The Not-So-Great War
The Politico calls the phase of the Democratic nomination process they are entering trench warfare, World War One style. There are too few delegates left to be chosen to put either Obama or Clinton over the top and so a long war of attrition has settled in.
The Democratic race has entered its World War I phase, a bloody fight between two adversaries making only the most incremental of gains. And there is no reason to think either side will emerge from the trenches anytime soon.
There are 10 scheduled contests left, but thanks to proportional allocation, not enough pledged delegates to be had for either Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton to clinch the nomination. And, because of increasingly firm demographic voting trends, it appears to be a foregone conclusion who will capture most of the states left.
So on June 3rd, when South Dakota and Montana end the current voting calendar, the contours of the race aren't likely to be much different than they are today.
That means two-and-a-half months of conference calls, attacks, counter-attacks and millions of dollars spent all to move the political needle just a few inches.
“It’s going to be a long, hard slog,” predicted Jim Jordan, a veteran Democratic strategist not working for either candidate. “It’s not good for the party.”
Pennsylvania, which votes on April 22nd, and Indiana and North Carolina, which both go on May 6th, will be closely watched, as will Florida and Michigan in the event they vote again. But the stretch otherwise lacks any obvious primary of consequence or other decisive moment that could spell the end for either candidate.
And so the two campaigns will settle into their trenches and lob verbal bombs at one another - and staffer after staffer form both groups will be sacrificed in hopeless frontal attacks. And all this leads up to the political guns of August in Denver. With so much damage being done by both sides, there simply will not be enough time for the eventual nominee to heal the party after the convention.
By Quilly Mammoth, Sunday, 16 March , 2008 @ 7:47 am
bummer. /sarc
By curtis, Sunday, 16 March , 2008 @ 9:03 am
Hillary(rightful Queen of the Universe) ,hasn’t even turned her sights on the crazy wife yet. This is getting good.The delegate count is perfect. The trustfunders and perfessers are going to have a fit when Herself gets the nomination.
By martian, Sunday, 16 March , 2008 @ 12:43 pm
"there simply will not be enough time for the eventual nominee to heal the party after the convention"
And this is a bad thing why?
By wolfwalker, Sunday, 16 March , 2008 @ 9:59 pm
With so much damage being done by both sides, there simply will not be enough time for the eventual nominee to heal the party after the convention.I hope you’re right.
By FedUp, Monday, 17 March , 2008 @ 9:16 am
The Dems did it to themselves - Idiots!! Soooooo… they can just… SUCK. IT. UP!
By Sam, Monday, 17 March , 2008 @ 4:47 pm
Sure makes for an interesting spectacle to watch. And I assume that you will continue to bring it to us on Blue Crab.