WI: Hillary contested the 2008 DNC convention

Wallet

Banned
Hillary Clinton often says now Bernie Sanders should drop out. She explains that at this point in 2008, she was much closer in delegates then he is now, and actually had more popular votes.

She also goes on and say that several supporters and advisors wanted her to contest the 2008 convention, since Obama had not reached the magic number yet without super delegates (even though they had already announce their support), but dropped out for party unity.

We know now that she was offered either VP or SoS. This and the promise of full party support 8 years later. Say she isn't offered either and contests the convention. What happens?
 
Clinton was never offered the VP Slot and there was no promise of a cabinet position for her endorsement. She did so completely because she believed it was in her best interest, and the internet of the party, to concede the race and endorse Obama.

But to answer the question, had she tried to 'contest' the convention it would have blown up in her face spectacularly. For one thing there would have been no contesting since Obama wins on the first ballot. Plus The near entirety of the party, including many who supported her, would publicly back Obama in the name of party unity and call her to drop out. The longer she stays in the more revolved she becomes and the harsher the calls to get out, and the more it damages her reputation and relationship with her colleagues.
 
While her margin was closer, she was in much the same position that Sanders is in right now: she didn't have the delegates. In one key respect, she was a bit worse off because the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee met on May 31 and partially rejected her bid to get delegates awarded from Florida and Michigan that had been stripped from those states due to holding too-early primaries that violated party rules. The gist of the resolution to these two wayward states was to give those two states partial voting strength as it was politically unwise to keep them out of the convention completely. Obama, it should be noted, did not compete in those states due to a penalty clause in the DNC's rules which would have precluded him from winning delegates had he done so. Both primaries were so early that voting took place before Obama emerged as the frontrunner. Hence, Clinton won both primaries on name recognition. The vote Rules and Bylaws vote was the end of her campaign and those at the meeting knew it. It signified that Clinton did not control the DNC. In any event, Obama still would have had a lead even if the Clinton campaign got exactly what it wanted.

Accordingly, there was nothing to contest. She did have her name placed in nomination and she then personally made the motion from the convention floor to have Obama nominated by acclamation. She could have taken the Florida and Michigan matter to the Credentials Committee, but she would have lost because Obama appointees controlled the Credentials Committee and surely would have won a floor vote on a minority report as neither Florida nor Michigan would have been allowed to vote on their challenge even if they had been seated which they were not.

Wisely, she decided to wait to fight another day. Choosing to continue would have certainly met with defeat.

Any questions on the subject, just ask. I was a little bit involved in all this...
 
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