Arguments Over Benefits of Hillary Staying In

Josh Marshall, of TalkingPointsMemo wrote this yesterday in a post called Denouement -

I'm not even sure at this immediate juncture that it's in Obama's or the Democratic party's interest for her to drop out of the race....having him become presumptive nominee just before losing the West Virginia primary doesn't necessarily allow him to hit the ground running. And as Obama's speech last night signaled, his campaign seems intent on giving Clinton the space to make the decision on her own. The eventual nomination he has in hand; what he's got to work on is deescalating the tension between himself and Clinton's supporters. That's the necessary prelude to building the party unity he needs to win in November.

Here's why and how I disagree:

1. I don’t trust her at all, not one iota, to run a different campaign from here on out. I fear she’s going right back into fight mode, because that personae is working for her right now and she needs cash. (11.4 million dollars is a pretty outrageous vanity – imagine enjoying an ego that allows you to think your ego is worth that much?)
2. Since she and her husband are the ones who escalated and exacerbated the tension, why is it up to Obama to defuse that? I don’t buy that reasoning. I don’t think it is or should be his responsibility. All he needs to do is keep his mouth shut and be gracious – but that’s tactical. No use to him to look like he’s pushed her out. And in exchange for him not stating the obvious, she should do the right thing and work her tail off for him to win WV next week.
3. In any case, only those monsters can defuse the mess they’ve created most effectively and the burden should be on them, not Obama, who did not dirty and rough up the party or its ideals. How many times, on dual victory nights, did she not even congratulate him? She’s the one who has to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Even last night he was more gracious than she, who was so craven she was still harping on the gas tax.
4. She’s created a delusion. I’ve had to disabuse 4 people in the last 2 weeks that her mathematical chances of winning the nomination were essentially nil. They had no idea because they believed her portrayal of this as a viable race. I want the delusion to stop.

I’m angry – I want her humiliated and to become an indentured servant to pay off her debts. Even Bill’s tears and face were no satisfaction to me.

It is in the party’s interest for her to drop out now. We can’t afford a month to bring her supporters around. June may be too late.

If she looks like she’s exiting now graciously, her supporters will take their cue from her. If goes into victim mode, they’ll be outraged. It’s up to her. But she’s not doing it because she’s constitutionally disabled.