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Sen. Hillary Clinton

How Did Clinton's Bid For White HOuse Fall Short In 2008?

By Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter
New Journal & Guide
 
       During June 2007, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s  brand name, her bankroll, and the media hype indicated that she had the clear path to her party’s nomination to run for president.
      She had the hottest and fastest car in the race for the White House; primed to make history as the first woman to be elected President of the United States.
 But a year later, Clinton is running behind a faster and sleeker operation driven by Senator Barack Obama, who could become the first African American to be elected president.
      Further, she is over $30 million-plus in debt.
Yet, Clinton, and some of her supporters. have yet to concede defeat, and some campaign watchers predict she will hold fast until the final decision is made at the Democratic Convention.
Del. Lionell Spruill of Chesapeake is a member of the Virginia Assembly and one of the Commonwealth’s 16 Superdelegates.  While six of them have said they support Clinton, five, including Governor Tim Kaine are leaning toward Obama. Spruill is one of the undecided. Many delegates, in other states, especially African Americans, have gone with the candidate who won their districts; in many cases, that has been Senator Obama.
      Delegate Spruill said that despite Clinton’s standing in the primary race, he could buck the trend.
      “We must admit there has been some mistakes made. A lot of the problems, too, rest with the Clinton name and history,” said Spruill. 

  “Because she or a member of her operation has personally contacted me to see where I stand, I still have a high regard for her. The other campaign has talked to me one time. We must be mindful of the support Mrs. Clinton has generated in this campaign. I do not think it’s over yet and neither does she.”

      On May 22, Senator Clinton  in an interview with a South Dakota newspaper made reference to the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy after he had won the California primary in June of 1968.

Posted June 4, 2008

  


    Her comment was not well received by those who questioned whether she may have been eluding to the possibility that something tragic could happen to Senator Obama and help her with a last minute victor, as Senator Kennedy’s death helped Hubert Humphrey during that election.
      Senator Obama was the first of the candidates to get secret service protection last year; the earliest in history. A large number of threats have been directed at him.  Polls indicate that eight in 10 African Americans have concerns for his safety.

      “When Obama first announced  his intentions, people…Black people especially were asking…is he Black enough.. could he beat Hillary? I think we have  to answer yes to both questions now,” said retiring NSU political science professor, Jeraldine Hunt.

   “When she made that statement about Robert Kennedy, that struck a nerve with Black people.  Was she suggesting something that reminds of us of Kennedy and of Dr. King?  She still has some Black support, but African Americans are not so supportive of the Clintons these days. Maybe she was tired when she made that statement. I think both Clintons, despite their popularity in the community, do not understand the Black community.  They forget our history  and our sensitivities and appear to take us for granted.”
  Dr. Alvin Thornton, a professor of Political Science at Howard University in Washington, D.C., offered his explanation why Senator Clinton may fail to achieve her historic goal.
      “Mrs. Clinton may be the victim of her own success and historical timing. Further, we must look at  this nation’s willingness to elect a minority to the presidency at this time in our history. Are we ready?” he asked.

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