Posted by
JayPeriod on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 4:23:41 PM
Hillary Clinton took the Pennsylvania primary yesterday, as expected. She won by almost 10 points, as expected. It's only the Democratic Primary, though, right? Well, maybe not.
For the past six weeks, we have been hearing how Barack Obama had the nomination locked up. We heard calls from many for Hillary to call it quits and give him the nomination. It was basically over.
Today, Hillary is feeling strengthened. Her victory has given her what she needs to carry forward and the demographics she got in the election will bolster her calls to the Super Delegates to supporter, rather than Obama. So, that victory may have just been what we need to make sure that neither Obama or Clinton end up in the White House.
You may ask how I can come to that conclusion? Alright, here goes.
I believe the demographics won by Hillary will cause several Super Delegates to lean her way. For decades, the Democrats have taken the African-American vote for granted. Hillary's wooing of white, blue-collar males will be the decision maker for those SDs. They'll decide they need her more than Obama. That will be their downfall, though.
As they enter the convention, Obama's supporters will believe they have the nomination sewed up, even though they will not have the required number, either. They'll be excited and confident. The convention will end, though, with Hillary anointed to lead the party. As that happens, Obama's supporters will become angry, believing that their vote never counted, and that the Democratic party has stepped on them. They'll hate the party.
Now, that doesn't mean they'll run to the polls in November to pull the lever for McCain. What they will do, though, is stay away from the polls altogether. Because of the Democratic primary process, they'll believe there is no difference between the two parties. They just won't vote.
Considering that a vast majority of Obama's support is coming from college students and African-Americans, they already believe that the system is broke and against them. This year will only serve to support their beliefs. Therefore, they will not vote in November.
As a firm Conservative, I have greatly enjoyed watching the Democrats hit full self-destruct mode during these primaries. When Barack needed to surge, he did. When Hillary has needed to gain momentum, she has. Maybe this is the "divided America" that John Kerry spoke of.