Monday, February 18, 2008

Open Letter to Democratic "Super" Delegates & the DNC

Please, don't blow this.

The Clinton campaign seems to be going full steam into the petty, nasty tactics that stink of desperation and they may yet end up doing the Democratic party more harm that Huckabee is doing to the Republican party. Huckabee may be dragging out the process, but at least he's not dragging down the dialogue the way Clinton is.

It is absurd and unfortunate enough that in her talk of solutions Hillary attempts to belittle perhaps the most critical quality of leadership (not coincidentally the one she sorely lacks) - the ability to inspire people. But now the Clinton campaign must also resort to ginning up half-ass accusations about a "plagiarized" speech as a distraction tactic? That's a cheap, discouraging, but sadly not surprising way to go about things.

The choice at hand is one between a manager and a leader. Between someone who "will be ready on day one" (for what?), or someone who has the vision lead through the ~1,460 days of a 4-year term. Between someone who will undoubtedly bring out the worst in at least half the country, or someone who will aim to bring out the best in a majority of the country.

Please, please, don't blow this.

DNC / Howard Dean, if you have any influence, please counsel the Clinton campaign to refrain from irresponsibly tearing down the best candidate the Democratic party (perhaps any party?) has had in 20+ years.

And you, "Super" Delegates, if there is any shifty dealing where you work the variations back room machinations to ensure that Clinton becomes the nominee over the clear intent and desire of us common voters, you can be certain that at least this one vote will go to McCain in November. More importantly, recognizing that I live in Illinois and therefore whoever you put forward will carry the state, my money will go to McCain in July or August.

I truly hope it doesn't come to that, and this is not any kind of b.s. Ann Coulter-esque empty blather. Just flat out, straightforward feedback, free of charge, no polling service necessary. McCain should have been the nominee in 2000 and I'll have little problem voting for him now if the cheap, negative, insider, old-school, by any means necessary tactics of the Clinton campaign "succeed" in torpedoing the Democratic party's best hope in years. If the party manages to shoot itself in the foot that badly, it really can't be surprised when McCain is inaugurated next January.