Barack Obama,  Hillary Clinton,  President 2008

Hillary Clinton Watch: No Timetable to Withdraw from Campaign

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton waves during a campaign rally in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, May 31, 2008

Hillary is NOT done – at least not yet.

Harold Ickes, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s liaison to superdelegates, convened a conference call with between 35 and 40 members of Congress loyal to the New York senator this afternoon, a gathering designed to take their temperature on her future in the presidential contest.

The tenor of the call, according to a source familiar with it, was largely supportive of the New York senator. “New Yorkers don’t like a quitter,” Rep. Charlie Rangel (N.Y.) said. Rep. Marion Berry (Ark.) added that the Arkansas delegation was behind Clinton for as long as she wanted to stay in the race.

Ickes, who championed Clinton’s cause over the weekend at the Rules and Bylaws Committee, insisted that the New York senator had not given any serious thought to leaving the race and would not do so until after the primaries tomorrow in Montana and South Dakota.

But, the pressure is mounting. But, a very large detail is up in the air – Hillary’s campaign debts.

Negotiations are understood to be taking place between the Obama and Clinton campaigns about the Illinois senator helping to repay some of the massive debt incurred by his rival. One of Hillary Clinton’s donors said that the former First Lady’s campaign was as much as $40 million in the red.

In a conference call with major donors this afternoon, contributors were told by Harold Ickes, a senior Clinton adviser, that she was unlikely to pull out of the race until the issue of her massive debts was resolved. The New York senator has lent her own campaign at least $11.5 million.

One source close to a major donor said: “It’s not about the vice-presidency or any other position she might get. It’s about the money – in particular the Clinton family money.” The Obama campaign might have to reach deeply into its well-stocked coffers in order to secure the full support of Mrs Clinton and her husband Bill in the November general election.

As Flap said before:

The heat has been turned up on the Clintons and Bill especially knows it is time to go – especially if the campaign debts and proper respects are paid. Their campaign donors are poised to switch over to Obama and when suitable details are consummated it will be leaked to Drudge.

It is ALL about the money.

Stay tuned……

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Hillary Clinton Watch: End of the Road?


2 Comments

  • Ling

    Ah well, guess it was fun while it lasted. Although would have been more fun if we had some tidbits from Bill Clinton’s Presidential Library records. Maybe we’ll get another shot at it in 2012.

  • Flap

    One of the hold-ups for Hillary departing is the money that Bill insists be back filled to his personal accounts. After all he had to whore himself big time to get all of those foreign contributions.

    Obama is afraid as to what the Clinton Cabal will do to him if she does not get out NOW.

    I figure at the end of the day it will cost the Obama campaign $25-30 million. Do you think the donors will be happy?