Harold Meyerson: Titans on the Mat

[babylonsister]

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=titans_on_the_mat

Titans on the Mat

Some say politics in the United States can be explained by the Cronus theory -- parents stamping out their children's revolts at any cost. Has Barack Obama managed to overcome the resentments of older generations?


Harold Meyerson | May 12, 2008 | web only

snip//

If you must, you can still sketch a tenuous scenario in which Hillary can prevail, but the discord it would stir in Democratic ranks, particularly among African American and young voters, would damage the party for years. To do so, she would have to get the remaining uncommitted superdelegates to vote contrary to the wishes of Democratic primary and caucus voters, and prevail upon party committees to seat at full strength the Florida and Michigan delegations, even though Obama, in deference to the national party's rules, withdrew his name from the Michigan ballot. It would look to all the world like winning through chicanery, chiefly because that's exactly what it would be.

The bitterness and rage that this would engender among Obama supporters would be huge; the forthcoming Denver convention would probably turn into a 40th-anniversary rerun of the disastrous Chicago convention of 1968; and mobilizing what would otherwise be the core Democratic vote this fall would become a monumental challenge and, hence, a drain on party efforts to win over swing voters. The connection between the re-Clintonized party and black America would be gravely damaged; the connection between the party and most younger voters would be snapped. The Clintons prevail, that is, only by eating the Democratic young, by crippling the party, by damning themselves.

There's a name for this scenario, the only one in which Clinton defeats Obama. It's mutually assured destruction.

For this reason, among many others, Clinton will not prevail. It is inconceivable that the Democratic superdelegates will go to Denver only to bring down the temple on their own heads. Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee, and, in a year when the country wants new directions and the Republican nominee cannot even suggest one, he will probably be the next president as well.

This is a change election. Cronus has had better years.