Sunday, June 01, 2008

Power to the People: The Clinton Machine is Finished


The Democratic Party Rules Committee has seated the Michigan and Florida delegations and awarded them half-votes, thereby effectively ending Hillary Clinton's increasingly desperate and, at times, bizzare-o quest for the nomination. Ladies and gentlemen, shortly after June 3, Barack Obama will officially cross the delegate threshold and become the Democratic Party's official nominee. The Clinton Machine, which has ruled the party for a generation is now officially dead. Craig Crawford of the Congressional Quarterly writes:
Make no mistake about it. The decision rendered today by the Democratic National Committee's rules panel showed that Barack Obama has displaced Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, as boss of the party.

It is done. We are at the threshold of a new era in the party and in our nation's history. And that has only just begun...

2 comments:

  1. Are you really sure that we are "at the threshold of a new era in the party and in our nation's history", or I am afraid is it just going to be more of the same only with a lot of high-minded talk. Remember, the election is not over. But maybe Barack will be a good influence and help to turn around the horrible violence in some of the decades long devastated inner-cities (like in Detroit and even Philly). Maybe he can be a positive influence in the lives of all Americans, and especially with young, black men. None-the-less, I am glad that people are hopeful. I would say this possible hope is worth voting (I love Hillary, but Barack will be a good choice also--I don't believe the Clinton's have been bad for the party or America; plus, having a female president is just as much a earth-shattering change as having a black president. After all, Hillary's whole career has been a series of boo-yah moments for the ultra-conservatives). Maybe, we can help rejuvenate Dr. King's "Dream" a dream that has achieve so much greatness, but has also been derailed quite a bit over the last 40 years.

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  2. Amen. I share your hope, but also your caution. I believe that WE hold the key to the future. What I mean is this: The degree to which Barack Obama will win the election and become a great president is the degree to which WE as citizens get involved and create the kind of broader political circumstance that will empower/enable him to act more boldly and progressively. First, he needs a strong Democratic majority in Congress. Another 50-50 split will sustain gridlock and make it difficult for an Obama presidency to be anything but halting in its actions. Second, we need to mobilize the grassroots to invigorate existing progressive organizations and to create new ones that will advocate and agitate for the kind of change we want to see. It has always been this combination of formal and informal political pressure that has produced change. If we can do these two things, Obama will be in a much better position to act the way we hope he will...

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