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Hillary Has Every Right to Stay in This Race!!


People are upset at Clinton because she is still vigorously pursuing the nomination, even in the face of long odds at securing the nomination. But she has a right to stay in the race. Obama, and Obama supporters, are wrong to complain about this, when Hillary is only insisting upon her rights. It's important for those Obama crazies out there to realize that no one can be held responsible for the consequences of doing what they have every right to do. Here are some hypothetical examples to show why this is true:

Let's say Hillary and Obama are playing chess, and Obama has just captured her queen and both her rooks. It's mate in five, and Hillary can see this. Hillary has the right to continue playing the game. She also has the right to take half an hour for each of her next five moves, even though she knows she can't win. There's nothing in the rules of chess to prohibit this, and Obama clearly has no grounds for complaint simply because Clinton is insisting upon her rights.

Let's say Hillary has invited Obama to the movies, and has decided to drive. Hillary has the right to drive very slowly. She also has the right to take the long way to the theater. She has the right to turn back around when she is halfway there, because she decides that she would rather wear the yellow pantsuit instead of the other yellow pantsuit. And Obama can't complain, even if they end up late to the movie, because it's Hillary's car and she has the right to drive it in ways that comply with the rules of the road.

Let's say Obama has decided to throw a party for his friends. Hillary has the right to throw a party on the same night as Obama's. Hillary has the right to call her party the "I hate Obama" party. She has the right to invite all of Obama's friends. She has the right to offer each of Obama's friends $5,000 to come to her party instead of Obama's. Obama has no grounds to be upset, because Hillary's only doing that which she has a right to do.

Let's say Hillary and Obama are roommates. Hillary has the right to leave her dishes in the sink for three days. She has the right to stay up late at night playing loud music in her room, even if Obama has a big speech to prepare for the next day. She has a right to spend an hour in the bathroom the next morning, even though Obama has to be at his campaign rally by 9:00. Obama can't in good conscience complain, because Hillary has the right to use her portion of their joint living space as she sees fit.

Let's say Hillary has two hamburgers, and next to her is Obama who is starving. Hillary has the right to eat her hamburgers, even if she's not particularly hungry. She has the right to say, loudly while she eats, "Ummm....this hamburger is delicious...I bet you'd like to eat one, wouldn't you Obama?" She even has the right to eat one hamburger and take the other hamburger and grind it into the dirt with her foot, or feed it to her dog instead of Obama. These are her rights, should she insist on them, and Obama has no grounds for complaint.


These are all things that Hillary has a right to do. She doesn't, however, have a right to my respect or a right to my vote.


Comments (6)

You're so right! :)

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these kinds of cute, clever little "gotcha" diaries the Obama zealots are pumping out are becoming very, very tiresome.
Obama is sinking some of his vast right wing wealth into hiring a fleet (as in enema)of writers who have destroyed every progressive blog on the web with their cuteness.

It's a typical Clinton counter-thrust: don't respond on the merits, just dismiss out of hand.

What have you to say to my point? I have read Clinton supports argue that her behavior should be excused because she is just exercising her rights under the rules. The point of this post is that "playing by the rules" is never a "get out of jail free" card in the court of public opinion. Clinton may have every right to stay in this race, but others have every right to despise her for it. In fact, people are justified in condemning a person who insists upon her rights at the exclusion of that which the society values. This is what my examples above are meant to illustrate.

yes she does have a right to stay in the race.

its not good for the party, the country, or the democrats chances in november if she does, but she does have that right.

I want hillary to once, just once, put her country's and her party's good ahead of her personal ambition just once.

but she wont do that. She's incapable of doing that.

Barack Obama will be our nominee. I am as sure of that as i am that the sun will rise tomorrow. but yes, despite having absolutely no chance of winning, hillary does have the right to stay in this race, despite how bad it will be for the democrats.

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This is terrible, Allsburg, I wouldn't have expected this kind of trash from you. All these years progressive blogs have whined and complained that the conventions are nothing more than coronations, and when it finally comes down to a real contest they whine and complain about that.

BevD, just saying it's a "real contest" doesn't make it so. This is not a real contest. A real contest would be one where Clinton stood more than a 10% chance of getting the nomination. (That number comes from Clinton's own staffers and advisers.) Polls are not reflective of the closeness in the nominating process. You are intelligent and well-informed; you know this to be true.

Hillary Clinton will stay in until the bitter end. She will try to convince enough people that Obama is toxic. She will not win the nomination, but she will have convinced enough middle-of-the-road voters not to support Obama in the general election.

The cost of Hillary's doggedness will be a weakened democratic party, and a democratic candidate that has less chance at winning in November than he would have if Clinton had behaved better.

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