Many of you have commented upon the fact that the attacks coming from the Clinton campaign are increasingly nasty and increasing sound like John McCain talking points.
It is also pretty clear that if Barack Obama wins the general election in November, it is highly unlikely that Hillary Clinton will ever be President. However, if Obama loses in November, Hillary Clinton would again be the Democratic front runner headed into 2012, and she will make the case that it was a mistake to deny her the nomination the first time.
I believe that this is an important discussion for the progressive community to be engaging in because winning in November isn't just the ultimate goal, it's the only goal. If Obama's supporters believe that Hillary Clinton is intentionally sabotaging Obama's general election campaign, there is an increased chance that they will not vote for Hillary Clinton if she is the party's nominee, which we cannot afford.
I am afraid that Hillary Clinton may be passing into Joe Lieberman/Ralph Nader territory, in which she is seeing herself as more important than the Democratic Party and the country as a whole. I'm also afraid that many progressive voters may view her in the same light.
We cannot afford to have the campaign continue with either candidate defining the other in terms that will benefit John McCain this November. Therefore, where it is clear that one candidate is engaging in these types of sleazy low-ball attacks against our party's front runner and the other is remaining relatively positive, the candidate attacking our party's front runner needs to be forced out of the race as quickly as possible.
This is our party. The only people who are entitled to anything are the voters, and it is increasingly clear that we have made our decision.
PLEASE REC. We need to have this debate out in the open.