MyDD :: {Updated}Bill : Hillary would win under republican system

{Updated}Bill : Hillary would win under republican system

by anujtron, Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:14:52 PM EST

Earlier today

"If we were under the Republican system, which is more like the Electoral College, she'd have a 300-delegate lead here," he said. "I mean, Senator McCain is already the nominee because they chose a system to produce that result, and we don't have a nominee here, because the Democrats chose a system that prevents that result."

Well i feel all i got to say about this is that Hillary can feel free to run as a republican next time around...

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail /2008/04/21/bill_clinton_defends_hillary s.html#more

UPDATE::::::::::
Bowers has some thoughts...

The Clinton campaign successfully executed its campaign strategy--it just didn't work. While is very nice that the strategy might have worked under different rules, it is more likely that if the rules were different, then the Obama campaign would have pursued a different strategy. Further, that the Clinton campaign did not employ a strategy to work under the rules presented to the candidates at the start of the primary season is indicative of strategic myopia that would lead to another bad strategy even if the rules changed. If you can solve the problem presented to you under one set of rules, why should we have any confidence you could solve a different problem under a different set of rules?

Here is the link I highly recommend reading the whole thing. http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5293

Tags: Clinton, Obama (all tags)

Permalink :: 26 Comments :: Post a Comment

Bill needs to stop whining (none / 0)

about the Dem system.

Hello, he ran under this current system in the 90's.

by puma on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:17:32 PM EST

Re: Bill needs to stop whining (none / 0)

True... and if Hillary had sent Bill on a 6-month long trip to the middle of nowhere on a goodwill mission, she would probably be doing better...

He's a smarter politician than this... makes me wonder if he remembers that....

Has Bill criticized McCain yet...? I know he has praised him, but has he taken him to task for anything?

Just checking...

Like the nominee, don't like the nominee... Our nominee is still better than John McCain...

by JenKinFLA on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:22:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bill : Hillary would win under (1.00 / 1)

what a whiner!

She and McCain are very close - Bill Clinton

by clintonmccain on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:18:53 PM EST

Re: (none / 0)

Yeah, Bill, and if I had wings I'd fly.

by rfahey22 on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:20:53 PM EST

The Shadow of a man we once loved........ (none / 0)

God bless our party for installing a robust and fair Primary system. We should consider eliminating or trimming down the power of SD's but goddamnit our representative Primary system is a godsend. The republican Primary is more like the GE Electoral College....... and........ thats whats wrong with it! At the end of this campaign so MANY democrats votes counted, in ways would be impossible if we did winner take all. When will Bill and Hillary humble up? They need to look to John and Abagail Adams, if only our presidents could be so humble.

Unable to rec or rate

Read this: http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/5/15/1427 30/254

by GeorgeP922 on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:21:50 PM EST

Re: The Shadow of a man we once loved........ (none / 0)

The sysem makes no sense. It should resemble the GE. They should do away with the caucuses they are very undemocratic. they should also get rid off the super delegates.

You may not agree with What I say but don't forget I am a Democrat

by indydem99 on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 09:11:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Shadow of a man we once loved........ (none / 0)

Many of us still love Bill and always will.

by Actright on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 09:21:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

It's too late to switch Parties for this year (2.00 / 0)

Sour grapes from Bill that they aren't running as Republicans. Booo hooo!

"we have the most radical president we have ever had, leading our country right now, and he is completely uneducable." - Seymour Hersh

by Lefty Coaster on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:24:19 PM EST

Yea that's right Bill (none / 0)

the GOP doesn't want decisions made by the people, they want it over fast. Democrats though, the PARTY OF THE PEOPLE give that power to them. It sucks that your wife didn't connect, but that's not Obama's fault nor the party base that refused to support her.

by southernman on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:32:00 PM EST

So what (1.00 / 1)

who cares how the GOP runs their system. I'm sick of the Clinton's whining "well, if it was set up differently, we'd have won, so give it to us anyway...NO FAIR NO FAIR!!

No excuse for bad campaigning folks. And that's what they did.

by southernman on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:33:30 PM EST

what a turd (1.00 / 1)

by highgrade on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:36:48 PM EST

Nice hatchet job and way to spin a person's words. (2.00 / 1)

This is a prime example of how destructive the Obama supporters have become: they work tirelessly to twist and spin any statement made by either Clinton as some nefarious comment made to show them as 'not Democrats'. Meanwhile, Obama can praise Reagan and Bush 1 while denigrating the economic success of the Clinton years without so much as a yawn from his own supporters. He can praise past GOP administrations as the 'party of ideas' and denigrate the Clintons and receive yelps of praise from his followers.

You all know exactly what Bill said, and why he said it. You know it's absolutely true, as well, that if the Democratic party had the same rules of the GOP party right now, Obama would have been beaten by Hillary. That's what's made ya'll mad enough to keep on demeaning the only two term Democratic POTUS in half a century.

Keep it up, you'll loose some Democrats, and face it, McCain is gathering the unhappy GOP folks back to the fold. You're only making a GE harder for your candidate should he succeed in gaming the nomination.

Hell's bells, even the GOP didn't have to crucify Eisenhower's record in order to make Reagan their 'saint'. We can have two great ones, you know?

by emsprater on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:43:34 PM EST

Re: Nice hatchet job and way to (1.50 / 2)

Oh, please save your spin for the sniper fire. We are sick and tired of the whining coming from this campaign. Why wasn't Bill whining when the same system won him in 92 or 96? Why wasn't he making this a big deal when she was presumed to be the nominee in the beginning of this race? This is primarily why your candidate is losing, they have no grace or respect for a fellow candidate and people are seeing right through them. Her negatives are the highest since 2001 and they will continue to go up because the same tactics used against them by the republicans they are using towards a fellow democrat. This is a despicable campaign and the results show it.

She and McCain are very close - Bill Clinton

by clintonmccain on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:50:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nice hatchet job and way to spin a person's (2.00 / 0)

You know, the first thing they teach you as a history student is to never engage in theorizing about alternative history. Every single candidate would have used a different strategy had the rules been different. That argument makes no sense.

by rfahey22 on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 09:22:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nice hatchet job and way to spin (2.00 / 0)

Apples to oranges. Or rather, you trying to turn this on it's head by saying that Clinton isn't saying anything wrong while Obama is (what Obama said wasn't praising Reagan, sorry).

What he said is true...if we were running by the Republican rules, Hillary would be ahead (though by the math I read, it'd be about 150 delegate lead or so, not quite 300 or so, what Bill said). But so what? We're not running the primary with the Republican rules. We're running Democratic rules, which however you may feel about them, are different.

What's the purpose of even bringing this up? The only thing I can think of is a possible insinuation that we should change the rules of the primary mid-game, and if that's the intent, he damn well deserves to catch heat over that.

Just because he was a two-term president doesn't mean he's totally infallible.

by Jaffee on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 09:40:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nice hatchet job and way to spin a person's wo (none / 0)

Emspater -

I don't think anybody is denying what Bill said may not be true. However, bringing it up sounds a bit, how shall I'll put this - a bit "bitter." You have to admit this is like Yankees saying in 2004 hey if
the playoffs were only three games we would have won. Ok you think the Democratic Primary system is convoluted, fine, but it's the system they all agreed to campaign.

Senator Clinton has been out campaigned, Bill should suck it and get over it.

And as someone mentioned in an earlier post he was happy with it when he was running.

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.

by jsfox on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 10:01:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

They should change the system (2.00 / 1)

Bill is correct. You want your primaries to resemble the GE. That is the only proper way to pick the nominee. I think they should also do away with super delegates because you do not need them.

You may not agree with What I say but don't forget I am a Democrat

by indydem99 on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:44:07 PM EST

For Clinton it's never too late to change the rule (none / 0)

"we have the most radical president we have ever had, leading our country right now, and he is completely uneducable." - Seymour Hersh

by Lefty Coaster on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:51:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bill : Hillary would win under republican syst (1.50 / 2)

Don't get upset by the simple fact that he explained how the Republican primary election rules make a whole lot more sense than the Democratic primary rules.

The evidence of that is John McCain has had the nomination wrapped up for over a month, while this primary campaign may last until the convention.

A dose of reality would do the Obama-bots some good.

by alvic63 on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:44:37 PM EST

Re: Bill : Hillary would win under republican syst (none / 0)

sure Alvice...that's all he cares about, that the rules make sense....they only make sense to him b/c Hillary had a better shot under that system.

It's not us who needs a dose of reality.

by southernman on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:51:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: {Updated}Bill : Hillary would win under republ (2.00 / 1)

Why do I sense that if Hillary was winning at this point the Democratic Primary system would be just peachy not only with Bill, but also with the supporters of Senator Clinton.

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.

by jsfox on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 10:08:17 PM EST

Re: {Updated}Bill : Hillary would win under republ (none / 0)

Didn't Bill, in the 90s, call proportional representation "anti-democratic"?

I'm sure that came as news to many people living in PR democracies around the globe. And, of course, it's an idiotic position.

Donate to Obama, Today!

by freedom78 on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 12:11:49 AM EST

Re: {Updated}Bill (none / 0)

If we want our primaries to resemble the general election (which is winner take all by state) then we should change the rules next time around to reflect that. That has no bearing on these contests because our rules value margins of victory, delegates are allocated proportionally to encourage campaigning in all states.

Yes, Hillary would be doing better under a winner-take-all system because she wins most of her states by narrow margins while Obama racks up landslides in his. If we were under a winner-take-all system Obama would have campaigned differently. Dozens of states would have been ignored.

by Skaje on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 12:28:38 AM EST

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