Minneapolis, Minnesota
This campaign season has been one for the record books on so many levels, and so fascinating. As one who started last year as a Hillary supporter and then was drawn to Obama, I felt joy in his win and no joy or satisfaction in her loss. Any of us who have worked on national campaigns know how decimating it can be to lose; on my worst days, I still feel twinges of sadness about George McGovern's 1972 nomination victory at the convention in Miami -- I had worked night and day for a different candidate.
Showing posts with label Hillary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hillary. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
About Florida and Michigan
Minneapolis, Minnesota
It is well established that political parties have the right, not subject to review or overturn by the courts, to establish their own rules and procedures. The Democratic National Committee made it clear to all that, except for a small handful of states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, no states would be allowed to process delegate selection before Feb. 5. The parties in Florida and Michigan understood this ahead of time, as did all of the candidates who originally asked to be considered for the nomination. That is why none of the Democratic candidates campaigned in Florida, and why all of them except Clinton removed their names from the Michigan ballot. The rules cannot be changed now, in the middle of the game, for a do-over. That would be unfair to Clinton and Obama, and also to Kucinich, Richardson, Edwards, Biden, and Dodd. It is unfortunate that Florida and Michigan chose to disenfranchise their people and their rights to elect the delegates of their choice. At this stage of the game, a fair compromise -- in order to allow these states a "presence" at the Democratic convention -- would be to divide the delegates in both states evenly between the two remaining candidates, Clinton and Obama.
It is well established that political parties have the right, not subject to review or overturn by the courts, to establish their own rules and procedures. The Democratic National Committee made it clear to all that, except for a small handful of states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, no states would be allowed to process delegate selection before Feb. 5. The parties in Florida and Michigan understood this ahead of time, as did all of the candidates who originally asked to be considered for the nomination. That is why none of the Democratic candidates campaigned in Florida, and why all of them except Clinton removed their names from the Michigan ballot. The rules cannot be changed now, in the middle of the game, for a do-over. That would be unfair to Clinton and Obama, and also to Kucinich, Richardson, Edwards, Biden, and Dodd. It is unfortunate that Florida and Michigan chose to disenfranchise their people and their rights to elect the delegates of their choice. At this stage of the game, a fair compromise -- in order to allow these states a "presence" at the Democratic convention -- would be to divide the delegates in both states evenly between the two remaining candidates, Clinton and Obama.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Fascinating Times
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The more I look at this presidential race, the more I am led to conclude that there is no real "establishment" on the right or the left. Certainly not one that is centrally organized and controlled by a few elites of whatever persuasion. There do seem to be clumps of people who share mindsets of conventional wisdom. I do not think people are lambs led astray, but perhaps we have the partially-blind leading the partially-blind, if you will.
Given that keeping a GOP contest in the public eye is good for the presumptive nominee, and given that the purpose of a series of contests is to have a contest up-and-down the line, I find it fascinating that so many want Huckabee to drop out because of math possibilities or impossibilities. Economic conservatives and national security conservatives would scream loudly (and many of them are) if they felt their voices were being short-circuited and discounted; yet, they don't mind suggesting that social, values-based conservatives should be shut down. I ran, and won -- barely -- a city primary against a values-based conservative. These are good honest folks (who may or may not be wrong about a lot of things) with whom I may or may not agree about a lot of things. While it may not be possible to make political alliance with them either within or across party lines, it is possible to garner their respect, but not if their voices are shut down and not heard. Where mutual respect is lacking, there is no hope for consensus about much of anything.
On the Democratic side, there was enthusiasm for this contest from an early date, but the clumps of conventional mindset assumed, sub-rosa I think, that Clinton would prevail at the end. All of that wisdom is being challenged, and very possibly will be replaced. If, as expected, Obama carried MD, VA, DC, and WI in the next eight days -- primary elections all -- I don't believe even the Clinton machine can reverse the momentum and maintain a firewall in Texas and Ohio on March 5.
Newspapers in Dallas, El Paso, Austin, and San Antonio -- and Cleveland -- have endorsed Obama. The juggernaut will continue to pick up steam. But we can't know the scores until the games are played.
We may not like the process. We may not appreciate the viewpoints that prevail. Nonetheless, the collective of the body politic, more-right or more-left, prevails at any given time in the tides of history.
The more I look at this presidential race, the more I am led to conclude that there is no real "establishment" on the right or the left. Certainly not one that is centrally organized and controlled by a few elites of whatever persuasion. There do seem to be clumps of people who share mindsets of conventional wisdom. I do not think people are lambs led astray, but perhaps we have the partially-blind leading the partially-blind, if you will.
Given that keeping a GOP contest in the public eye is good for the presumptive nominee, and given that the purpose of a series of contests is to have a contest up-and-down the line, I find it fascinating that so many want Huckabee to drop out because of math possibilities or impossibilities. Economic conservatives and national security conservatives would scream loudly (and many of them are) if they felt their voices were being short-circuited and discounted; yet, they don't mind suggesting that social, values-based conservatives should be shut down. I ran, and won -- barely -- a city primary against a values-based conservative. These are good honest folks (who may or may not be wrong about a lot of things) with whom I may or may not agree about a lot of things. While it may not be possible to make political alliance with them either within or across party lines, it is possible to garner their respect, but not if their voices are shut down and not heard. Where mutual respect is lacking, there is no hope for consensus about much of anything.
On the Democratic side, there was enthusiasm for this contest from an early date, but the clumps of conventional mindset assumed, sub-rosa I think, that Clinton would prevail at the end. All of that wisdom is being challenged, and very possibly will be replaced. If, as expected, Obama carried MD, VA, DC, and WI in the next eight days -- primary elections all -- I don't believe even the Clinton machine can reverse the momentum and maintain a firewall in Texas and Ohio on March 5.
Newspapers in Dallas, El Paso, Austin, and San Antonio -- and Cleveland -- have endorsed Obama. The juggernaut will continue to pick up steam. But we can't know the scores until the games are played.
We may not like the process. We may not appreciate the viewpoints that prevail. Nonetheless, the collective of the body politic, more-right or more-left, prevails at any given time in the tides of history.
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