Today’s meeting of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Washing could, says The New York Times, bring Hillary Clinton within 50 delegates of current frontrunner Barack Obama. As much as I’d love Hillary Clinton to win the nomination, it is looking increasingly unlikely that she will. The way Barack Obama has captivated the voters and, more importantly, the media seems to have made him the presumptive nominee for so long that Mrs Clinton’s campaign has pailed into insignificance. This is an incredibly sad state of affairs. If the media had given even coverage to both candidates then the race might not have ended up as close as it has. There are many pundits out there who will conclude that Mrs Clinton’s campaign has been overpowered by the size of Obama’s. Yet, for all the mass marketing, grassroots campaigning and advertising spending by the Obama campaign, Mrs Clinton has proved herself to be a fighter, constantly hanging on when some in her party would rather wish she didn’t. And what about Sen. Obama. What has he achieved? Yes, he (and Mrs Clinton) have brought in thousands of new registered voters. But has Mr Obama been able to close the deal? Not once.
Let’s not forget, this race is not as divided as some would have us believe. There are only 200-odd pledged delegates between Obama and Clinton. In the popular vote, Sen. Clinton is winning – but only if you include the votes of Florida and Michigan. If Obama is the nominee, then the process of Clinton leaving the race will need to be handled smoothly so as not to alienate her supporters and see them defecting to McCain – which some have threatened to do. However, the fate of Clinton is no longer in the hands of the voters, rather the DNC, and we shall have to wait and see what they decide.
Of course, if this AP story is correct then Christmas may have come early for Hillary Clinton. Yet another pastor has come out and publicly attacked Hillary from the pulpit and accused her tears before the New Hampshire Primary because “there’s a black man stealing my show”. Now I for one am fed up about hearing race, gender and mysogniy in these campaigns. But first we had the Revd Wright debacle and now this. What does this tell us about black and ethnic minorities in the US? Is there an underlying current waiting to explode? Back in February, Michelle Obama said that because Barack was doing well, it was the first time she’d felt ‘proud’ of her country. Now, the campaign can backtrack and say she mispoke all they liked, but there is a pattern emerging here and I think the campaign for President is going to be a bumpy, bumpy ride.
I’m not the first person who has compared the current Democratic nomination process to the West Wing. The real-life drama of Obama, Clinton and McCain has far outweighed the dramatic performances of Santos Vs. Vinnick. But I can’t help thinking that the Democrats who support Obama do so blinded by his excellent oratory. Of course, maybe those who are following this, including myself. And maybe America is ready for change. Maybe it’s engaging like the UK did with its 1997 moment. Although as one who woke up to the radio playing “Things Can Only Get Better” let me assure you, they most certainly did not!
