ABC News Washington correspondent Jake Tapper has invoked a name to describe this year's presidential primary that should send shivers down the spine of any person who was in the vicinity of Portland circa 1994. From Tapper's Blog:
I just spoke with a Democratic Party official, who asked for anonymity so as to speak candidly, who said we in the media are all missing the point of this Democratic fight.Sweet Jesus, no! Is this going to end with John McCain as president and Hillary eventually getting arrested for throwing a hubcap at Bill?What will (Hillary Clinton) have to do to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, in order to eke out her improbable victory?
She will have to "break his back," the official said. She will have to destroy Obama, make Obama completely unacceptable.
"Her securing the nomination is certainly possible - but it will require exercising the 'Tonya Harding option.'" the official said. "Is that really what we Democrats want?"
The Tonya Harding Option -- the first time I've heard it put that way.
It implies that Clinton is so set on ensuring that Obama doesn't get the nomination, not only is she willing to take extra-ruthless steps, but in the end neither she nor Obama win the gold.
(In this metaphor, presumably, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would be Oksana Baiul. Does that make former President Bill Clinton Jeff Gillooly?)
...UPDATE, 9:22 p.m.
Seems New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd has heard the same thing.
Some top Democrats are increasingly worried that the Clintons’ divide-and-conquer strategy is nihilistic: Hillary or no democrat.
(Or, as one Democrat described it to ABC’s Jake Tapper: Hillary is going for “the Tonya Harding option” — if she can’t get the gold, kneecap her rival.)
After all, the Clintons think of themselves as The Democratic Party.
2 comments:
I've heard it referred to as the "nuclear" option.
also known as:
"nuke you ler"
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