I have read with great interest over the last few weeks numerous diaries on a number of different blogs that point out how it is virtually impossible for Hillary Clinton to win the nomination for the Democratic party. I certainly hope, indeed I pray, that they are right. I am also pleased to see this meme picked up by the general press.
However I think the time has come to change that narrative....
Barack Obama is not just being gentlemanly, he is being smart when he states that Senator Clinton is entitled to stay in the race as long as she wants. I believe that it is critically important that there is no public perception that Senator Clinton has been or is being ‘pushed out’ of the race. Ultimately this perception will not only drag this race out much longer than necessary by firming up Clinton support, it will cause deeper divisions within the party. Most people have an innate sense of fairness and will disturbed and upset if this sense is activated. Most Democrats, I believe, have an above average sense of empathy and therefore will feel this even more deeply.
No, it is time to change the narrative. It’s time to trumpet loud and long Senator Obama’s successes. The discussion should be not how much more Clinton lost in Texas last night, but how much more Obama won. (I know it’s hard to separate the two, but it is possible). The theme should be how much Obama is up in the polls, not how much Hillary Clinton is down. It’s all a question of emphasis.
By following Senator Obama’s lead, the race will be won much faster, more effectively and with a great deal less blood. There is nothing more deadly than being ignored.