What too many knuckleheads around here don’t seem to get is this is not just about winning the nomination; it’s about how the nomination is won.
The Clinton campaign is toast and most of us can see that, it was probably toast after Super Tuesday when their entire strategy of the overwhelming one day knock out punch failed. The head was cut off the chicken that day.
They probably saw it coming, witness the South Carolina antics that were really designed to woo white voters in Super Tuesday states. That’s where desperation first appeared. The chicken is still running around, but not for long. Now they’re running out of money, not paying bills, the drip, drip, drip of falling super delegates works against them every day, the polls are slip-sliding away, the end is in sight.
But too many people around here think winning is about crushing the Clinton supporters (and Clinton) into the ground. They insult Clinton supporters, publicly demand that Clinton quit, they gloat and delight in every mis-step (and mis-speak), they hide comments that shouldn’t be hidden in an effort to silence discussion.
But wining the nomination means nothing if we don’t win in November. Hillary is right about that. If that happens, those who thought it was fine (and fun) to insult Clinton supporters will be like the folks in Florida who thought voting for Nader was the thing to do since there was no difference between Al Gore and George Bush in 2000. We know how that turned out don’t we?
When you speak here in support of Obama, or to friends, relatives, co-workers, people on the street, remember that in supporting his campaign you’re not just speaking for yourself. Choose your words carefully, show some magnanimity and understanding.
To me the real beauty of what Obama has done is that he has succeeded while rejecting identity politics. Identity politics was a trademark of the Clinton/DLC approach. It pits one group against another, it appeals to different groups with inconsistent arguments. Identity politics is also a trademark of Karl Rove.
The American public is tired of that. Its hungry for a party and a candidate that remembers we are all Americans first, that knows how to be "big." First and foremost, this election is about the future of our country, not the future of a group, a candidate or even a party.
So before you open your mouth, bang the keyboard or hit the send button, think. Is what you are adding moving us toward that goal or away? If not, please think again.
It will be up to all of us to be sure we win in November, that’s what we’re here for is it not?