I just wanted to write a short diary tonight. I'm pretty happy but surprised as well that Hillary Clinton won 3 out of 4 primaries. This has been an amazing race so far, the pundits are totally flummoxed, it looked like Chris Mathews was about to pass out from fatigue and confusion tonight!
I see that many Obama people are extremely pissed and frustrated and many are predicting that with Clinton continuing on, she will tear the party apart and leave the eventual winner too bloody and wounded to win the election.
I do worry a bit about how continuing this race will monopolize the money and attention on the presidential race and leave little but dregs for the other races, congressional and state, that are in play. So I do hope that this is resolved before the convention and I aim to donate funds for the party, independent of the presidential nominee.
But I don't think this will hurt the party at all. Someone said that this will be like the 1968 convention which saw the Democratic party in open war between the anti-war delegates and the Humphrey/Johnson bigwigs. But that was a war over Vietnam in which there was a stark contrast between the two sides over which way the country should go.
In contrast our two candidates are in 95% agreement over what we as a nation must do for the next 4 years. Both want us out of Iraq, both want a return to diplomacy and multilateral foreign policy. Both want to end the Bush tax cuts and want to enact Health Care Reform. Both want to push for greener policies and alternative fuels. The unanimity of position is remarkable and wonderful. For the first time in 40 years the Democratic Party is united in it's goals and strategy. We are fighting over who is the best person to lead us, not where to go.
I think many feel Clinton has used unscrupulous tactics to undermine Obama but for my part, she has put a focus on exactly the concerns I have long had for his fitness for the presidency. So I am happy that these concerns are out in the open now, before we choose.
I think it is absolutely fair for Obama to put a spotlight on Clinton's deficits. The Clinton tax returns, Bill's list of shady donors, the rumors of his girlfriends, Hillary's hawkishness, the reality of her "experience", all that stuff should also be aired now. Better now than in the general election when it's too late.
The next White House will inherit a world of terrible problems. More will crop up that we cannot now even imagine. It is important that we know as much as possible about our next president and how he or she will respond to the challenges that will present themselves.
I'm very happy that this election is turning out as contested and unpredictable as it has. I think this time we citizens are really paying attention and testing our candidates hard. Maybe this time we will get it right.