I suspect I should have realized this earlier, but it really hit me hard today: we are in a real lull in the Democratic contest. The candidates have long ago exhausted the debate on the issues (with which they largely agree on) and with the same tired lines of attack emanating from both campaigns, we have nothing left to do but wait.
Like the rest of the political world, I had just finally settled in to the fast moving pace of the nomination process. The top of the lineup entailed 47 contests in just over two months (an average of over one contest for every two days). I had become complacent and nearly spoiled with the all the twists and turns around every corner (or weekends and Tuesdays I should say). Now, in nearly just as much time, we have nothing but Pennsylvania (let the thumb twiddling begin).
Many pundits and Democratic party leaders are calling for Hillary to throw in the towel. Fat chance. A quick glimpse at the schedule indicates there is no way we will see a wrap before May 6th, the night of the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.
While the hiatus entails boredom for the political junkie, it entails hardship for the image of the candidates and the Democratic party; that is a whole lot of time for the candidates to tarnish each others images in the most brutish of ways.
As one Democratic party official, who desired to retain their anonymity so as to speak candidly, put it, it is not a matter of whether or not Clinton can win, she can, but it is a matter of how? "Her securing the nomination is certainly possible - but it will require exercising the 'Tonya Harding option,'" says the anonymous Dem.
In an interview with his hometown Las Vegas Review Journal, Party elder and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada recently assured the press, the public, and more importantly, the party, that he was confident things would be resolved before convention (and he wasn't simply being hopeful):
Q: Do you still think the Democratic race can be resolved before the convention?Even if Reid and Dean are able to devise a scheme to keep the battle from steamrolling into the convention (and I suspect they will), damage will be done. Less than halfway through the March 11th-April 22nd interim, we have already seen elbows fly and kitchen sinks thrown. Given the state of the economy, the War in Iraq, and the general animosity voters have developed for the Republican party, it is unlikely anything could doom the Democrats chances against McCain in November, but the party in-fighting does not help either.
Reid: Easy.Q: How is that?
Reid: It will be done.
Q: It just will?
Reid: Yep.
Q: Magically?
Reid: No, it will be done. I had a conversation with Governor Dean (Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean) today. Things are being done.
Unless any serious issues arise, I will try to shift the focus of Once Told away from daily bickering of the campaigns and to more substantive issues. As always, I will continue to kick off the morning with the 'A Day in the Life' series and update with any new ads released by the campaigns.
Lastly, I leave you with some recommended reading. David Brooks of the New York Times provides an excellent summary on the current state of affairs in the Dem scrap fest in today's column, "The Long Defeat."
2 comments:
I have been a lifelong Democrat, but have rarely felt like I was voting for a candidate I that I wanted. It has almost always been the lesser of two evils. This year, Barack Obama has brought a constructive unifying approach to politics, with mainstream policies that are generally supported by the broad majority of Americans.
That Hillary & Bill have moved "below" issues to question Obama's ability to be commander in chief is appalling. For 8 years of the Clinton presidency, I ignored their bare-knuckled behavior (actually enjoyed the confrontations with Republicans). Now I see their behavior in a much different light.
Their's is a ruthless self-interest with brutal manipulation of the public as just another tool. Terry McAuliffe was interviewed on Bill Maher recently. Asked by Maher as to why the Clintons could question Obama's competency, McAuliffe replied "Toughen up Bill" as if this is just the regular rough and tumble of politics. James Carville echoed the same theme in his recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal. Clinton's hench-people (making room here for Geraldine Ferraro as well) are coming out swinging in the most appalling, heavy handed, old politics way imaginable.
While I agree with not reporting every utterance from Clinton's pit bull (Communications Director Wolfson) and others during this lull, I do think that this behavior should be pointed out and rejected at every turn.
I am more than ever persuaded that we need new politics and a unifying approach to solve some very serious national problems.
yeah I think the whole primary schedule is just too long...it gives too much opportunity to run politics into the ground...I mean all the bobble head images of Obama and Clinton kind of sum up how annoying close to a year of campaigning can become...if they just kept the pace of the first half of the primaries I think the whole process would go down a lot easier...esp since we're in such a tight race...of course the candidates might need the stress relief of slowing things down a bit ...
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