Hillary Clinton prepares to withdraw from race: Hillary will endorse Obama

Brent Budowsky wrote on Feb. 20th 2008 that Hillary Clinton Should Withdraw .  He believes she is likely to withdraw March 5th and endorse Barack Obama.  In fact, she has no real options left, and would sacrifice what respect and admiration and good will she has accrued by doing anything else. She is smart enough to know this, and must be mentally preparing to withdraw from the race, and endorse Barack Obama.

Two facts are obvious. First, she cannot be nominated at a price worth the nomination. If she pursues the desperation dirt strategy it will be rejected by voters as her attacks were rejected in South Carolina, Wisconsin and nationally. Such a strategy would drive superdelegates to stampede to Obama and would be viewed as a direct attack on the prospects of the Democratic Party and a direct attack on the aspirations of political independents that would make her nomination both impossible and worthless.

The worst case for Senator Clinton is not that she loses the nomination, which is close to inevitable today, but that she loses in a way where she is seen as a destructive and divisive force that leaves large numbers of a generation of young people largely angry and bitter towards her for the rest of her career.

Hillary Clinton wants the nomination very badly. But not enough to do a scorched earth policy. She is good in the Senate, by all accounts she enjoys the wheelings and dealings there.  She might even get another run in 4 years.  She also will be facing increasing pressure in the next 2 weeks to withdraw. Many expect more Superdelegates to go Obama’s way, making a very difficult climb for her even more unrealistic.  The next two weeks, Hillary will keep up a brave face and go through the motions, but she will be inwardly preparing to withdraw from the race.  As shocking as it is, considering where things were only 3 months ago, she has no choice but to face facts, take a deep breath, and let her dream go- at least for now.

Page topic: Hillary prepares to withdraw from race and endorse Obama on March 5th, following Texas and Ohio primaries.