Clinton Spin Starts to Sound Like the Fairy Tale

Turns out the Democratic fairy tale is not Barack Obama's candidacy, as famously claimed by Bill Clinton in New Hampshire. Instead, the exaggerations and outright fairy tales are those continuing to be told by Hillary Clinton's campaign to the public and a still-gullible press.

Frankly, it's hard lately to tell if the Clintonites actually believe their own fairy tales, or if they fully grasp the reality, the gravity and the importance of this historic American moment.

Either way, after Barack Obama's landslide wins in Mississippi and Wyoming in the last few days, the Clinton campaign fairy tales are starting to sound silly and a bit delusional. Reality is that:

• The frontrunner does not and will not opt to be vice-president to the #2 candidate;

• Pennsylvania, alone, will not change the course of this election; and

• The gender card, the race card, the fear card and the religion card have not and will not punch a lasting, long-term wallop to Sen. Obama's candidacy.

About the Vice Presidency
Sen. Obama rightfully observed a few days ago:

"I won twice as many states as Sen. Clinton. I won more of the popular vote than Sen. Clinton. I have more delegates than Sen. Clinton. So I don’t’ know how someone in second place can offer the vice presidency to someone in first place. If I was in second place I could understand but I am in first place right now."

And of a potential Obama-Clinton/Clinton-Obama ticket, House speaker Nancy Pelosi stated, per NECN.com (see video clip) :

" 'I think that ticket either way is impossible,' Pelosi told NECN's Alison King shortly after an environmental event in Waltham, Massachusetts today.

"Pelosi cited comments made by Clinton officials that John McCain would be a better commander-in-chief as an example of why the 'dream ticket' wouldn't become a reality."

To think that Barack Obama presently aspires to be vice president to President Hillary Clinton is, truly, a political fairy tale.

Or a tactic.

I've heard whispered speculation that Hillary Clinton, a brilliant woman not usually prone to delusions, may now bitterly realize that her chances to win the 2008 presidential election are quite slim. That in 2016, she will be 68 years old, perhaps too old for another presidential run. That her best chance to take the White House may now be in 2012. And that a 2008 victory by 72-year-old John McCain could leave the door open for her four years later.

Denigrating Barack Obama by teasing voters in March 2008 with the specter of a Clinton-Obama Democratic ticket is fairy-tale spin. At best.

Pennsylvania as the Long-Awaited Decider?
First, Iowa was supposed to be the bellweather state. But Sen. Clinton lost there.

Then, Super Tuesday, February 5th, was dubbed by the Clinton camp as the day that Democrats pick Hillary as their nominee. But Obama and Clinton split the results on that election day.

Next, the Potomac primaries in February were supposed to be the decisive contests. But Sen. Clinton lost there, too.

And in the run-up to the Texas and Ohio primaries on March 5th, the Clinton camp portrayed huge election victories there as crucial to Hillary's continued candidacy.

But she won Ohio by a lesser margin than in any of Obama's 12 consecutive wins. And while she won the popular vote in Texas, she lost the caucuses, and Obama garnered more Texas delegates.

So now Clinton camp leaders, including Terry McAuliffe, are appearing on the talking head news shows, flacking for Sen. Clinton and intimating that Pennsylvania is THE state that will hand Hillary unstoppable momentum.

The Clintonites keeps moving the goal post, and the headline-hungry press keeps buying it. Or at least keeps covering it over and over and over again... until that elusive goal of Clinton capturing the 2008 nomination starts seeming like a mirage.

Or like a political fairy tale.

Surely the Clintons and the press have more respect for the critical thinking of Democratic voters than Pavlov did for his dogs.

Or do they?

Playing All the Negative Cards in the Deck
The race card. The gender card. The fear card.

Even, unbelievably, the religion card. (Hillary on 60 Minutes: "... I take him at his word... as far as I know" he's not a Muslim.)

To the frustrated amazement of Bill and Hillary Clinton, all the negative tactics in their deck of political cards have momentarily slowed, but failed to stop Barack Obama's amassing of more votes, more delegates and more states than Hillary Clinton.

And yet the Clinton campaign keeps dishing out the fairy tale-like caricatures of Hillary Clinton as victim, Hillary Clinton as top foreign policy expert, and Hillary Clinton as protectively maternal gladiator.

And keeps playing the gender, race and fear cards usually two to four days before voters cast their ballots.

The Clinton camp apparently continues to believe that hateful fairy-tales will finally derail Barack Obama once and for all.

Yet, so far, the fairy tale has ironically proven to be the Clinton's unfounded faith in playing the race, gender, religion and fear cards.

"Biggest fairytale I’ve ever seen"
On January 8, 2008, a ranting, red-faced Bill Clinton blurted about Barack Obama's candidacy to a New Hampshire crowd:

" Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen."

Two months after Bill Clinton uttered that injudicious remark, Barack Obama's presidential candidacy is anything but an illusionary fairy tale.

But a case can be made that Hillary Clinton's chances to garner the Democratic nomination are growing ever closer to fairy-tale status.

Certainly, the Clinton spin on Obama as Hillary's vice president, and on the electoral tide sharply turning in Hillary's favor after the Pennsylvania primary, are veering into fairy-tale territory.

(Photo taken on March 4, 2008: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Related Reading
Hillary's race against time by Camille Paglia in Salon, March 12, 2008
Clinton Scores Partial Comeback Using New Hardball Strategy
NECN.com, March 12, 2008: Pelosi dismisses Democratic 'Dream Ticket'