Down But Not Out, Clinton Stays Steady On the Trail By Aaron Bruns
PORTLAND, Ore — Despite limited resources, impossible delegate math, and a ticking clock working against her, Hillary Clinton’s first few public events after a big loss in North Carolina and too-narrow victory in Indiana on Tuesday have shown very little to suggest that she’s changed her strategy or approach going forward.
In the wake of that poor performance, some pundits suggested that Clinton would cease and desist in attacking her Democratic rival Barack Obama to pave the way for a graceful exit and possibly curry favor for a joint ticket. Indeed, in her remarks in Shepherdstown, WV on Wednesday, there was nary a mention of Obama or even “my opponent.”
But yesterday saw Clinton criticizing Obama for opposing a federal gas tax holiday — as she did in the last days before Tuesday’s primary — and calling him out for ducking a debate in Oregon, much as she did in the week after her win in Pennsylvania last month. She also repeated her standard attacks on his vote for what she calls the “Dick Cheney Energy Bill” in 2005
The only concessions to her new political reality now come in the form of defiant responses to those who would end the election before all the votes are counted.
“People say to me all the time, are you going to keep going? Of course I’m going to keep going”!” she said in Central Point, OR. And in Charleston, WV, she listed all the times she defied the odds when she was counted out. “Some in Washington wanted us to end our campaign, then I won New Hampshire. Then we had huge victories on Super Tuesday. Then we won Ohio and Texas and Pennsylvania. And I was never supposed to win Indiana,” she said. “Now there are some folks who have said, well, we needed to end this before we got to West Virginia. Well I don’t think so. I think we want to keep this going so that the people of West Virginia’s voices are heard.”
There is, however, a hint of wistfulness amid the tough talk. Clinton thanked supporters at a fundraiser in Washington for sticking with her though all of the ups and downs of this campaign. And in Central Point apologized for being late with something of a metaphor for the uphill battle she’s facing.
“We were flying against the wind,” she said. “You know, that’s the story of my life. Fly against the wind, you’ll get there eventually.”