Government Of The People Or By The Faction?
By Frank Salvato
May 9, 2008
Now comes news that George McGovern has called for Hillary Clinton to withdraw from the Democrat's primary race. Pardon me for my raised eyebrow but how much of a fool would someone have to be to take campaign advice from the man who got slaughtered by Richard Nixon? Losing an election by a landslide really shouldn't qualify someone to dispense political advice unless it's how to deliver a concession speech without looking bitter.
The facts, as they present, make it abundantly clear to anyone not blinded by political emotionalism, anyone not hoodwinked by the bumper-sticker gotcha games of this election cycle, that the Democrat's primary race is simply too close to call. Those backing Barack Obama, who insist that Hillary Clinton can't win, are factually in error. With the existence of "superdelegates" and two disenfranchised state electorates the wildcards are in place. In fact, there are several scenarios that could play out that would see Hillary Clinton as the Democrats' nominee. Whether any of them will play out remains to be seen but stranger things have happened.
The larger point here is this. To insist that a candidate -- any candidate from any party -- remove themselves from political contention when the contest is too close to decidedly understand the winner, when neither candidate can amass an insurmountable number of committed elected delegates, is to usurp the election process. Unless the Democrats want to go down in the history books as having been a dictatorially elitist political regime in the 2008 election cycle they must allow the convention and the convention process to play out, a scenario that the DNC leadership is scurrying to avoid at all costs.
The DNC wants the Democrat's primary contest over with as soon as possible because they know the party is going to have to heal from their own self-inflicted wounds. The most obvious wounds are those which have occurred to date. With almost half of each camp -- Obama's and Clinton's -- insisting that they would rather vote for McCain than for the opposing Democrat there is a lot of healing to take place and only time will heal those wounds.
Then there are the two bigger wounds that may take multiple election cycles to heal, if they heal at all.
First, we have the Democrat electorates in Florida and Michigan and to a lesser extent -- and in light of all those requesting that Hillary Clinton remove herself from contention -- Democrats in Kentucky, Oregon, West Virginia, Montana, Puerto Rico and South Dakota. In Florida and Michigan -- two states that Democrats simply must win in November if they are to be victorious -- the elitist leaders of the DNC have disenfranchised their rank and file members, along with their political organizations. To not engage the electorate in total in these two states is to tell them that they -- as voters, as loyal party members who have donated money to the Democrat Party, who have worked, campaigned and organized for the Democrat Party -- don't count when it comes to deciding who their party's candidate will be. Further, to end the contest when it is so close, simply to cover for the arrogance of party leadership and before the faithful Democrats in Kentucky, Oregon, West Virginia, Montana, Puerto Rico and South Dakota have had a chance for their voices to be heard simply adds to the list of those disenfranchised by their own party leadership. That's a great way to persuade the bulk of these voters to vote for a moderate John McCain. Oops!
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