THE BIGGEST WINNERS IN INDIANA DON'T EVEN LIVE THERE
I just guest-posted this commentary on PunditMom's "Mothers of Intention" column. Much will be said about last night's primaries, but I always try to follow hockey star Wayne Gretsky's advice, something like: "I don't skate toward where the hockey puck is. I skate toward where the hockey puck is going to be."
Who are these women? Read on....
Sometimes when you win, you lose.
That’s the lesson of the Indiana primary.
What is winning? In the latest polls, Hillary is besting John McCain by more than Barack Obama in a general election hypothetical matchup.
Yet there’s Obama making a victory speech in North Carolina, sounding for all the world like he’s accepting the Democratic party nomination. I’m struck that the first part of his speech, which focused on middle class economic hardships, sounded as though he was channeling Hillary Clinton.
To date, Clinton has won the big states necessary to Democratic victory in November. Obama’s lead in the popular vote—not counting the currently uncountable Michigan and Florida which went for Hillary—only matches the 500,000-vote margin he pulled out of his home turf of Chicago, and the delegate count remains close.
Conventional wisdom had Obama winning Indiana just a few weeks ago. He himself predicted she’d win Pennsylvania, he’d win North Carolina, and Indiana would be the tiebreaker.
Turns out Indiana wasn’t a tiebreaker; it was more like, well, a tie.
At the beginning of the evening, the press seemed in complete blood lust watching this battle of titans, despite having led the chant for Hillary to withdraw in recent weeks, as Media Matters’ analysis documents stunningly. But politics being their favorite contact sport, they’d have to find somebody else to pick on tomorrow if Hillary bowed out. So they appeared a little sad as the Indiana race tightened.
Her crisp blue suit looked optimistic as springtime as Hillary Clinton began to speak to her cheering crowd: “We’ve come from behind, we’ve broken the tie and thanks to you it’s full speed on to the White House.”
“Hillary, Hillaree!”
Her smile is broad, upbeat, genuine. But something about her tone of voice doesn’t sound sure.
She was ahead by just four points with 86% of the vote in; the votes still unreported were from heavily African American precincts. At best, it would be a squeaker and, coming on the heels of Obama’s 14% victory margin in North Carolina, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the quintessential political realist, knew the definition of winning and losing was shifting under her feet.
“For all of those not in the headlines but who have written America’s story, tonight is your victory right here,” she threw out one of her most effective populist lines.
“Obama and I have been on much the same journey to perfect America.”
“Yes she will”, chants the crowd.
“Never stop believing in the promise of America,” she responds. “I will never stop fighting for you.” Then she slips into the litany of policy issues that so comfortably roll off her tongue: Time to make sure all Americans have health care. Time to take care of the mortgage crisis and ensure that soldiers who have been in harm’s way can come home and resume their lives with dignity. Better futures for you and your children, solving the problems that affect us….
CNN and MSNBC pundits who have declared Clinton’s campaign dead so many times, once again begin to pontificate about how this is the end, the numbers can’t work out in her favor, Obama gets his hot waffle and Hillary is cold toast.
“No matter what happens, I will work for the nominee of the Democratic party because we must win in November,” she says, sounding conciliatory, then adds she’s looking forward to the remaining primaries in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Montana, South Dakota, Puerto Rico.
“I am running to be the president of all America; that’s why it is so important that we count the votes of Florida and Michigan.” She surely must have those votes to win, but the commentators decide she’s taking up this cause not because it will give her the nomination but because she must, must, must find a noble fight to close out her campaign on.
About midnight, Chris Matthews and Tim Russert declare the race over. Chuck Todd calculates how the delegate count can’t work out in her favor. Of course we all know these guys want to be the true deciders of the political fate of our nation.
At 1:10 am, NBC declares Clinton the winner in Indiana, by a razor thin 2%.
Todd runs the delegate numbers again, and now he says it’s still a long shot for her, but not impossible.
Quick, somebody go wake up Russert.
Remind him that especially in politics, even when you lose, you often win.
The first truly viable woman candidate for president didn’t score that knockout punch she so badly needed in Indiana.
But by running this race with such tenacity, courage, and strength, Hillary Clinton has scored a critically important victory for women.
The evidence is in that photo above. The women I’m seated among are from Emerge Arizona, a relatively new organization that recruits, trains, and helps elect Democratic women. This is just one of a burgeoning number of programs dedicated to righting the gender imbalance in American politics.
All of these women, even the Obama supporters, said they had been inspired by Clinton’s candidacy. Those who ran in the last election didn’t win, yet they plan to run again, and meanwhile they’ve gotten themselves elected delegates to the Democratic National Convention and are positioning themselves with the party to be the next generation of power brokers.
In the end, Hillary’s biggest win may well be a billowing wave of women emerging at last to equal participation in our nation’s politics.
Gloria Feldt
in Hillary Clinton, presidential elections, women in politics, democrats, obama, punditmom, John McCain, Tim Russert, Emerge AZ, Chris Matthews, Chuck Todd
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Reader Comments (10)
Thanks for being a Mother of Intention!
I agree that the media has absolutely torn Hillary apart and seems almost giddy at the possibility that she might not get the nomination. But I also think there is another problem- the media in general have been very unforgiving of both Democratic candidates while giving John McCain wide berth to spew utter nonsense - John Haggee immediately comes to mind. And regardless of who ultimately gets the nomination, this is going to be a VERY big problem because if the double-standard continues, the Democrats may ultimately lose in November- not because John McCain has better policies, but because the media has defined the issues in a very inbalanced, biased way,
While I understand we have to keep our eyes on the prize and ultimately oust the Republicans from the White House, I think I understand both Hillary and Obamas reluctance to bow out- it's simply just too close and both sides supporters don't want their candidate to "quit." If there is strong evidence, and you pointed some out, that Hillary has the best chance of beating McCain, Rush Limbaugh notwithstanding, then ideally Obama should bow out and I would hope he would. But quite honestly, I don't think he is going to do that yet.
The irony in all of this is that the whole 'superdelegate' nonsense will hurt the dems in the long-run- it just simply makes no logical sense to have a bunch of elite party insiders with a whole host of potential conflicts of interest, coming in at the 11th hour to decide who the nominee is and dragging it out as long as possible. And all the while Obama and Hillary are beating each other up, McCain is taking advantage knowing he can later use all Obama and Clinton's statements against them later.
In other words, I hope that at the end of the day this isn't a lose-lose situation.
Stacy, your thoughts are most appreciated. John McCain's true character, bad temperament, and devastating policies must be outed by the people since the media has, as they say, drunk the kool-aid and is apparently intoxicated by it.And the Democrats' convoluted way of nominating is not very democratic. They need to own up and decide to do it differently from here on out. Hopefully the meeting of superdelegates on May 31 will do some of that.
If Clinton and Obama simply stay in through all the primaries are over, then one will win with honor and the other will lose with honor. Ideally in my highest hopes, they would then join forces to win the White H