“Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.“
Michael Corleone, “The Godfather III”
For months, we along with the entire universe of the blogsphere closely followed the brutal, bare-knuckled Democratic Primary. We all thought that when Senator Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign and threw her support behind the presumptive nominee, Senator Barack Obama that there would finally be peace in the Democratic Party valley.
Well not so fast!
In a year where there is an unpopular President with a 28 percent approval ratings and an administration trying to fight and defend TWO wars, you would think that Senator Obama’s message of change would have him solidly ahead. The latest national polls according to Newsweek show that Senator Obama is only ahead by three percent.
How could that be?
Well why everyone has been fixated over Reverend Jesse Jackson’s idiotic soundbite, the real playa haters are Senator Clinton’s supporters who are hellbent on disrupting the Democratic Convention next month, if they can’t force her name on the top of the ticket. Two groups, PUMA and The Denver Group are attempting to rally support so that the 17 million and change who voted for her could be heard and they are hoping that many of the superdelegates change their minds and cast votes for Senator Clinton. Last time we checked, for five months, their voices as well as all of the voice of the entire process participated in the primaries and Senator Clinton came up short – in states won, pledged delegates as well as superdelegates.
There’s no crime in her supporters being disappointed but you can’t change the rules because your candidate didn’t win, and YOU DAMN SURE can’t hijack the entire party and risk losing such an important election because your feelings are so bruised that you can’t put that disappointment aside. Only this party would attempt to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Clinton supporters are fond of saying that the party needs a candidate that can win the general election. Last time we checked that candidate has already secured the nomination. While the Clinton supporters love to crow that she received 18 million votes, let’s not forget that the number is inflated largely by two contests from states who moved their primary dates up (Michigan and Florida) and by not totally reflecting the number of voters from the many caucuses. As the saying goes, “numbers can given to paint whatever picture you want.” For Clinton supporters they are using the numbers like bludgeon trying to beat both party and it’s nominee over the head until we all surrender.
We hate to tell you but that’s not gonna happen!
So here’s two questions that should be on everyone’s mind and please consider them carefully. If these groups are successful in pulling a coup d’état, how will manage to win enough support to win the White House in November if she has aliented the majority of the party? And last but not least, with this undercurrent of party unrest from her supporters, why hasn’t Senator Clinton been more vocal in putting this issue to rest?
Granted, she has come out and made public statements of supporter for Senator Obama but we’re looking for a definitive statement that tells her supporters that we MUST have party unity and that if her supporters continue down this road, the party is headed for defeat – and it will largely be the fault of the very people who want to be above the law of the party’s politics.
Love it or hate it, we have system of democracy. The time has come to support the presumptive Democratic nominee and prepare to vote out this corrupt and out-of-touch administration. In order for that to happen, we need everyone to be on the same page.
Just because you support Senator Obama doesn’t mean that you can’t respect the contributions that Senator Clinton has brought to the process. Or as we would say in the ‘hood, “Don’t hate the playa, hate the game!”
