There’s really only one phrase that can be used here: Bitch crazy.
I was watching CNN last night, and the release of tension among all the contributors was palpable. (“Tsk. Anderson, you’re not my boo.”) I don’t recall her name, but one mentioned that she received an email from a Clinton supporter that said (paraphrased) “You’ve got to understand, this was supposed to be her night. You’ve got to give her some time.” Jeffrey Toobin says, “WHAT? What does that even MEAN?!” I think that was the catalyst for the “deranged narcissism” comment. I’ve gotta say, it was refreshing seeing some journalists call some bullshit. Wish they did it more often.
It was supposed to be her night. Amazing. That phrase doesn’t make her seem like a tantrum throwing child at all. With supporters like that, who needs an opponent?
As far as whether Obama will lose a large number of votes from Clinton’s voters, CNN was reporting exit polls last night that suggested he’d get at least 50% or so from Montana and South Dakota. I’m not sure whether he would or not–it could go either way. I do suspect that his running mate could easily be a woman, but capitulating to Clinton’s whining would definitely give McCain an opening to attack (Look, he couldn’t even stand up to his opponent in the primary–how will he fare against Hamas and Al Qaeda?!) and wouldn’t bode well for governing, either. He’s far more adept at persuasion and compromise than she is.
He doesn’t need to deal with The Clinton Show while in office–he needs a VP he can trust to back him up, to play second fiddle, and to perform the other duties of the VP, let alone the wild card of Bill Clinton. (What the hell happened to him in the past 8 years, btw? Maybe he was always like this and I missed it because I was young? He was bitching because Obama got uncommitted Michigan delegates and a few of Hillary’s. He said something like, “Not only did they give him the uncommitted delegates, which weren’t his, they were for Edwards and others–they decided ‘hey, let’s give him a few more!’ just to shut 'em up.” Shut *them * up? You’re effing kidding, right? I saw this on CNN, and of course I can’t find the video now. I’ll keep searching, but if someone can back me up on this or correct me, I’d appreciate it. I saw it yesterday around noon, I think. Maybe between 10 and 12. Whenever I ate lunch.) Can you imagine Bill throwing one of his latest fits with Hillary as the VP? That’s not what the VP’s spouse is supposed to do. The VP’s spouse 1) is supportive of the VP personally, 2) maybe takes up a cause quietly, and 3) sits down and shuts the fuck up.
A concession speech that doesn’t actually come out and concede point blank is passive aggressive bullshit. I do think it was a concession speech, though, and when she was saying “I’ll make no decisions tonight,” she was implying that she doesn’t know what to do with her political career as a whole, not that she’ll contest the nomination. I also think “share your thoughts with me,” was her way of appeasing her voters and showing that she’s not going to abandon the country, no matter what she does. Those comments would have been far more innocuous, though, if she had actually come out and conceded the nomination–they would have been colored in the light of “She doesn’t know whether to want the VP slot or not. She doesn’t know whether to want a cabinet slot or stay in the senate or not,” instead of “Wow, she’s going to try and take the White House by force! What the hell is she doing?”
You’d think as a politician she’d be more aware of the context of her remarks, but I guess not.
