What do I Want?
Dear Senator Clinton,
First I want to give you a BIG hug and a BIG Congratulations on everything you have done and accomplished so far. I know you did it for me/us your supporters and I appreciate the road you traveled and will continue to travel in your truly amazing and historic journey.
Before I answer your question of what I want you to do, I want you to know that more importantly I want YOU to do what YOU think, feel and believe you should do. You and only You can decide this. What is in your heart? What is your gut telling you? Then, I think you should discuss it with your family and close friends, let them guide you to your decision.
Now - What do I want?
Well, I'm not yet devastated because I'm still in the "there may be a chance" mode. But after 15 + months of traveling this journey with you - of holding house parties, maxing out our contributions, sitting on conference calls, making GOTV calls to people all over the country; after traveling to Texas, Pennsylvania and Oregon on your behalf and seeing you, Bill and Chelsea at a number of destinations - well...
I want YOU to be MY President. That is what I want. I believe in you.
I would prefer that you were my President this year, not in 2012 or 2018, but if I had to wait that long I would.
So, if there is a road or path that can somehow lead you to be the President of the United States in 2009, then I would like for you to take it, But, if the ramifications in taking that path are detrimental to you and your future, I don't think it is worth it.
From where I stand, I can only see two paths of possibility, both seem remote; but I'm not a politician and therefore there may be other avenues that I am unaware of.
The first possible path and one that I would guess so many of your supporters are urging you to take is going to the Convention in Denver. Certainly your male counterparts have done this with far less delegates, but they were not successful in ultimately becoming the President that year. You have every right to do this because you have earned that for sure.
I think your campaign could certainly challenge the delegate math with regards to the RBC decision on Michigan AND I believe you have a strong case regarding the legalities of caucuses in terms of disenfranchising voters. Certainly in the case of TX, WA, ID, and NE where primaries were held and the outcome was different, you would have a good case. There are many of us willing to testify to the illegalities we witnessed as supporters in some of the caucuses (in my case Houston, Texas).
The fact that you have the most votes ever in history is something to use as your leverage and in your fight.
I question if in your fight over pledged delegates you will wind up alienating more Super Delegates thus defeating your purpose. It will be quite a challenge to get the SD's to overturn another historic candidate in your quest.
I'm not qualified to answer this and I would only urge you to do this if you think you have a good chance of making this work. But, no matter what happens, you should certainly not release your delegates as they could come in handy down the line should something surface regarding your opponent.
One other thought that a Convention fight might produce is a brokered Presidency (never been done before to my knowledge) where you are President for two of the years (Obama is VP) and Obama is President for two of the years (You are VP). But, this seems like a long-shot at best.
The second path that I think may make more sense, but the negative ramifications could be greater is for you to declare yourself as an Independent Candidate for President. The upside of this is that you don't have to fight the Democratic Party, but you will obviously be ostracized by them and if that matters to you in the future, then this may not be a good path to go down.
From where I stand, you have already been ostracized by them because the DNC leadership clearly have been in the bag for Obama from the beginning and many have tried to force you out of the race since Feb or March. As far as your supporters are concern, many of us no longer care about the Democratic Party.
The upside I see in this path is that you can immediately garner a good amount of support - probably 20-25% or more. This is certainly more than Ross Perot or other Independent candidates have ever gotten and it puts you in the spotlight of competing in the debates against both McCain and Obama, of which I would guess you would prevail.
But, no Independent candidate has ever won the Presidency and it will, most likely ensure that McCain will win the White house until 2012. But, this could set you up well as a candidate in 2012.
The third option is to be the Vice President. I know many of your supporters look down on this because we all see you as the more qualified, experienced candidate - BUT - in some odd way, you owe it to us and yourself to take this position IF you can bargain for leverage in this position. Meaning a VP with a purpose (like Healthcare) or steward of the Economy, or whatever. And in my opinion, that is YOUR right and you have earned it.
The reason I believe this is a better idea than a cabinet position, then Senate Majority Leader or even Governor of New York is because it does put you in the #2 spot - only a heartbeat away from the Presidency. It is historic and since your journey is historic it would make sense that you should take this and become the first woman Vice President of the United States. I would be fine with this. I am one of your ardent supporters that will not vote for Obama and support McCain (if you are not the nominee) - BUT - I would never vote against YOU and therefore if you are on the ticket with Obama, I would support it.
The other reason this option may be the best one is that it is the path of least resistance. You will be hailed as a uniter and if Obama loses the nomination, it will not be your fault. You will be set up to run again in 2012. If Obama is successful, than you're in the White house - can run in 2018 if you want and you never know what might happen in those years.
Even in accepting this position, I would not release your delegates until after the convention.
I would certainly urge you and want you to do one of these options.
Taking a cabinet position, or a higher level Senate position, or running for Gov. of NY is not part of the dream or journey we have all been working for, so these ideas do not appeal to me personally, but I would respect your decision if that is what you want.
I just want you to know, Hillary that I adore you as so many of your supporters do. I know we weren't supposed to idolize you like a Movie Star, but as the song says "I've grown accustomed to your face". After 15 + months - I don't want to let you go; I don't want to let the dream die. I will be in Denver, ready to storm that convention floor if you want me to. But, in the end, I will always respect your final decision.
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