For quite some time, as the number of remaining primaries dwindled to single digits, the Clinton campaign continued to look at the circle around May 31 on the calendar. It was the meeting of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee that offered at least some hope that the broader dynamic of the Democratic race could change — the RBC could, in theory, undo the punishment against Florida and Michigan for breaking party rules, and give the New York senator a boost.
Obviously, the RBC meeting has come and gone. Clinton netted 24 additional delegates, which narrows the gap against Barack Obama a little, but not nearly enough to alter the landscape in any meaningful way.
In an analysis piece, the NYT explains that the “big drama” in Democratic circles is “how, when and even whether Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will depart the race.”
The contest is coming to a close as Puerto Rico votes on Sunday and Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday, finishing a process that began five months ago in Iowa. Even if those results do not put Senator Barack Obama over the top, aides to both Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton said they expected enough superdelegates to rally behind Mr. Obama in the 48 hours after the final primaries to allow him to proclaim himself the nominee. […]
Mrs. Clinton has kept her counsel about what she might do to draw her campaign to a close. But when the rules committee of the Democratic Party divided up delegates from Michigan and Florida on Saturday night, Harold Ickes, a committee member and Clinton adviser, said she was reserving the right to contest the decision into the summer.
Still, despite the fireworks, Mrs. Clinton’s associates said she seemed to have come to terms over the last week with the near certainty that she would not win the nomination, even as she continued to assert, with what one associate described as subdued resignation, that the Democrats are making a mistake in sending Mr. Obama up against Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.
Her associates said the most likely outcome was that she would end her bid with a speech, probably back home in New York, in which she would endorse Mr. Obama. Mrs. Clinton herself suggested on Friday that the contest would end sometime next week.
There’s been quite a bit of talk since late yesterday about the Clinton campaign’s intentions, and just how much longer she is prepared to fight for a goal that appears out of reach. This certainly makes it sound as if the journey is nearly complete.
Assuming Mr. Obama reaches the number of delegates and superdelegates he needs to secure the nomination in the coming week, Mrs. Clinton will be faced with three options, associates said: to suspend her campaign and endorse Mr. Obama; to suspend her campaign without making an endorsement; or to press the fight through the convention. Several of Mrs. Clinton’s associates said it was unlikely she would fight through the convention, given the potential damage it would do to her standing in the party, which is increasingly eager to unify and turn to the battle against Mr. McCain.
Mrs. Clinton would almost surely face the defection of some of her highest-profile supporters, as well as some members of her staff. She would no doubt also face anger from Democratic leaders.
“In order for us to be successful in November, the runner-up is going to have to go all out in support of the nominee,” said Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “The runner-up is going to have to be there from Day One. The support is going to have to be more than just lip service.”
That sounds right. It’s hardly a stretch to argue that the primary process has generated some ill will within the party. Feelings have been hurt, grudges have developed, reputations have faltered, relationships between like-minded Dems who agree on practically everything have been tarnished. I’ve heard more than a few people, in DC and out, wonder aloud about Clinton’s future stature in the party after the convention.
I’m actually optimistic. She’s vowed to work her heart out for the Democratic ticket, and I think she means it. Clinton has also said, repeatedly, that the nation simply can’t afford a McCain presidency. Whatever her personal feelings about Obama and/or her campaign coming up short, Clinton obviously cares deeply about the future of the country. To borrow Van Hollen’s phrase, I’m confident that Clinton will, in fact, go “all out” in support of an Obama-led ticket. And with that, as Dems see her fight for the party’s (and the nation’s) interests aggressively through the summer and fall, lingering animosity between the camps should dissipate. (That Clinton and Obama agree on the issues should make this even easier. It’s not like Kucinich beat out Lieberman for the party’s nomination.)
With that in mind, we’re apparently looking at the denouement of a lengthy and difficult process.
…Mrs. Clinton and her aides have all but stopped their attacks on Mr. Obama, and the once vigorous Clinton war room has gone into a slumber.
Indeed, the talk in Mrs. Clinton’s headquarters has turned from the primary to more mundane matters: the next job, whom Mr. Obama might hire from the Clinton campaign, and even where to go on vacation.
And what of the talk to push the fight to the convention? For one thing, if uncommitted superdelegates come off the fence to support Obama in sizable numbers after Tuesday’s contests, it’s a moot point. For another, there’s at least some evidence that there’s limited appetite for such a move at Clinton HQ.
One of Mrs. Clinton’s chief strategists, Howard Wolfson, hinted that she was not inclined to carry the battle to the convention.
“Our focus is on securing the nomination for ourselves in the near term,” he said. “I don’t think anybody is looking toward the convention to end this process.”
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. It does not appear to be a train.