Clinton Ponders Campaign's Future

New York Senator Says She'll Consult With Party Leaders And Supporters Before Making A Decision

(CBS/ AP)  Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will consult with party leaders and supporters to determine her next steps now that Barack Obama has enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination.

In a speech in New York, Clinton told supporters that: "This has been a long campaign and I will be making no decisions tonight." As she spoke, supporters chanted "Denver, Denver," thinking ahead to the site of the party's convention in August.

According to the latest CBS News estimates, Obama secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination on Tuesday.

Obama declared victory at a rally in St. Paul, Minn. "Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for the President of the United States of America," Obama said.

But Clinton did not concede the race in her remarks.

"A lot of people are asking, 'What does Hillary want?"' Clinton said at a rally in New York. "I want what I have always fought for: I want the nearly 18 million people who voted for me to be respected and heard."

Earlier in the day, Clinton told congressional colleagues she would be open to joining Obama's ticket as his vice presidential nominee. But in her speech, the former first lady stopped short of ending or suspending her campaign. She did say she was committed to a united Democratic Party moving forward.

On a conference call with other New York lawmakers, Clinton, a New York senator, said she was willing to become Obama's vice presidential nominee if it would help Democrats win the White House, according to a participant who spoke on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to speak for Clinton.

Clinton's remarks came in response to a question from Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who said she believed the best way for Obama to win key voting blocs, including Hispanics, would be for him to choose Clinton as his running mate.

"I am open to it," Clinton replied, if it would help the party's prospects in November.

Clinton also told colleagues the delegate math was not there for her to overtake Obama, but that she wanted to take time to determine how to leave the race in a way that would best help Democrats.

"I deserve some time to get this right," she said, even as the other lawmakers forcefully argued for her to press Obama to choose her as his running mate.

Aides to the Illinois senator said he and Clinton had not spoken about the prospects of her joining the ticket.

"Certainly there'll be some plusses and minuses," said CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer. "The plusses are obvious. She can help him bring women to support him. She can help him with blue-collar workers. But there are some minuses, and the main minus is Bill Clinton himself. Does Obama want to bring on the questions that will be asked about his personal life?"

Many of her top supporters spoke openly of Clinton's potential vice presidential prospects. Lanny Davis, a former White House special counsel under President Clinton, said he told the former first lady Tuesday that he was initiating a petition to press Obama to select her for the second spot on the ticket. He said Clinton did not encourage or discourage the step.

"If he doesn't have her, I think he can still win. With her on the ticket, he can't be beat," Davis said.

Clinton's national finance chairman, Hassan Nemazee, said he was also pushing an Obama-Clinton ticket, claiming that together they would be able to raise $200 million to $250 million for the general election.

Joseph Crowley, a Queens Democrat who participated in the call, said her answer "left open the possibility that she would do anything that she can to contribute toward a Democratic victory in November. There was no hedging on that. Whatever she can do to contribute, she was willing to do."

Another person on the call, Rep. Jose Serrano of New York City, said her answer was "just what I was hoping to hear. ... Of course she was interested in being president, but she's just as interested in making sure Democrats get elected in November."

Rep. Charles Rangel, a devoted booster of Clinton who helped pave the way for her successful Senate campaign, said he spoke to her Tuesday and got much the same answer.

"She's run a great campaign and even though she'll be a great senator, she has a lot of followers that obviously Obama doesn't have, and clearly the numbers are against her and so I think they bring all parts of the Democratic Party together and then some," Rangel said.

Other names have been floated as possible running mates for Obama, including former rivals New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, and governors including Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Tim Kaine of Virginia. Also mentioned are foreign policy experts including former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, and other senators such as Missouri's Claire McCaskill and Virginia's Jim Webb.

Obama could also look outside the party to people such as anti-war Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska or independent New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Or he could look to one of his prominent supporters such as former Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota or try to bring on a Clinton supporter, such as Indiana's Sen. Evan Bayh or retired Gen. Wesley Clark.

[davidlar2]

I will not vote for Hillary, but I hope she does run as an independent. This will discredit her so much that she will also have no chance at the presidency in 2012, 2016, 2020, .... It will also make things interesting.

Personally, there are things I dislike about McCain, things I dislike about Obama, things I dislike about Bob Barr, but I will listen to the three of them and make a decision. Hillary is the candidate of uneducated, unthinking America, the candidate of classifying any educated opinion on economics, science, .... as "elitist" and therefore wrong, the closest thing to Bush in the current field.

[tiredofobama]

Why is Hillary different from any other candidate that finished second? She lost and now she continues down her divisive path of self importance. The idea that Obama doesn''''t represent Clinton supporters is absurd. Don''''t they have VERY similar platforms? Doesn''''t each one speak of moving the country in a positive direction? How exactly is Clinton the only one to represent "her" supporters?
Just once I would like to see a Clinton do something that wasn''''t self serving.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Policrypt at 05:29 PM : Jun 04, 2008

Since she actually didn''t finish second, she need to look at her options. She should NOT concede until the convention has nominated.

And she should keep her distance from Barak Obama. She doesn''t need his dirt on her hands showing she supported him!

Rezko was indicted today! Blagojevich and his supporters, including Obama, are at this minute fighting off investigations by Fitzpatrick.

Stay away, Hillary!

[libra127]

What is there left to ponder? There is a nominee and the least that she can do is to be gracious and concede.

Posted by karutam at 04:33 PM : Jun 04, 2008

She wants to speak face-to-face with Barack first. What''s so horrible about that ? She also has 18 million supporters, many of whom want her to "take it to Denver". She wants to hear from them too before deciding what to do. She feels she owes it to them to let them speak their minds. She feels she is representing them, looking out for them.

What''s it to you whether she "concedes" or not ? What are you afraid of ? The next couple of months will go on the same way whether she''s "conceded" or not.

She wants her supporters to support the Democratic Party in the Nov. election. In order for that to happen, she has to be very, very careful about when and how she exits the race. Do they want her to run for VP ? Does Obama want her as VP ? She needs a few days to consider these options rather than simply tell her supporters "it''s all over". The Dem. Party needs their support of the Dem. candidate and at the moment they don''t have it!

[karutam]

What is there left to ponder? There is a nominee and the least that she can do is to be gracious and concede. This has been the so typical type of vicious vindictive that has led to her own downfall. She is doing a real disservice to the party and the country. Her supporters, especially the NY delegation should really begin to look closely at the kind of character that they are supporting and withdraw it as it is not doing anyone any favors. Obama has moved on, he will be our nominee and while Hillary is entitled to ponder her own plans, she SHOULD AND MUST accept the fact that he is our nominee. Rangel, Schumer , Patterson, who on earth are you people, supposedly the leaders from NY who have been her staunch supporters???? where are your "cojones"? Speak up and support your nominee if you are really for the party. We can see that the clintons are not.

[anappleadae]

Based on the power of Hillary''s supporters, not elected officials, she can if she chooses register as an Independent as did Joe Lieberman did in the last election. Voters both Democrat and Republican would flock to her campaign Obama and McCain would become mere shadows in comparison.

[libra127]

Handing over port security to any non-US firm was the question in my mind mostly for the reason that outsourcing work like that usually leads to shoddy work.

Posted by taddles2 at 03:37 PM : Jun 04, 2008

Port security was already being run by a non-US firm. Granted, the British are more reliable allies than the govt. of Dubai. But it still seems to me that Bill Clinton didn''t do anything wrong in his advocacy role. It''s still up to Congress to make the decision.

[libra127]

If she doesn''t do everything she can to get Obama elected and he loses she will be blamed and her political career will be over.

Posted by taddles2 at 03:34 PM : Jun 04, 2008

I am certain she will do everything she possibly can to try to ensure Obama''s win, including serving as his VP if that is what he chooses.

However, I suspect that no matter what she does, she will be blamed if in fact he loses. Sad and unfair, but true.

[taddles2]

"Since the above is actually true, what do you feel is so wrong about what Bill Clinton did on the ports deal that failed ? Seems like a smart financial move to me and did not hurt the US in the least.

Posted by libra127 at 02:54 PM : Jun 04, 2008"


Modern and secular in the middle east are very relative terms. Handing over port security to any non-US firm was the question in my mind mostly for the reason that outsourcing work like that usually leads to shoddy work.

[taddles2]

"She wants her supporters to support the Democratic Party in the Nov. election. In order for that to happen, she has to be very, very careful about when and how she exits the race.

Posted by libra127 at 02:29 PM : Jun 04, 2008"


Very true. The way she exits the race will determine her future political career.

If she doesn''t do everything she can to get Obama elected and he loses she will be blamed and her political career will be over. If she goes out on a high note and helps Obama seriously and he is elected she will have enormous clout in the future.

The Hillary supporters who are threatening to vote McCain might consider that their vote will contribute to Hillary''s future downfall. If Obama loses and it is seen that Hillary supporters helped put McCain in office she will take the blame and will be a political pariah and her supporters will have put her in that position.

[libra127]

Obama should not be pushed into such a position and we hope that his advisors would see the folly of it happening. - Posted by notopennshut

That''s not what HRC is trying to do. However, if Obama could be "pushed into such a position", he is far too weak to be President of the U.S. !

HRC wants to talk to BHO to find out what he is thinking about the VP choice. She wants to discuss strategies for uniting the party and see how he thinks she can best help. She has said she''s "willing" to be VP IF 1) its what OBama wants, and 2) if it will help unite the party.

[libra127]

Clinton pointed out that Dubai was one of the most modern and secular countries in the ME and was actually hated by terrorists because it was the best example of great Western influence.

Posted by toldyouso12 at 01:20 PM : Jun 04, 2008

Since the above is actually true, what do you feel is so wrong about what Bill Clinton did on the ports deal that failed ? Seems like a smart financial move to me and did not hurt the US in the least.

[notopennshut]

Allowing her time to consider her options and future is classy. However, for her not to concede that Obama is the nominee is classless. This shows what kind of character Hillary really is! In any competition or contest, there is always a winner and Obama won. So the same classless, vindictive personality that we have seen over the last months is merely confirming what we already know. Obama must not even consider putting her on the ticket. This is a sure path to destruction of the party and his own ambitions. All her supporters should be ashamed of themselves by trying to "blackmail" him into such a decision. True, she is strong and talented, but entirely wrong for the ticket. Obama should not be pushed into such a position and we hope that his advisors would see the folly of it happening. She has already done much damage during the campaign and it will take him time to repair them. Putting her on his ticket would be the biggest mistake of his life.

[libra127]

She should have conceded by this morning the latest (central time).

Posted by factsearcher at 12:53 PM : Jun 04, 2008

She wants to speak face-to-face with Barack first. What''s so horrible about that ? She also has 18 million supporters, many of whom want her to "take it to Denver". She wants to hear from them too before deciding what to do. She feels she owes it to them to let them speak their minds. She feels she is representing them, looking out for them.

What''s it to you whether she "concedes" or not ? What are you afraid of ? The next couple of months will go on the same way whether she''s "conceded" or not.

She wants her supporters to support the Democratic Party in the Nov. election. In order for that to happen, she has to be very, very careful about when and how she exits the race. Do they want her to run for VP ? Does Obama want her as VP ? She needs a few days to consider these options rather than simply tell her supporters "it''s all over". The Dem. Party needs their support of the Dem. candidate and at the moment they don''t have it!

[blackmilitan]

SEXISM IS IN HILLARY MARRIAGE!

A 1969 charge by a Eileen Wellstone, 19-year-old English woman who said Clinton assaulted her.

In 1972, a 22-year-old woman told campus police at Yale University that she was sexually assaulted by Clinton.

In 1974, a female student at the University of Arkansas complained that then-law professor Bill Clinton groped her and forced his hand inside her blouse.

Broaddrick, a volunteer in Clinton''s attorney general campaign, said he raped her in 1978;

From 1978-1980, during Clinton''s first term as governor of Arkansas, state troopers assigned to protect the governor reported seven complaints from women who said Clinton forced, or attempted to force, himself on them sexually.

Elizabeth Ward, the Miss Arkansas who won the Miss America crown in 1982, told friends she was forced by Clinton to have *** with him shortly after she won her state crown.

Paula Corbin, an Arkansas state worker, filed a sexual harassment case against Clinton after an encounter in a Little Rock hotel room.

Sandra Allen James, a former Washington, DC, political fundraiser says Presidential candidate-to-be Clinton pinned her against the wall and stuck his hand up her dress.

Kathleen Willey, a White House volunteer, reported that Clinton grabbed her, fondled her breast and pressed her hand against his genitals during an Oval Office meeting in November, 1993.

[blondbeotch]

zoe2006 12:53 OMG---you are the biggest Bush hater I''ve seen!! And there has been some really hateful people on these boards----But you take the cake by far!!! You should be ashamed of yourself and all of your comments!! It''s alright to dislike him, but you REALLY HATE him---sad!!

[toldyouso12]

I take that back about the coffee. You''''re definitely into something much stronger. It is effecting your ability to be rational. So long and get help.

Posted by anappleadae at 01:39 PM : Jun 04, 2008

LOL. So long troll--and don''t let that door hit ya, where the Good Lord split ya. LMAOAY

[anappleadae]

toldyouso12

I take that back about the coffee. You''re definitely into something much stronger. It is effecting your ability to be rational. So long and get help.

[toldyouso12]

toldyouso12

So... you don''''t remember or don''''t know Joe Leiberman?

Posted by anappleadae at 01:33 PM : Jun 04, 2008


s
So you don''t know that Lieberman ran for the Senate and not the Presidency which has different deadlines and rules for filing for an Independent run?

What are you? A troll? A joke? Because your attempt to pass for an enlightened or intelligent voter is not convincing. Word to the wise and to you also: I don''t feed trolls often. LOL

[toldyouso12]

oldyouso12

Word of advise; lay off the coffee. Also, why are you worried about the Clintons when the Republican are way deep in you pockets at this very time?

Posted by anappleadae at 01:31 PM : Jun 04, 2008


An apple: I don''t drink coffee. And the word is "advice". Advise is a verb, advice is the noun and I am not worried about the Clintons so much as I despise them for intentionally dividing their own party for their own ends. As for who is in my pocket--I harbor no illusions that a win by either Obama or Clinton will cause more pain "in my pocket" than the Republicans have given their desire for so many government bailout programs, sharing of largesse with illegals and UHC. But I''m willing to bite the bullet for Obama--less so for the Clintons who do NOT have this country''s best interest at heart--they just have their own power base at heart, and for that, I''ll blast and lambast them every chance I get, until they play nice.

[anappleadae]

toldyouso12

So... you don''t remember or don''t know Joe Leiberman?