It’s almost 11am and the RBC (Rules and Bylaws Committee) would be taking a break trying to decide how to sort out the conundrum that is the Michigan and Florida delegates. Senator Clinton wants the delegates seated completely and allocated in accordance with the rules because she took majorities in both states. The problem as outlined by Martha Clark:
“How do you recognize the people who didn’t vote and how do you recognize the people that did vote and how do we at the same time maintain the integrity of the process?” said Martha Fuller Clark, a DNC Rules Committee member from New Hampshire and Obama supporter. “And there are no easy answers.”
The Clinton camp has been continuously repeating that every vote should count but many people in both States did not vote but are invested in this election, how do we count their votes? In yesterday’s post I found a comment by someone who had relatives in Florida who did not go out and vote because they knew it would not count. Senator Clinton’s logic does not simply hold up, therefore I believe that Senator Clinton will not receive her wish but neither will Senator Obama. Instead we will all be waiting for the magical solution to solve this problem, and it will certainly have to be magical in order to appease people in both sides.
The Clinton camp is also talking about the demoralization of the Democratic Party if Florida and Michigan are snubbed in some way. I think in an ordinary election year this would be true but democrats across the country realize that conservative policies do not work and have not worked for this country over the last 8 years therefore mass desertions seem highly improbable. Of course, a certain small percentage of the population will be unhappy but the majority of voters want to take a stab at liberal policies to see if the Democrats can bring change. Finally with a Democratic controlled House and a President to support them, I can only imagine sweeping changes that will be good for America.
Lastly, on a personal note; Senator Clinton would be a strong presidential candidate and would mostly likely win the upcoming general election in the traditional electoral methodology. My argument here is that the American people and Democrats want the right person to be in the White House in 2009 rather than the candidate that could win the easiest. The easy way may help many liberals in the short term but many Americans are looking for a long-term change of direction with the economy and Iraq, can Senator Clinton deliver that?
Senator Clinton is a liberal, I cannot argue that point but she has many centrists view that almost lean towards the right as demonstrated by her Iran comments:
On April 29, answering a question on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Sen. Hillary Clinton warned that if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons, “we would be able to totally obliterate them.”
I want the candidate who is willing to negotiate and understands that military force is the last resort and not the first. I want the next President to be smart, well-educated and understanding of the world and the inter-play of forces that create human society. I want America’s future leader to reform American foreign policy to realize that America and its traditions must change in the wake of the new world order. In order for America to remain competitive, we need change.
