(Note: this diary is cross-posted at MyDD)
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After his getting drubbed in states where he at least doubled the spending of Hillary Clinton, it is becoming increasingly clear that Barack Obama cannot and will not win the nomination. The narrative which the pro-Obama media wants you to believe -- that this is a contest for pledged delegates -- is meaningless, as neither candidate appears able to secure the needed numbers via only pledged delegates.
This being the case, the Superdelegates will make the final call. And there is absolutely no way that they will choose Obama over Clinton. Doing so would violate all reason and doom Dems come November:
** Hillary is winning the Democratic popular vote, and will finish well ahead of BHO in this, the most relevant, category
** Hillary has won in all the important large states. Party leaders know that relying on wins in states like Utah and Nebraska is fool's gold come the general
** BHO had the chance to effectively close the deal yesterday, and instead he was blown out in two states (even though he handily outspent HRC in Ohio) and lost in a 3rd (TX) where he both outspent Clinton and received the edge in GOP votes
It was a heck of a run by Obama, but we have reached the beginning of the end of his candidacy. Expect far fewer John Lewis situations as Superdelegates realize that there is no political cover for going against the will of Democratic voters. This is not an open nomination which GOP voters and GOP-leaning Indys can or will make the call; it is, instead, the Democratic Party nomination.
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Which brings me to the main point of the diary. There are still a number of months to go before Hillary is declared the nominee. There is time for healing from the divisiveness of the campaign season, time for cooler heads to prevail.
And so I ask my fellow Democrats who have supported Senator Obama: when Obama concedes, which he eventually will be forced to do, please handle the development as maturely as possible. We don't need more Al Sharpton rioting rhetoric, nor Donna Brazile flee-the-party grandstanding. The Party is already in tatters right now due to this contest, and more childish outbursts are not, in my opinion, the answer.
Your candidate has run a strong, albeit losing, campaign. There is no shame in hitting the wall which Obama hit last night nor that he is continuing to hit as regards Rezko, NAFTA, etc. These things can happen, and the increased scrutiny which Obama is finding himself under these days was bound to occur sooner or later. No person -- whether presidential candidate or entertainer -- stays the media's darling forever, and the worm turning in this regard for BHO is not a surprise, either.
I imagine that the pressure will be enormous for Clinton to choose Obama as her VP. I'm not sure that this will happen, but I understand the sentiment. Perhaps that is the best way to resolve this issue and to keep Obama supporters in the fold when Hillary is named the nominee.
It has been a great race. I never thought BHO would make it this far, but he has. He and his supporters deserve a tip of the cap and kudos for that accomplishment.
I just urge them -- and their candidate -- to exercise the dignity, class and restraint which will help the Party when Hillary is named the nominee. It is more certain than ever that this is going to happen, and I'm praying for our Party to accept this reality as smoothly as possible.