Quagmire
Getting out of the primaries is proving every bit as difficult and destructive for the Dems as their efforts to quit Iraq. That’s not exactly how NYT casts it, though:
WASHINGTON — Lacking a clear route to the selection of a Democratic presidential nominee, the party’s uncommitted superdelegates say they are growing increasingly concerned about the risks of a prolonged fight between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, and perplexed about how to resolve the conflict.
Interviews with dozens of undecided superdelegates — the elected officials and party leaders who could hold the balance of power for the nomination — found them uncertain about who, if anyone, would step in to fill a leadership vacuum and help guide the contest to a conclusion that would not weaken the Democratic ticket in the general election.
…
It would be nice to find a way to wrap it up,” said Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who has not committed to either candidate. “If the current trajectory of the debate continues, the divisions will make it more difficult for many of our candidates.”
Over all, the interviews with these influential Democrats presents a portrait of a particularly exclusive political community in flux, looking for an exit strategy and hoping they will be relieved of making an excruciating decision that could lose them friends and supporters at home.
“This was everybody’s worse nightmare come to fruition,” said Richard Machacek, an uncommitted superdelegate from Iowa, who said he was struggling over what to do.
Uncertainty, no one knows which way to go. Leadership void. Frustration. Impotence. That’s all starting to sound awfully familiar. May be time for another surrender. Quick, before they get beaten, so they can claim it as another victory. But this is the most eerily familiar part:
Representative John P. Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, is not wringing his hands. “I don’t see the problem,” he said.
Politico harkens back to another time for its analogy: Trench warfare.
Instapundit wrily notes that while some bicker and backstab at home, others are more concerned about the war abroad.
Welcome Punditeers, etal. Always so good to see you. We’re five years in now. It’s war, things happen. Truth hertz donut.
Topics: pols
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 10:23 am on Sunday, March 16, 2008
5 Responses to “Quagmire”
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March 16th, 2008 at 11:45 am
…perplexed about how to resolve the conflict..
Long term, set up more straightforward rules for the nominee election process. The Dems shot themselves in the foot by making sure that the “political classes” still had a significant say in the primaries. If you’re going to speak for the people, speak for the people.
Oh, and please don’t deluge the country with endless chatter on how the Electoral College is “obsolete”, and the President should be elected by popular vote. Or at least discounting an election because the winner won the College, but not the popular vote. The Electoral College at least accepts the popular vote on a state-by-state basis. The Democratic National Committee does not, not with the superdelegates being able to over-ride the popular vote.
Short-term solutions…..buy lots of popcorn. And butter. Plenty of butter.
(Hypocrisy may be the Dhimmicrat motto, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the spectacle of all their self-induced infighting, eh?)
March 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Representative John P. Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, is not wringing his hands. “I don’t see the problem,” he said.
That’s right you big lug, you. I am surprised that you haven’t gone to Chicago, to give another former Marine a big Murtha bear hug, his name is Wright.
Ummm, you two guys weren’t in and around Haditha, some time back, were you?
March 16th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Gee forgot John, you are getting on in years..the former Marine in Chicago, thingy?…His first name is Jeremiah, a pastor somewhere in the area.
March 16th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Anything that hurts the Democrats is good for America. They’re a bigger threat than a bunch of ragtag terrorists ever were.
March 16th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Well the most reliable way out of their self-inflicted impasse would be to shoot Hillary, but I don’t recommend that approach. Short of that nothing will stop her from trying to grab the nomination by any means, fair or foul. The Dems stoked this woman’s power hunger, scoffing at the warnings conservatives spoke of the utter ruthlessness and cynicism of the Clintons, and now they have to pay the price. Have fun guys.