Steven Grossman and Hillary Clinton are right
In his recent open letter to super delegates, Clinton supporter Steven Grossman said:
...our party concluded that we had demonstrated the ability to act as stewards of the national party--and of the national interest.
This is my first diary, and I hope you’ll follow me below the fold to find out why he’s right.
Steward, n. a person appointed by an organization or group to supervise the affairs of that group at certain functions.
Let’s discuss this group – the Democratic Party – that Grossman claims to steward. What are the ideals of this group? From the Democratic Party’s own website:
The Democratic Party is America's last, best hope to bridge the divisions of class, race, region, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We will succeed if we continue to govern by the same principles that have made America the greatest nation on earth — the principles of strength, inclusion and opportunity. The Democratic Party is ready to take advantage of the opportunities we have and meet the challenges we face.
Steven Grossman may claim to be a steward of this party – our party. And so may Hillary Clinton, Andrew Cuomo, Ed Rendell, Bill Shaheen, and Geraldine Ferraro. Simply saying the word doesn’t make it so. But Grossman is right – the super delegates should be acting as stewards. So what does that entail?
The super delegates should be asking some questions about the two candidates. Who can best bridge the divisions of class, race, region, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation? The candidate who is bringing thousands of new voters into the process and has won twice as many states as his opponent? Or the candidate who plays the victim card at every opportunity, and whose surrogates continue to play, in the most divisive and cynical way, the race card?
Which candidate has demonstrated, in the running of their campaign, the principles of strength, inclusion and opportunity? The candidate who has stayed positive, reached beyond party lines to include everyone, and taken the high road? Or the candidate who has thrown the kitchen sink, along with the garbage disposal, at her opponent?
Which candidate can best take advantage of the opportunity we have, and the challenges we face? Which candidate best serves the national interest? The candidate who spoke out against the US invasion of Iraq even though it was a political risk, or the candidate who fell into lock-step behind George W. Bush and authorized that invasion?
If the Democratic Party is the party I hope it is, I know the answer to all of these questions. The candidate who best represents the interests of my party is Barack Obama. My party is the party of civil rights, not the party of uncivil discourse. My party is the party of inclusion, not slice and dice exclusion. My party wants to unify the country, not divide it. My party wants to be competitive in all 50 states, and to show that Democratic values are not liberal or conservative, but rather, they are values we all share.
The job of super delegates, as stewards of the Democratic Party, is to make sure that the principles of the Party are represented in the candidate chosen as the Party’s nominee. Hillary Clinton has proven, much to my dismay, that she is no better than John McCain. Is that really the standard we are striving for? Because frankly, I don’t think that "Hey, we’re no worse than John ‘Lobbyists? I’m soaking in them!’ McCain" is going to work in the general election.
People are sick of this nonsense – I’m sick of it. And I’m increasingly disheartened that the people with the most clout in the Democratic Party are not speaking out against the blatant race-baiting of Geraldine Ferraro and her ilk. Where are the party leaders on this? Where are Al Gore, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Howard Dean and the others? Democrats, it’s time to let us know if you believe in the principles of your party, or if you’re just like the Republicans. Steve King may be a jackass, but at least he’s putting his true self out there for everyone to see (and despise.) The racism being perpetrated by the Clinton campaign is, in my opinion, worse; for the simple reason that it’s so insidious. They may not be walking around using Senator Obama’s middle name or claiming that Al Qaeda will be dancing in the streets if he’s elected, but they have been steadily chipping away at the principles I thought this Party stood for.
Super delegates are stewards of the Party, not of any individual candidate. The Party needs to put an end to this, now. I honestly don’t know how I can continue to think of myself as a Democrat if the Party doesn’t take a stand for what is right. If Hillary Clinton manages to somehow convince enough super delegates to overturn the will of the people in state after state, I will have to respond, with regrets, that I will not be attending this Party.