“We’ve let states like Kentucky and West Virginia slip out of the Democratic column for too long… [it is] so important that we count the votes of Florida and Michigan. It would be a little strange to have a nominee chosen by 48 states.”
In Clinton’s speech in Indiana moments ago, she made it clear that she isn’t quitting the Democratic race in the face of tonight’s disappointing results. (The fact that the Clinton press office blitzed out an email to reporters spinning the night’s results suggests the same.) West Virginia’s primary is May 13, Kentucky and Oregon are May 20, Puerto Rico is June 1, and Montana and South Dakota bring up the rear on June 3. Obama will likely get beat badly in West Virginia and Kentucky (polling shows him getting murdered in both states). If you accept the conventional wisdom forming by the minute that Hillary Clinton has no path to the nomination, and if you accept the idea that the superdelegates’ primary role is to officially hand the nomination to the best and most likely candidate, in order to protect him or her from dangerous primary challengers, the logical time for the superdelgates to step in and start endorsing would be… now.
That said, Hillary Clinton’s supporters have shown time and time again that they are most willing to step up for their candidate when she is in trouble. The post-loss fundraising appeals from Bill and Hillary really open up the pocketbooks. Furthermore, as I’ve said before, the Clintons are at their best when their backs are against the wall.