Reply #54: More central to the threat

[PATRICK]

is Hillary herself, who alone has the power to keep that negativity alive. It seems this time the party leaders are more than reconciled, even enthusiastic about Obama's chances and appeal, his money and voters key to great coattails and no negativity to arouse GOP fervor. This was NOT true about McGovern when the money was not that grass roots available and the entrenched leadership prepared to lose the election and count their return to the reins as a bonus. Also, patterns and different times are faint hope for the GOP this year. It is a reach, though a pertinent warning.

Will Obama or radical, alienating convention delegates or a perceived wildly liberal agenda turn off half the base? It seems the only danger is Hillary successfully misleading her followers and fading away behind their anger to let the damage happen without the effort necessary to serve the interests of the party. It has little to do with her followers or historic precedents expounded by pundits. It has to do with her serving the interest of her real enemies, denied her satisfying anchorage on the ticket, with being at present a mega Joe Lieberman and whether that will continue down that sordid path much longer.

This time I think only she has the threat to make such a glib scenario possible and we have plain run out of time to outlive another debacle because of one person's ambitions.