Campaign 2008

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the chat room: Real-time discussions with Slate writers.

When To Hold 'Em, When To Fold 'EmJohn Dickerson takes readers' questions on the candidate's decision to quit or fight on.

Posted Monday, April 7, 2008, at 6:21 PM ET

(Continued from page 2)

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Malvern, Pa.: John, how much more of their personal fortune do you think the Clintons will be willing to invest in her campaign? In the end, will it make a difference? If you were 60 years old and worth more than $100 million, would you work 20 hours a day for a job that is in so many ways totally thankless? Just wondering.

John Dickerson: I think they might not drop any more coin for a little while. Here's why: It looks like they've lost the support of regular check writing folks and it raises questions about where the money came from again.

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Arlington, Va.: What do you think of the discussion that if Clinton loses the nomination she would rather that McCain win this fall, so that she can run in 2012? Much of what she is doing now sure seems intended to either make her win or blow up the party trying. Should Harry Reid offer her the Senate Majority Leader position?

John Dickerson: It's certainly an argument in the case against Clinton. I think we'll really know whether there's any evidence for this (so far there isn't, I don't think) when we get to see how hard she works for Obama if he's the nominee.

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Los Angeles: I'm an independent who usually votes Democratic, but I just haven't bought into the Obama vision. I have a problem with his lack of national and international experience and the way he casts that as a positive. If Clinton drops out, my instincts tell me to vote for McCain. Is Clinton holding onto her campaign because she knows there are millions of undecided voters like me who want to vote for her but would swing to McCain if Obama were the Democratic nominee?

John Dickerson: That's part of her case, yes. There have been seveal polls that show there are more voters like you than those who would vote for McCain if Clinton were elected.

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Fairfax, Va.: Have you read Lawrence O'Donnell's piece about the "Movie Ending" to the Democratic nomination? Does this thing actually go to the covention? If Clinton dropped out say after the last primary and Obama went on to lose to McCain, would Clinton still be viable in 2012?

John Dickerson: I haven't read the piece but given the twists and turns this election has taken I should think any movie ending would involve a kung fu fight, an F-15 flyover and a championship football game.

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Baltimore: Re: Clinton saying Obama can't win—as a lifelong Democrat I find this argument particularly galling. Clinton's unfavorable ratings have basically not moved throughout the campaign—half of the country is on record as despising her. Secondly, do we Democrats have such a short memory that we can't recall how John Kerry sold himself as more "electable"? We know how well that worked out.

John Dickerson: Clinton's rating have actually slipped. There are a lot of people who share your view, but given the numbers (Clinton trails in delegates, popular vote and states won) she doesn't have a lot of choices in the arguments she makes.

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Washington: Why are so many of the chattering class suggesting that Hillary should quit? Didn't they learn about all of the people who failed and failed and then succeeded

John Dickerson: Two reasons. 1: people want Obama elected. 2: those who aren't actually advocating that she drop out nevertheless are examining reasons she might be forced to before the last contest and the fact that the numbers are so against her gives ample argument for why she can't make up the deficit given the contests remaining.

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Alexandria, va.: Given Obama's weakness with white, middle-class voters and Reagan Democrats (Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan), older voters (Florida) and Latinos (Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida), where does he find the votes to reach 270 electoral votes?

John Dickerson: He finds them because in a general election he'll be up against John McCain, a different candidate on a different playing field.

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Rockville, Md.: Why not settle this at the convention? It might get the ratings up. I sense a lot of partisan forces at work here.

John Dickerson: Ratings might go up but a car carsh gets good ratings too. If it goes to the convention, Democrats worry, there it'll be a big crack-up

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