by Gwen Richardson
Following Senator Hillary Clinton’s three primary victories in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, there has been speculation among members of the media and the political establishment about a Clinton-Obama ticket. The math regarding pledged delegates is not in Clinton’s favor and it would appear that the only way she can win the nomination is through trickery and back room deals with superdelegates or by illegally including her bogus wins in the Michigan and Florida primaries. Should Clinton be successful in “stealing” the Democratic nomination and asks Obama to be her running mate, the junior senator from Illinois should emphatically say ‘no.’
The Clinton camp is working feverishly to spin the reasons why she should be the nominee, even though she has the least amount of delegates, has won far fewer states and is trailing in the popular vote. Although the Democratic Party rules state that the delegate count is the measure for who gets the nomination, Clinton and her minions have no problem changing the rules in the middle of the game if it suits their ultimate goal. Their arguments are:
1) She has won more of the big states.
2) She has won more of the industrial Midwest or swing states.
3) She has won Ohio, which has been an indicator for winning the presidency in the general election.
4) She has won the states that Democrats need to carry to win the general election, like California and New York.
5) Many of Obama’s victories were in caucus states and, therefore, his wins are less legitimate than the primaries which Clinton won.
6) It’s not about the math (of the delegate count), it’s about the momentum.
7) The superdelegates should use their own “judgment” and overturn the will of the people.
The problem with these arguments is that they have nothing to do with who obtains the nomination. There is no Democratic rule that says that only big states count, or only industrial states count, or only Ohio counts, or whomever has the momentary momentum wins.
Clinton’s argument regarding the caucuses is the most specious. Caucuses are part of the Democratic election system and should not be dismissed out of hand since all candidates were aware of the rules from the start. In fact, the Iowa caucus, which leads the process, is considered to be one of the most crucial tests of which candidates are most viable. The delegate count is the measure of winning the nomination and no amount of spinning by the Clinton camp can change this fact.
Further, African Americans have been the Democratic Party’s most loyal constituency and have stuck with the Democratic Party for the past 40 years through thick and thin. Meanwhile, this loyal constituency has been taken for granted time and time again. The Clintons are so arrogant and have so little respect for Black voters, who are supporting Obama at 80 to 90 percent levels, that they actually believe they can steal the election and have a prayer of winning in November.
It may surprise the Clintons, but Black voters are not that stupid. There may be some who will cast a vote for the Democratic nominee because they believe they have a responsibility to vote and the idea of voting for a Republican is too hard to fathom. But millions will stay home, vote for John McCain, Ralph Nader or some other third party candidate rather than reward the Clintons for their chicanery.
Obama also has solid, enthusiastic support among young voters, liberal Democrats, independents and even some Republicans, who all would be equally disgusted with anything other than a fair election process based upon the Democratic rules as they stand right now. Obama has brought millions of first-time voters into the process, whose support will be critical in November. Clinton will be unable to lay claim to these new Democrats in the fall, particularly if the nomination process is tainted.
Finally, the idea of being on the bottom of the ticket is one that Obama nor his supporters should even entertain at present. In the heat of the remaining election battles to come, they should maintain their focus and keep their eye on the goal of winning the nomination and should not be distracted by rumblings about the vice presidency. It is impossible to concentrate equally on two simultaneous goals. If one focuses on being a runner-up, there’s no way one can win.
If Hillary Clinton, with all of her advantages going into the election process, couldn’t figure out how to win this election fair and square, she should not get the nomination. And if she wins by cheating, the last thing Obama should do is endorse this lack of integrity by choosing to play Hillary’s second fiddle.
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Gwen Richardson is an entrepreneur and author based in Houston, Texas. Her new book is titled: Why African Americans Can’t Get Ahead: And How We Can Solve It With Group Economics. Richardson is currently writing a book about the 2008 presidential election.
Contact Info:
Gwen Richardson
13533 Bammel N. Houston Rd
Houston, TX 77066
grichardson@cushcity.com
