But at least one of the complainers went one step further. One appropriately trollrated comment spread falsehoods about Hillary's record and declared that if she was the Democratic nominee, that he or she would not be voting for her in any circumstance. And there are others who vehemently declare that they will only hold their nose for Hillary.
Now, we have been here before, haven't we? Oh yes, I fondly recall the 2004 Primaries when Deaniacs made the same declarations about Kerry and to a lesser extent Edwards. I told them to SYFPH then and I would do it now, but for an interesting paradox I have found in their reasoning.
In primaries, complaints about the subversion of the democratic process are only understandable, logical and valid if the "establishment" has cleared the field for a particular candidate of their choice. Examples of this can be seen in the recent PA-SEN race and the OH-SEN race.
However, in 2008, Democrats of all stripes, convictions and ideology will have 9 candidates to choose from. And this collection of talent is widely regarded as superb.
Hillary Clinton.
John Edwards.
Barack Obama.
Bill Richardson.
Tom Vilsack.
Dennis Kucinich.
Mike Gravel.
Chris Dodd.
Joe Biden.
And to add to that are the potential candidacies of Al Gore or Wesley Clark.
No one can complain about the field being cleared. You can vote for whom you like.
The problem with elections, however, even in a political party as diverse as ours, is that there can only be one nominee. One winner. And to get the nomination, the winner will have to have garnered majority support from the delegates to the convention, so there can be no complaints that the nominee does not represent the majority of the party.
I, for example, will definitely have to hold my nose in order to vote for Mike Gravel, Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich, Tom Vilsack and Bill Richardson. I can be enthusiastic in my vote for Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. John Edwards, meh, I can take him or leave him.
But I only get one vote, and if my vote does not count towards the winner, I will be stuck with a candidate that more likely than not I did not like in the primaries. Such is life in the democratic primary process (emphasis on the small 'd').
To complain that you will not vote for the winner of a primary, especially if the winner is Hillary, is tantamount to being Joe Lieberman. It is anti-democratic.
So that is something all you anti-Hillary people to think about. If she wins, she will win because a majority of the party wants her to be the nominee. You will have had your say in the primary process. And if your candidate doesn't make it, you can be sad, but only for a while. If you instead pick up your toys and go home, you are not asset to the party.
Comments are closed on this story.