If you’ve been following the race for the democratic nomination over the past few weeks you know that things took a decidedly nasty turn after Senator Hillary Clinton upset Senator Barack Obama in New Hampshire. Democrats, both candidates and supporters, went into the Nevada Caucus with their blood boiling. Various accusations between camp Clinton and camp Obama fueled heated exchanges before and after the caucus and last night’s debate was full of hits usually reserved for Republican opponents.
We’re talking about the possibility of making history, and in some ways we’ve have already achieved that with both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, but we’re also talking about repairing our nation and restoring the American Dream.
Politics is a bloodsport. However, amongst candidates of the same party there is often more kayfabe than hate. I’m not sure that’s the case with Senator Clinton and Senator Obama but what I am sure of is that the media loves conflict. A storyline, however manipulated and false, keeps us all tuning in to see what will happen next. I suspect that’s why we see very few photos like the one below (taken January 21st 2008) but have no shortage of stories discussing the fights, bad blood, and possible fractures.
What has been disturbing is the amount of comments from supporters of various democratic candidates that claim they won’t vote for anyone but their pick as well as those supporters that freely use Republican talking points to attack opponents. The level of hypocrisy displayed by some supporters has been astounding. We should be focused on ideals and policies rather than personalities. Pouting that your favorite lost and therefore you’ll not support his or her democratic opponent in the general election when in fact his or her democratic opponent shares the same core ideals and beliefs as your favorite and is opposed to republican party only reveals that you lack commitment to any real ideals –you are voting for a personality rather than for policies.
John Edwards stated it best at this evening’s debate in South Carolina when he said, “…this kind of squabbling, how many children is this going to get health care? How many people are going to get an education from this? How many kids are going to be able to go to college because of this?”
Well said. I’ve had a couple of friends and fellow Obama supporters tell me that they’re so fed up with the Clinton attacks on Obama that they’ll vote 3rd party in the general election if HRC gets the nomination. But when pressed on it, when reminded that the next president will be dealing with the post-Bush wasteland and nominating a Supreme Court Justice or two, they sheepishly admit their disgust got the better of them and that they’ll vote for whomever the Dems nominate.
I really think most people will come around in the end. I am concerned people who are newly involved in politics may become alienated, but those of us who have been through this crap cycle before understand what’s at stack and will act accordingly.
Thanks Betty. I hope you’re right. I do think most will eventually let the divisions go for the greater good. As for the newly involved, I do think we can make a concerted effort to reach out to them regardless of the candidate that wins. I hope that both Obama and Edwards (should they lose) will make an effort on the party’s behalf to keep those voters energized –losing the nom doesn’t mean your message should be lost.
In my opinion, Democrats have done a poor job with outreach in general but I think the time is now to bring new voters into the fold. I think we can do that as long as we concentrate on ideas, issues, and policies. We need to state what we stand for and draw out the distinctions. We’ve been ashamed of our own message for too long and I think that’s hurt us. The GOP has been proud of their policies and people have respected them for it. Instead of trying to imitate their policies we need to show people we’re proud and believe in our own.