A Transparent End Game
Elections are supposed to be democratic, so why not an election primary? With the Democratic Party primary elections going into their end game, and with still no real front runner in Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, at this point, it’s still a tough race for both candidates. The End Game is now, and The Democratic Party establishment must, for the sake of democracy let the voters decide as to who they want to run against Republican candidate John McCain. There must be a transparent end game, or they risk alienating millions of voters in this process.
Back deals, side deals, and downright rotten deals are a commonplace in politics, but the voters, it seems to me, are no longer going to take it. If Barack Obama is for change, then he too must be weary of the possible politics that could be at play in deciding the ultimate Democratic Party Nominee for President.
And yet, if Hillary Clinton is wise, let no one, even her husband Bill Clinton interfere with the will of the voters.
I think both candidates have a strong chance in the nomination, and both should be proud to be where they are situated at this late in the game. Politics serves a purpose, but it should not be at the expense of the voters.
I believe, that once there is a clear mandate, that even these Super Delegates will have to bow to the will of the electorate to have the even-handed chance of beating a strong Republican nominee in John McCain. Again, we must stress a transparent end game in this election primary, or the risk to the Democratic Party will be catastrophic.
In a year, where it should be an obvious win for The Democratic Party, it’s looking to be a tough battle if the Democrats weaken themselves even before the first round of the general elections. Again, a transparent end game will give the party the momentum they will need for a general election that is shaping out to be an actual battle.
I’ve thought all along that an extended primary may be good for The Democratic Party, but if there is no unity then all is lost, and they may as well hand The Republicans another four year term in The White House. But experiencing the tactics that Hillary Clinton has used against Barack Obama, unity is shaping up to be a long shot. And yet, that’s her strategy, and it’s working for her.
Some might see the tactic as giving ammunition for the other team, but let’s make it clear, Barack Obama will have to face these issues sooner or later. Barack Obama will have to face a fight against a negative campaign, and in politics, as have been shown, negative campaigns often work. And if Barack Obama can’t win against Hillary when faced with such a tactic, then clearly he is not the man that can win in a general election. Tough to swallow and tough to come to terms with, but it’s a reality nonetheless.
Hillary on the other hand, has faced such negativity thrown at her, and she has proven that she can take all that is hurled at her, and then some. She has won as a New York Senator even when it wasn’t her battleground to begin with. She is tested, as she always claims to be, but she can back up this claim.
In the end, it could have been a tag team duo with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton fighting a close primary for the nomination, and I would have enjoyed them leveling attacks at John McCain rather than each other, but such is the case with politics and reality. It’s the reality that both candidates have focused on each other and not their eventual rival in the general elections.
It’s still a long way to go, delegates have to be won, Hillary is still behind, and even Florida and Michigan is going to be a mess.
One thing is clear however, the democrats, as their primary stretches on longer than expected, have proven once again that they just can’t enjoy a good thing when it is handed to them. Especially with the botched up foreign policy of George Bush, and an economy going down hill, you would think that The Democrats would be winning in the polls by at least a margin of 10%, but that is not the case. They are going to go into a general election with a candidate that did not win their primary with a landslide victory. They are going into a general election with a potential alienation of voters in both Florida and Michigan. And they are going into a general election that could see a Democratic Party divided.
If they can only get one thing right this election season, then they should focus on this single aspect – let the voters decide by having a transparent end game. The beginning was exciting, the middle of the primary season saw a democratic party that turned out the voters in record number, but the end game, as in Chess is the most important part. It will decide if the Democratic Party, along with their chosen candidate can go into a general election, with a charged up democratic base, and a united front against a worthy opponent in John McCain.
All is not lost, if only The Democratic Party establishment can quit playing politics long enough to let the voters decide.
