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April 24, 2008 04:25 pm
No hurry to decide Democratic nominee
Editorial
CNHI News Service
— The 2008 Democratic primary season is still going, like the Energizer bunny, because Hillary Rodham Clinton refuses to quit.
Clinton’s grind-it-out, never-say-die presidential campaign is now trotted out as evidence of why she should overtake Barack Obama as the favored candidate to challenge Republican John McCain. As Clinton trumpeted Tuesday night after defeating Obama in the Pennsylvania primary, “The American people don’t quit. And they deserve a president who doesn’t quit, either.”
Clinton’s come-from-behind effort is still likely to fail. Obama has more delegates and more money. And Clinton is running out of primary states in which to mount a comeback.
Still, Tuesday’s result in Pennsylvania, the largest state remaining between here and the Democratic convention, has to frustrate Obama and political insiders eager to end this marathon. As Clinton supporters spin the result, they can plausibly ask why the front-runner — if he’s yet to be regarded as the inevitable nominee — is still unable to close the deal. Obama had several weeks in which to consolidate his power in Pennsylvania, where he out-spent Clinton better than 2-1, and yet still finished second.
Obama’s strengths remain very visable. In an environment where “change” continues to drive the electorate, he continues to be the “change” candidate and compares favorably to McCain in head-to-head matchups. Democrats’ biggest fear now is that, by hanging around and fighting a tough (some would say negative) battle, Clinton at the very least exaggerates doubts about Obama’s long-term national appeal.
As long as Clinton stays in the race, her appeal will hinge on claiming that — never mind what happened last winter — she is now the stronger candidate. Obama will need to reassert himself on May 6 as Indiana and North Carolina vote. He’ll need to sharpen his message, refrain from coasting, and regain his footing to shake off the insecurity that Pennsylvania’s result contributes to.
Tuesday’s Pennsylvania vote came after several bad weeks for Obama, characterized by his close association with his controversial pastor, the candidate’s own misstatements on blue-collar Pennsylvania voters, and a recent subpar debate performance. The good news for the Illinois senator, however, remains that he is still leading, and that it is still a good year to be a Democrat.
In state after state, Democrats flock to vote in primaries. Even at this late stage in the game, voters are excited and eager to take part in Democratic politics.
Insiders do still worry that this negatively charged neverending campaign might hurt the eventual nominee in November. But there’s still plenty of time to unite.
In the meantime, the rest of us remain transfixed, enjoying the show.
Mankato (Minn.) Free Press
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