Posted 2:41 PM by Robert

Whither McAuliffe?

Matt Drudge says Terry McAuliffe is out if Democrats don't make gains in November.

But something more important has already happended to undermine Mr. McAuliffe, and seems to be continuing: The Clintonites have all been losing.

With the exception of Hillary Clinton's win - now two years old - and Rahm Emmanuel, who is running in a safe Democrat House district, the ex-Clintonites seem to have been a big bust. The North Carolina Senate race remains to be run, but that doesn't look good for Erskine Bowles winning over Elizabeth Dole. The New York governor's race seems over. Robert Reich didn't survive the primary. Etc.

Assuming all but Emmanuel go down next week, where does that leave Mr. McAuliffe, even if the Democrats show modest wins in the elections? He is a well-known Clinton proxy running a party nominally headed by Al Gore - who is not exactly on best of terms with his old boss and running mate and who definitely views Hillary Clinton as a rival.

If the Clinton formula seems to have spent its magic, what are the chances the Democrats will keep Terry around? Even if he brings home some modest wins in an off-year election in which modest wins should have been a near-certainty - so what? Do the Democrats have such a short memory that they forget that Clintons often mean big-time losses for other - especially Congressional - Democrats when it serves the Clintons' interest?

Why keep the proxy of such an unstable force at the top of the party? Especially if you're Al Gore? The party fund raising hasn't gone that well.