Those who call themselves Democrats are chomping at the bit hoping that the race between Obama and Clinton will end right now so that the Democratic Party can heal its wounds and prepare to take on John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
Many are beginning to accuse Hillary Clinton of being a “spoiler” despite the fact that she has every right to campaign until primary season is over on June 3rd.
The problem is not that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are still campaigning viciously against each other for the nomination or that Hillary refuses to drop out but that the Democratic Party chose to begin primary season in the first week of January and end it in June. Therefore, the problem is a result of fatigue and is no reason to begin labeling either of the candidates as reasons that the Democratic Party may lose in November.
In addition to the close race, the fact that the Republican Party (which has taken the White House from Democrats in the past two elections without Democratic Leadership really opposing the illegalities of those wins at all) has selected their nominee and is working to unite right now while Democrats continue to battle each other over who should be the nominee is agonizing to those who have closely followed elections in 2000 and 2004 and seen close elections be stolen from Democratic candidates for president.
Where does this idea that if the Democrats do not unify behind one nominee now they will lose in November come from? What is the source for this idea that has taken on mythological or legendary proportions?
My answer is that this idea is a result of a series of media confabulations that have taken place over the past months. In the same way that Americans came to believe that Saddam was an imminent threat who had WMDs and a connection to 9/11, Democrats have come to believe that if Hillary and Barack finish the primary season neck-and-neck and go on to the convention with neither being the presumptive nominee than it could mean a sure defeat in November.
When’s the last time you watched cable news and did not hear somebody address how this close race is or could be a “problem” for Democrats in November? How about when’s the last time you read a newspaper article on the Democratic race and did not read about the fear that this close race could mean defeat for Democrats in November?
I certainly do not think Democratic Party officials and leaders began this popular myth. And besides, this is just what Rove and the corporate news media especially Fox News Network want people to believe. Indeed, the media is having a field day with this conflict they have helped manufacture.
What would happen if the nominee was decided tomorrow because Hillary quit? Wouldn’t Obama become the nominee and then all this energy behind this race for the presidency would fizzle? What would this mean for the “populism” we are seeing in this election? How about what would it mean for the little “progressivism” left in this race? Where would that go when McCain and Republicans started to pressure Democrats on national security and national security? (Note: Repetition intentional.)
If the process was not supposed to be able to continue until June or even go past June and be decided at the convention, what’s the point of setting up the primary schedule and rules so that candidates can surge later on in the primary and possibly win the nomination?
But, this is not just about how the media is spinning the close race between Hillary and Barack or how the length of the season and its rules are proving to be tiresome to those involved.
What it’s really about is how American elections have degenerated into something that is decided non-empirically or without knowledge derived from experience. Elections are decided based on looks and appearances and what candidates know about the issues or what experience candidates have dealing with the issues is not considered when choosing who should run America anymore.
This degeneration has led us to the point where Democrats are choosing whether to support the nomination and election of the first black president or the first woman president in November without thinking if this black president or woman president will be repudiating the Bush program or not while in office. It is a degeneration that Americans should never have allowed but the media, corporate, and political machines have accepted the degeneration and quite frankly, love a people who are so blind to the degeneration.
Why open the public's eyes to the degeneration? With elections like this, confronting the evils of capitalism, fascism, racism, and poverty head on is easily avoidable. Unfortunately, this avoidance is why Democrats are fearing a loss in November.
Ask yourself, if this race was not close, would the two candidates still have been compelled to unveil their plans for the economy in March or would the presumptive nominee have kept Americans hanging until the summer or fall months of this election?
As a result of avoidance of issues speculation within the media, pundit circles, party leadership, and campaigns like the following has manifested itself:
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