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Carville: Hillary Must Win Ohio and Texas or 'This Thing Is Done'

February 13, 2008 10:33 PM

At a trade show in Orlando, Fla., today, where he and his wife Mary Matalin made a speaking appearance, James Carville, an adviser to Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., made a candid assessment of Clinton's chances.

"She’s behind," Carville said, according to the Orlando Sentinel (LINK). "Make no mistake. If she loses either Texas or Ohio, this thing is done."

The candor in the claim, even from Carville, is what might be startling, not the math. 

It's unclear if Carville knew a reporter was in the audience of thousands at the International Builders Show convention.

- jpt

February 13, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary | Permalink | Share | User Comments (49)

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I'm not done yet..Racism is wrong from anyone! Are we supposed to give a presidential candidate a free pass because of race? if McCaine were accepting Donations and or endorsements
from Terrorist would ABC,CBS,NBC,CNN,sweep that under the
rug? Hell No! I am Proud to an American
no matter who is President!
The Black Panthers were/are Terrorist's
will Nat'l. News call them Insurgents
Define insurgent B4 911, Define
terrorist then and now, which
definition's apply now,and does change
because of geography? I thought not!

Posted by: Acie D. Dye | Mar 10, 2008 1:59:31 PM

It's now post-primary (post Vermont, Texas, Rhode Island and Ohio) and I stand with many people as an Obama supporter. Now more than ever, I'm convinced that he is the best person for the job as President of the United States. The old politics won't do anything to elevate America in the end and America can't afford a further downward spiral.

Posted by: VS | Mar 5, 2008 6:32:25 AM

I'm from Pa and I do not find that Pa is a sure thing for Clinton either. Ohio and Texas please think twice and please all vote. Senator Obama will bring this country together! He is our best shot to move on in the global economy and the new technological world we now face. We dare not and can not go backwards---our children need Senator Obama and so do we!!! Obama 08

Posted by: Chris | Mar 3, 2008 1:29:24 PM

Barack Hussein Obama is the biggest political fraud in this country's history, he has lied, cheated, denied and stolen his way through this process, IF AMERICA is STUPID enough to ELECT him to the highest office in the LAND the next terrorist attack will be well deserved to all of US! WE will have gotten EXACTLY the "change" that we signed on for! WAKE UP AMERICA before ITS TOO LATE!!!!

Posted by: Terri | Mar 3, 2008 12:16:17 PM

I love reading these forums. Its so enlightening. First of all Hillary being first lady shouldn't give her an edge. Hillary being a woman shouldn't either. This election should be about who will be a better president of our country, that is it, nothing less, nothing more. She doesn't have that much more experience when compared to Obama. He is not dirty, he is the realest politician this country has ever seen. The women are voting for her because of her gender. That is ridiculous. Obamas supporters are actually voting for him because they believe in him. Thats the truth of the matter. I am a 24 yr. old single mother of 2 and I'm voting for Obama. Feminists need to get off their high horse. We are recognized for our achievements and our goals. We have the same opportunities as men in this country. Thats not what this is about. If she could do so much good for this country, she would have along side of her husband in the white house. She is an insider and that doesn't credit her a nomination instead of someone else who is not an insider that deserves it. I pray to God, literally, that he sweeps her again in both Ohio and Texas. Then she will understand it can't take her name and use it against a candidate on the road to the white house. Maybe she will walk away dignified or keep her nose stuck in like a sore loser. That will do nothing for her country or her party. That is my hope, so that we can finally get behind one candidate and get on with the general election if the democratic party is serious about taking the white house after 8 years of Bush. We better get serious and decide or the republicans will take this election and for good reason. There can't be 2 nominees and one needs to duck their head and give the majority of the people what they are voting for and that is Obama. VOTE OBAMA 08!!!!

Posted by: Lydia V | Mar 2, 2008 9:18:51 PM

Anyone with any brains surely knows that the media is completely biased against Hillary Clinton. And its even more funny to see Texans' putting down the Clintons, look at your own Texan George W Bush and how big of a criminal he is... George W Bush will go down as the worse US President of all time. My children will be studying his stupid idiotic decisions when they are college....

Posted by: Beau | Feb 27, 2008 10:37:44 PM

dont forget superdelegates! and honestly look into barack and his wifes past. its dirty and money hungry. the (only) 2 years of being on the senate does not qualify him. he doesnt have a universal health care plan to cover EVERYONE and the hospital his wife is on the board of directors of is one of the very few hospitals (10 hopitals) left in the country that doesnt offer any financial help to poor patience. Also they charged uninsured minorities 3 1/2 more times what they charged white insured patients.

Posted by: tyler | Feb 23, 2008 3:24:53 PM

Hillary is done. She needs to win Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to have a chance. So says Bill Clinton. She WILL win Pennsylvania easily, all right. Ohio will be close, and she will likely win. But Hillary will LOSE Texas. That's right. Don't be surprised to see the margin of defeat be eight points in the biggest prize of the night.

And that will be the final nail in Hillary's coffin.

Posted by: Dave from NY | Feb 21, 2008 3:33:52 PM

HILLARY HAS THE EXPERIENCE OF BIENG PRESIDENT BECUASE HER HUSBAND BILL CLINTON WAS THE PRESIDENT OF U.S.A. I LOVE HER THOUGHT AND SHE WILL BRING SOLUTION. SHE MUST HAVE FAITH IN GOD. I WISH SHE COULD READ MY NOTE, LOOK SHE CAN READ PHILIPPIANS 4:13 IN THE BIBLE IT SAYS " I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH GOD." I'M LATINO I SUPPORT HER AND I LOVE BARACKA OBAMA SPEECH, BUT HE HAS NO WAY TO BECOME PRESIDENT. McCAIN IS A GOOD MEN AND HE WILL NOT WIN THE NOMINATION.LITTLE VOTE.I LOVE HUCKABEE A LOT, BUT HE IS HAS NO CHANCE TO WIN THE NOMINATION. SO ONLY HILLARY AND BARACKA CAN WIN THE NOMINATION.

Posted by: jasinto GIRON | Feb 21, 2008 2:52:40 PM


PulSamsara: "When judgment mattered most - Clinton got it dead wrong."

Ya Man. Either bad judgment or no courage to show her convictions. Either way is Bad.

Agmines: "How Can Hillary Run a Nation When Hillary Mismanaged Her Campaign?"

Dead Right. Seems that either Hills thought she was gonna inherit the nomination or she ain't no manager. Case in point - See HillaryCare.

Posted by: The Commander Guy | Feb 15, 2008 9:40:39 AM

When judgment mattered most - Clinton got it dead wrong.

We are still fighting in Iraq, spilling American blood and looting America's coffers. And Clinton helped make it happen.

Posted by: PulSamsara | Feb 15, 2008 7:17:35 AM

NEWS FLASH: Neither Clinton, Huckabee, McCain nor Obama has the experience to qualify him/her as president.

The political system of pitting one group against the other must come to an end to prevent a further downward spiral (lower ranks on education, quality of life, global status, etc.)of the "United States".

That 's why the ability to bring many different people together to one table is the key quality that I must use to determine who the best candidate will be. Obama is the only one out the four remaining candidates that has that quality.

I'm so happy and proud that the young people of this nation recognize this all-important quality in Obama and are coming out to vote in big numbers. Maybe some of the posters on this site might do well to talk to the young people in their life and gain some insight on how great the future could be with the best kind of political system: where everyone is included.

Posted by: VS | Feb 15, 2008 6:20:11 AM

Prefilinano - check your facts:

[ABC News, 5/17/07]: In fact, Obama's Senate voting record on Iraq is nearly identical to Clinton's. Over the two years Obama has been in the Senate, the only Iraq-related vote on which they differed was the confirmation earlier this year of General George Casey to be Chief of Staff of the Army, which Obama voted for and Clinton voted against.

Posted by: Catherine | Feb 14, 2008 5:57:08 PM

Well, Carrie, the statement accomplished its goal then

Posted by: SouthernBell | Feb 14, 2008 5:18:16 PM

Okay, maybe she made a mistake and voted for the war the first time. However, she continued to support the war after we where in. She continued to vote for the war, after we found no weapons. by this time, 30% of the American people where against the war.

Are we saying that 30% of the American population is smarter, on this issue, than the person we want to call commander in chief?

The senator from IL didn't vote for the war one time.

Posted by: Prefilinano | Feb 14, 2008 5:15:15 PM

I was on the fence but now she's running negative ads. We new she was running out of money. CNN's political team said that she would probally seek more debates because she would get free air time. Obama attended 18 debates already and is scheduled to attend 2 more. That would be enough anywhere, if Hillary wasn't strapped for cash. I think she mismanaged the money. Then turned around and blamed it on the Latina that was running the show, firing her last week, for no good reason other than that she was loosing.

Hillary isn't the real deal. The people in TX see right through her empty promises. I'm not gonna vote for her because she is loosing and wants me to feel sorry for her. That dog won't hunt.

The only way she could do it is winning most of the rest of the contests by 25 to 30 points, and there is not a single contest on the calendar left where any polls project her to win by those margins.

Now members of CNN's political team are saying that she must steal some of John Edwards speaches to get enough voters. She already sounding more and more like Obama. Complaining that she is a victim because, she doesn't do well in caucuses. Complaing that she can't get the crowd all wooped up like the Sentator from IL.

Stick a fork in her! She's done.

Posted by: Houston Democrat | Feb 14, 2008 5:06:55 PM

Geek Gurl

Da 2002 vote is used against her because she (and several other senate Dem's) decided to go with the public opinion polls rather than trusting their best judgment (and looking WEAK btw).

If there is anything Hills has tried to avoid it is looking WEAK. Remember Strong and Wrong beats Weak but Right.

On Hills biggest vote of her career, her Finger was in the air check to see which way the wind was blowing. And yes, so was Jon Cary and the Beck Girl.

So you got someone who has consistently backed (dare I say enabled) GWB43 on the Irak war from day one.

Hills always gotta finger in the wind. This is case in point.


Posted by: The Commander Guy | Feb 14, 2008 5:02:13 PM

I'm really tired of the 2002 vote to authorize the use of force against Iraq being used against Hillary. First of all, Barack Obama claims he was "against the war from the start." Conveniently, he was not even in a position to vote on this resolution because, oh yeah, he was not a senator yet. Secondly, read the roll call...77 votes for, and only 23 against. This was a sticky situation. Had Hillary voted against the use of force and we had been attacked again, everyone would be attacking her now for being soft. Voting to authorize the use of force is not the same thing as being "for the war". Hillary needs to clearly call Obama out on this. She attempted to do that in the last debate, but I don't think she made the point sharply enough. The evidence of WMD's in Iraq that was put in front of the senate at the time seemed overwhelming. No one, including Obama can claim the wisdom to have known that it would all turn out to be lies, partially propagated by the Iraqi government.

Posted by: geekgirl | Feb 14, 2008 4:48:03 PM

Ron Paul The ONLY Honest candidate!

Posted by: bjhe333 | Feb 14, 2008 4:38:30 PM

Hillary Clinton is very likely to win Texas. I even have Rep friends and coworkers who now support her. We have our yard signs up, wearing my Hillary for President shirt to Austin at a concert this weekend, and we're hosting a Hillary for President party here in Houston. She is clearly the most qualified candidate. I am in shock at how the media is in love with Obama... I can't believe my eyes. "Hope" is great, but it's not a strategy. We can't afford to send the country in to a tailspin. Please vote for Hillary Clinton.

Posted by: Meister | Feb 14, 2008 4:37:46 PM

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