what are they doing?!
by Joshua Lustig
Published: March 17, 2008
You have to wonder what’s going through the Democrats’ minds these days. Forget “change vs. experience” and “the politics of hope.” The old adage that “power corrupts” might be the most accurate lens through which to view the current nominating struggle.
Their recent foray into the American electorate’s hearts and minds led Democrats to hope they could consolidate their power, tap into ordinary peoples’ rage with the Bush White House and establish a broad, unstoppable coalition of voters for November. That all seemed possible until the inmates of both campaigns took over their asylums.
Once the campaigns and candidates got a sense they could win, a ludicrous seven months from the actual election, it was the beginning of a self-defeating war dance. While they initially looked like positive bastions of liberalism and hope, both campaigns have mercilessly turned into relentless attack hounds. Obama took to defending himself once Hillary started chucking the “kitchen sink.” Ironically, both sides refuse to do the one thing they promised from the start they could do better than any another: compromise.
Only months ago, we were looking at an election that highlighted the raw potential of the Democrats. The pendulum of momentum and the news cycle swung back and forth between Hillary and Obama with a random impunity that left even the most knowledgeable pundits dumbfounded. It was exciting, energizing and for a good while seemed to be working.
Money was flowing in record numbers, new voters were coming out of the woodwork - times were good. The trends continue, but this time they seek to polarize the party into pieces. The longer this drags on, the more Democrats seek to jeopardize their shot at the White House.
This nominating contest is starting to look more and more like the no-holds-barred death match of the general election. Remember? The one where two seemingly polar opposite people that don’t agree with each other fight tooth-and-nail for control of the country? It’s contentious, it drags for too long and it’s usually extremely ugly. That and most importantly, one side usually comes up extremely disappointed and disenfranchised.
It used to be this kind of a battle was reserved for contests between the two parties, not within them. However, that age may be ending.
The glaring faults of the anything-or-nothing mentality extend to both candidates. It’s Hillary Clinton doing John McCain’s dirty work for him by framing the dialogue through the guise of national security. Likewise, it’s also Obama’s waffling on campaign finance reform, which makes the perception of what was once a feel-good election more about money than anything. Or it could be both prospective nominees together excessively, and untruthfully, pandering to Ohio voters about NAFTA reform.
All of these are political maneuvers that are hard to imagine the two candidates utilizing if they weren’t so blinded by stardom. Now, instead of working for all Democrats, they actively ignore the future of their coalition. It is the prospect of the presidency, the highest position of power in the political world, being so close that has blinded any semblance of judgment from their campaigns. The problem is that at this rate, the White House may never be theirs at all.
To the casual new junkie observer, the possible repercussions of this fight-to-the-death are shocking. If Hillary ekes out a victory using lawyers, super delegates and a questionable changing of the rules, shouldn’t conventional wisdom rule that Obama supporters will not vote for her in the general election? On the inverse, isn’t it equally as likely that if Obama pulls out a victory with no wins in large swing states, that it will be hard for the less-idealistic Clinton voters to suddenly stand by his abstract message of hope?
The Democrats seem intent on eliminating any of the stark advantages they had going into this cycle. Regardless of what pollsters and chiefs of staff think, money and headlines don’t win general elections. What it comes down to is the raw power of energized voters. Millions of dollars will ever buy you that advantage.
For now the easiest way for the Democrats to once again lose what should be an easy election is to keep on doing exactly what they are doing. While they refuse to compromise, the imagined differences between the two candidates will become starker as supporters polarize behind the two campaigns. They won’t vote simply because they are angry. Not at anything in particular, but merely that their “side” didn’t win.
It might seem simplistic and even childish, but in an environment where four percentage points can determine an entire election, this is extremely dangerous. By depressing the vote and winning by any means necessary, no one gains an advantage, just another once-glorious name on a bloodied ticket.
It’s time for both Obama and Hillary to stop talking about taking the country back and start thinking about reeling in their own campaigns. If they don’t, a whole lot of people will be staying home in November.
I’ll be one of them.
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