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Jewish World Review
May 14, 2008
/ 9 Iyar 5768
Campaigns don't signal destruction for the Democratic party
By
Jonathan Gurwitz
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Please — stop the whining. Quit all this nonsense about how Hillary Clinton is doing irreparable damage to her party's prospects in November. Forget about polls that claim to show her bitter supporters will never vote for Barack Obama or that in the inconceivable event she were to win the nomination, Obama's elitists would return the favor. Here are five reasons why the Democratic contest, even at this late date, is far from being a self-defeating slog. • Geography. Beyond the question of who decided Iowa and New Hampshire should be the political arbiters of American politics, Hillary's unending quest has put states as far apart as North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho and Oregon into play. Republicans in Texas scarcely got a peek at John McCain leading up to the March 4 primary in the Lone Star State. More than two months later, Obama and Clinton were still glad-handing and vying for every available vote in West Virginia. • Time. Economists recognize something called the time value of money — the idea that, all things being equal, it is better to have something now rather than later. That certainly holds true for candidates, who clearly would rather wrap up a nomination early, as McCain did. But the passage of time adds value for voters, allowing them to see and consider different issues and different facets of the candidates. McCain largely campaigned and triumphed on his national security credentials and Iraq war policy. Those have been issues in the Democratic race as well. But so have health care, taxes, economics, trade and a slew of other issues that barely surfaced before the short GOP contest was over. Obama has evolved from being a candidate of platitudes — “We are the ones we've been waiting for” — to a sharper pitchman for change. And Clinton has transformed herself from the heir apparent of the Democratic establishment to the heroine of the have-nots. • Money. Locked in a nomination fight, Obama raised $41 million in March, while Clinton raised about $20 million. McCain only raised about $15 million in March. Sure, that may mean McCain still has an untapped reservoir of GOP donors. But Democrats have a proven and growing source of donors, small and large, who are willing to give and give again. • Organization. In each state in which Obama and Clinton have battled for votes and raised money, they've also invested in grassroots organizations, voter registration and outreach to women, blacks, Hispanics, young people, blue collar workers. Of the 3.5 million new voters who have registered to participate in this year's primaries, the overwhelming majority is voting Democratic. Regardless of who wins the nomination, those voters aren't going away. • Buyer's Remorse. Democrats have had more occasion than Republicans in recent decades to select relatively unknown and untested candidates for president. That has led to Election Day results ranging from the merely disappointing (Al Gore, John Kerry) to the politically disastrous (George McGovern, Jimmy Carter in 1980, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis). The long and competitive contest between Obama and Clinton may have been unseemly at times, but it has also vetted both Democratic presidential hopefuls in a way that the sprint for GOP delegates did not. Few people who voted on Super Tuesday had heard of Jeremiah Wright. Obama's weaknesses and the contours of the GOP campaign against him are far clearer than they would have been if the Democratic race had ended two months ago. The lack of competitively driven scrutiny, however, leaves the national electorate with plenty of unknowns about John McCain — the latest example being Cindy McCain's refusal to disclose her tax returns. And with the media focused on the Democrats, there's been little opportunity for him to develop a campaign narrative. Hillary's relentlessness is destroying the Democratic Party? Hardly. The tough, four-month-long fight to lead the Democratic ticket is exactly the kind of primary contest that best serves the nation, one that Republicans ought to envy and that Democrats insufficiently appreciate.
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JWR contributor Jonathan Gurwitz, a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, is a co-founder and twice served as Director General of the Future Leaders of the Alliance program at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. In 1986 he was placed on the Foreign Service Register of the U.S. State Department.
© 2007, Jonathan Gurwitz |
Mitch Albom | |||||||||||
