Mountain State Says Clinton...Big!

Exultant after a huge win in West Virginia, Senator Clinton vowed to stay in the race for the democratic nomination for president, saying, “I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard." Meanwhile, Senator Obama is quietly laying claim to more Superdelegates; adding 27 since last week’s better than anticipated showing in North Carolina.

In spite of the rejuvenated spirit emanating from last night’s victory, Senator Clinton eliminated the previously bruising rhetoric from her victory speech, and while noting she and Senator Obama have “had a few dust-ups,” she acknowledged they both were committed to bring America new leadership that will renew America’s promise. She confided, in closing, “I will work my heart out for the Democratic nominee.”

To frame the conversation contextually, after 51 primaries and caucuses, this is just Mrs. Clinton’s second landslide victory. So while she will get most of West Virginia’s 28 pledged delegates, it is Senator Obama who leads in total delegates, by about 175. According to the Obama campaign’s assessment, he needs to collect 148 more delegates during the remaining primaries, to reach the 2,025 needed for nomination.

There are five primaries remaining, all of which will be conducted over the next three weeks, culminating June 3rd, with democratic voters in Montana and South Dakota, going to the polls. South Dakotan republicans will also vote that day. Montana republicans caucused on Super Tuesday (February 5, which seems like eons ago).

Indeed, it seems almost everyone who is counting, has conceded the democratic nomination to Senator Obama; apparently even Mrs. Clinton (No word yet on the former President). But none of that means all the issues of importance have been put to rest. In fact at this point, questions abound. For the purposes of consideration in this week’s post, I submit that there at least three areas of significant non-consensus remaining on the table. Each of these questions has numerous proponents and opponents.

In order of ascending importance (1 being least important; 3 being most important), they are, in my opinion:

1. Should Senator Obama help Senator Clinton retire her campaign debt?
2. Should Senator Obama consider/select Senator Clinton as his vice president?
3. Will Senator Obama be able to attract enough “hard-working white" voters to defeat
Senator McCain in the General Election?


As I consider question 1, I am mindful that the rules of politics typically approximate those of big game hunting; to the victor go the spoils. But presidential elections often have mitigating circumstances. In other words, there are precedents for such magnanimity.

The campaign to secure the party’s nomination is often a robust, if not bruising affair. To heal the party, and create an overarching air of amity, unity, and esprit, successful candidates have been know to create opportunities that help their opponents reduce or eliminate campaign debt. My gut reaction is this is totally inappropriate in this instance. At the start of the campaign, nearly a year and a half ago, Mrs. Clinton was the probative favorite, and as she noted earlier in the campaign, Senator Obama was a guy who was known for having given a speech…in 2004.

This is the same Senator Clinton, whom after 11 consecutive primary and caucus defeats, trailing in votes, behind in primaries won, and having raised less money, threw out an olive branch by suggesting that she and Senator Obama should form one ticket, with her in the lead. After this gracious gesture, she would later describe Obama as arrogant, elitist, and out of touch.

After thinking about the matter, I concluded, with some reluctance, Senator Obama should indeed work with Mrs. Clinton to help eradicate her debt. He has consistently promoted a message of Change We Can Believe In. He has also opined we must be the change we want to see. I suppose if he truly wants to see the political process improve, he must lead by example, and show us the way.

Question number 2 is much simpler for me. No! Not an angry no; not a vengeful no; not a filled with righteous indignation no. Just say no…and leave it at that!

Question 3 is really the Mother of all questions for the entire election if you accept the media’s current refrain. Interestingly, this theme is also eerily similar to last remaining vestige of Clinton relevancy in this campaign. All the other big ideas, central themes, and erstwhile compelling arguments have fallen by the wayside as her once promising prospects slowly faded into submission, drowned out and totally washed away by the relentless stream of improbable Obama primary victories.

Senator Clinton posits that her primary victories in “big states,” and her consistent advantage in the “hard-working white” demographic, ostensibly the magic that propelled her to victory in those states, makes her the stronger candidate. Therefore, she is the best choice to take on, and defeat Senator McCain in the General Election in November.

She and former president Clinton, and her/their supporters maintain that she should be the candidate, and that if not the candidate, she at least needs to be on the ticket for Senator Obama to have a chance to win in November. After all, it is about winning in November, is it not? That’s the question my friends pose. You can be sure, after last night’s thrashing, which was, incidentally, about what the experts predicted, you can be sure there will lots of insistence that the results underscore Obama’s weakness, and validate Clinton’s ascendancy, or rather her worthiness. All the while you can also note that Superdelegates will continue their inexorable movement toward the Obama camp.

What do they know that the media does not? Nothing! Quite to the contrary, they know, as do the media, that the stage is set. It will be Obama-Mccain in November. Many of them probably wish it were different, but understand that when she had the chance to create a different outcome, Mrs. Clinton failed to deliver.

I honestly do not know the definitive answer to this question. I know Senator Obama has consistently confounded the experts, pollsters, spin meisters, and especially Mr. and Mrs. Clinton. I know he has raised record levels of money, motivated an historic number of new voter registrants, and energized America with his Vision for Change We Can Believe In. I know that he now stands upon the precipice of being the first black nominated for president by a major political party in the United States.

For now…that’s all I need to know! Holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.


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