Area woman foolishly enables Clinton's sad, tragic denial

Apologies for being the last website in the United States to note that the most apt analysis of what's left of the Hillary Clinton campaign was not performed by Karen Tumulty in Time, or by Peggy Noonan (of all people) in the WSJ, but in the Monty Python scene with the Black Knight.

Now, if only Rep. Shelley Berkley would get it.

Berkley, D-Tel Aviv and Las Vegas, is one of 16 17 Democratic members of Congress who signed off on a letter Friday urging the party's superdelegates to ignore all that stuff about who has the most votes and who has the most delegates, and just give the party's presidential nomination to Hillary Clinton anyway because she's not black.

OK, that's paraphrasing. But not much.

"Hillary has won the big battleground states by connecting with voters whose support we must have to win the general election," Berkley and friends write.

What voters might those be? Why, "working, hard-working Americans, white Americans," as the former first lady helpfully explained to USAToday earlier in the week, "whites in both states who had not completed college ..."

Berkley and her moderate-to-conservative-to-bluedog colleagues also touted Clinton's "ability to connect with voters we must deliver in the fall, including blue collar Democrats who can sway this election as they have in the past."

Hey, isn't that supposed to read white blue collar Democrats?

Granted, as a politician from Nevada, Berkley's constituency, pound-for-pound, likely includes more white people without a college education than is found in the average congressional district. But while the Clinton campaign has cynically embraced and even disgustingly exploited ugly prejudices in an effort to "connect" with the least educated and most fearful and ignorant among the citizenry, it should be noted that Berkley is not a member of that demographic. In fact, she's a bit of a smarty boots.

As such, she knows damned good and well that it's over, that the former first lady isn't going to win the presidency this year (and probably not ever).

No one expects Berkley to say that publicly at this stage of the game. She is a Clinton supporter, loyalty is a virtue and Obama will secure the nomination in due course without Berkley saying anything one way or the other.

But pretty much the entire Democratic Party is — for now — showing a little patience and hoping that Clinton snaps out of it and calls it a day, preferably sooner rather than later, and stops flailing around in hopeless but nonetheless disturbing futility. The last thing Berkley should be doing is egging her on.

Comments

Let's just be honest for a minute about Shelley Berkley.

The woman is as senile as John McCain. Early on set dementia is clearly taking its toll. I like her well enough and she has served us well (excluding her war mongering pro-Israel bias), but she is definitely starting to loose it. She is going to be Robert Bird in about 2 years.

I for one am ready for Congressman Steve Horsford.

[Michael Green]

I think that disagreeing with Berkley is fine. On this issue and several others, I don't agree with her. But I think she is the best congressperson we can hope for in this district and I think the anonymous character assassination above is unacceptable.

Now, I would like Hillary Clinton to withdraw, and do it quickly and gracefully. I look forward to doing what I can to elect Barack Obama. I have even referred to Bill Clinton as the best Republican president since Theodore Roosevelt, so I am less convinced of his and his wife's perfection than some of their supporters. But I am a little tired of tone, here and elsewhere, about her when she actually has won primaries. This isn't Kucinich. This isn't the 2008 version of Edwards. Her supporters are not limited to women over the age of 65. And however much she has diminished herself with some of her out-of-line comments against Obama, especially in comparison with that adulterous prostitute John McCain, some of those who have criticized her have diminished themselves, too.

[elizabeth cady stanton]

It is one heck of a note to find myself agreeing with not only Peggy Noonan but the Clinton divorce article, also found in today's WSJ. However, I think Hillary will implode over the next few weeks. Her tone is rancorous -- to quote from her AP interview -- again.

Obama strode through Capitol Hill like a Colossus paying no heed to the canards, distortions, and asperions while Senator Clintion is increasingly, more and more, resembling Medusa in tone and conduct.

The Monty Python comparison is perfect. Thank you.

Let her hoist herself on her own petard.

Just my 2 cents.

[Judy]

OBAMA IS BLACK????!!!????

[Pedro]

Hillary Clinton's (and the yes men that suround her) reluctance to admit defeat and stick to her talking points in blind defience to fact and truth remind me of W's continued pr stunt to try and sell the Iraq invasion to America. The similarties are actually somewhat frightening.

Howard Wolfson = Karl Rove part duex

Just keep bending the truth and selling your slop to the clueless bumpkins--eventually I'm sure your bullshit will sell.

BTW--will anyone be that surprised when Berkley pulls a Lieberman on us. Get a clue Shelley.

[GladK]

Remember those ads you used to see, where a woman held a vibrator up to her cheek but you still got the idea what she oughta use one for. Well rattlesnake Berkley comes with her OWN vibrator, and boy did those rattles go off like a timpani symphony the day Madam Congresswoman heard Hillary say she'd "obliterate" Iran.

[Zeke]

Is she Fu%*ing Crazy, or just retarded?
"The Big Battles"?
Like Obama might not win California or New York.

Clinton is in Denial. End it already, She had her chance. She didn't win. You can't change the rules after you lose the F%#@ing game!
that's called cheating. Try it tonight in a Casino and see where you wind up.
ZekeSaysSo.com

It's alittle offensive for Shelley to portray herself as being elected from a competitive Congressional districts. Shelley's district was drawn to guarantee a win for her.Stop this dismal pathetic attempt to create an alternative reality.

Where's Mike Zahara? I hear he's in jail is that true? I know he would be ready to spit out ground glass over this.

[wylib]

'Tis but a scratch!

Not.

Rep. Berkely, get real - the primaries are over, your gal war-voted and race-baited and Bill-sicced her way into this loss.

Say it with me: "President Obama"

[CollegeStudent]

Pedro-Shelley already did pull an Lieberman on us, except instead of going from Democrat to Republican, she went from D to Adelsonican.

[MikeZ]

I like the idea of Congressman Horsford too.

She promised us she wouldn't endorse and then did and she has long been a bed partner of Sheldon Adelson.

Interesting to see how Reno will play this late in the game and who switched their votes to the winner.

D-Tel Aviv...that is funny Gleaner!

To Anon at 3:42 -- not only that but what makes CD1 a safe district is the significant portion of African-American voters in it. Had that demographic been broken up more evenly between CD2 and CD3, Berkeley would have had competitive races every two years -- and Porter would never have won his seat in teh first place.

Anon is right. CD01 depends on a significant black and hispanic turnout. Shelley should lose all of NLV and the NE valley portions to the new seat making CD01 far more GOP than it is now. I live down the street from Shelley and they can just as easily map her out of CD01, or make life tougher for her.

That's why '00 year elections are so important. If the GOP draws the map again, 2012 will be very interesting for all offices.

Either CD01 or new 04 will be ordered by the USDOJ to be majority minority after redistricting to ensure Voting Rights.

[Michael Green]

You may not believe this, because some of you may find it convenient to lump Berkley in with Sheldon Adelson, but it is possible for people who have no use for each other to agree on an issue, and for people who really like each other to disagree.

[MikeZ]

I don't recall Shelley ever having a black congressional staffer, and only one black campaign staffer, so the racist toned letter is to be expected because she like many others here are tin-eared and blurry visioned to the bigger picture and how things appear to others, esp voters...

...and it is also likely to be answered politically.

Just look at North Las Vegas from the caucus--that was a sea of dark blue and I think HRC only won one precinct up there.

Obama woke up SoNev's moribund black community to come out to the polls and any challenger to Shelley will have a possible President Obama vigorously campaigning for her primary opponent, as well as she being completely ignored by an Obama White House. This is the high stakes at this level.

The HRC people here are on the outside looking in. That's just how it goes at the prez level.

Go back to jail Zahara.

Really, Zahara, you're not worthy of anyone's time -- but just to show what a shitforbrains idiot you are, just this once, I'll contradict you just to show you have no clue what you are raving about.

Ashanti Gholar.

Just to be clear, I wrote AG's name to show Zahara is wrong; she didn't write that.

[MikeZ]

I haven't seen Ashanti in a while. I was told you went to the DNC, or was trying to get her law license, or whatever. Again, I am unaware of any African American on Shelley's staff besides you.

Shelley damaged herself by endorsing when she promised us all she wouldn't and tonight, she looks and sounds like a racist in today's letter as per Gleaner's post here. Everyone is reading that letter the same way, 'cept Shelley and you.

She did that all by herself. You should be concerned about the FEC & House matters tonight, shouldn't you?

[KICKBOXERMOMMA]

THE TIMES DO NOT BODE WELL FOR HILLARY. BUT THERE IS A DEFINITE RACIAL TONE TO THIS. BLUE COLLAR WORKERS.SEEMS LIKE THIS IS ONLY DIRECTED AT WHITE BLUE COLLAR WORKERS. THAT'S THE PERCEPTION. WHY DOES HILLARY THINK ALL THOSE BLACK VOTERS WON'T STAY AT HOME AFTER SO EFFECTIVING INSULTING THE BLACK COMMUNITY BY HER CONTINUAL RACE BASED ATTACKS? SUPER DELEGATES ARE SEEING THE SCHISM GETTING WIDER AND WIDER AND IT WON'T HEAL WITH HILLARY AS THE NOMINEE. THOSE REPUBS IN PA,& IN WHO VOTED FOR HER WOULD NEVER VOTE FOR HER IN NOVEMBER. BTW I'M NOT SHOUTING. JUST MORE CONVENIENT TO TYPE IN CAPS.LETTER FROM CONGRESSMEN-SORRY DESPERATE MOVE ALONG W/HILLARY'S DESPERATE, GRASPING AT STRAWS LETTER TO HAVE FL& MI SEATED.

[KidFromVegas]

In poll after poll... Clinton v. McSame, grandpa wins NV... Obama v. McSame, Obama wins NV!

I guess it has to do with all those blacks in the cow counties? Nothing like a Clinton on the ticket to drive GOP turn-out up yonder!

I'm not even going to gloat about how MZ got bitch slapped over another "Absolute, I know all" statement... OK, maybe a little.

[Nevada Ned]

Dear MikeZ (and others):

Shelly Berkeley and Sheldon Adelson do NOT get along. She used to work for him. Then he fired her. The RJ printed her side of the story, and Adelson sued the RJ for libel.

They are both extremists about Israel, so they have something in common. But they hate each other.

[KidFromVegas]

I'm not even going to gloat about how MZ got YET ANOTHER bitch slap over another "Absolute, I know all" statement... OK, maybe a little MORE THIS TIME.

[CollegeStudent]

Of all the reasons to defend Berkeley, and there are some, the committees she is on and such (I am sure there are others), dismissing her connections to Adelson because they don't get along seems pretty weak to me. Shelley now lives and works in Washington, where I am pretty sure no one gets along, but as long as they can help each other (read: $$) its doesn't matter.
It is also dangerous to dismiss her agreement with Sheldon's position on Israel, especially in this context, because it is at it's core a racist position in the context that Jews and Israelis are white, or at least in this case and Palestinians are not.
And before anyone gets all ADL on me, let me say, I'm a Jew and as such am truly conflicted about Israel. To the point that the only fair conclusion I can come to is that its too messed up to pick sides and as long as everyone keeps shooting at each other it will never get resolved. The Adelson-Berkeley hardline stance only perpetuates the violence.