When It's all Over

The Democratic Party's nomination process, which started as a Calvary charge is now looking like a two horse race to the finish line. The lead is changing, depending on how your counting, and there is no break away winner. All of this is interesting and, as you might believe, the press is eating it up. The problem is that the contest has ceased being about ideas and has spiralled into a contest of personalities and all of the other things we didn't want it to be about. Those other things being the possibility of having our first women president or our first black president. I think on the level of the next winner of American Idol, the country is ready for either possibility , but in the lonely dim environs of the voting booth, the concept may not stand up to with the courage it takes to vote with your head instead of your heart.

Either Obama or Clinton are capable of being President of the United States. Given the standard George Bush has set, almost anyone with a high school diploma could qualify. The question is and, in my mind, will continue to be is who can bring this country together. Pundits and Washington insiders argue that no one can. The distance between the right and left has for to long taken center stage in the conduct of our representatives, at the expense of the vast majority of those of us in the center. The masses of people who may have opinions about the direction of the society on social issues, but recognize that governance is a matter of dialogue and compromise. This inability to get our government to respond has been in the last resort our own fault, because we get the leaders we deserve. Mostly the leadership of the past has been elected by zealous factions of the extremes of both parties and they have dictated the agenda.

I would venture that Obama has changed that situation by providing a new possibility for voters that in fact represents them. His early opposition to the war, his emphasis on issues that affect the middle class such as jobs and health care resonate with the citizens who in the past haven't been motivated to become involved in the process.

There is no doubt that Senator Clinton, also has created a constituency in otherwise disaffected voters, specifically women and Hispanic voters. So here is the problem. What do we do when one of these nominee's is finally declared the parties candidate? Do we coalesce behind the winner or do we split the party and give the failed policies of the Republican Part another four years of opportunity.
PS: Do even think about the joint ticket of Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama. They both have a future in politics's no matter how this comes out. For either of them to run as vice-president is political death even if they win.