primary Season 2008 - she might be looking beyond an Obama defeat in November and contemplating running for the nomination in 2012.” Weary, yes. But good news? Who will stomach another primary race or election with Clinton involved? If this is her aim, she has lost sight of what should be her overall wish – that the Democrat candidate wins the election and that the US has a competent and effective leader for the coming four years.
Rather than the subtle thinking outlined above, it seems to me that Clinton simply has a disinclination to back down. What Connolly calls "incurable optimism", I call pure stubbornness and gritty determination, or "testicular fortitude" as one of her supporters terms it. She has fought this one tooth-and-nail, and has pushed too hard to warrant retreating before she really has to.
Of course, another media firestorm, like the one whipped up about Jeremiah Wright, could damage the Obama campaign, but it might do Clinton and her potential future political career good to bow out gracefully while she still can, rather than be left struggling to the bitter end.
