Comedy Imitates Life

Last week on the season finale of Saturday Night Live, Senator John McCain appeared on the Weekend Update news segment encouraging Democrats to let the nomination process drag on as long as possible -- even past the Convention in August. Why not keep the party going until you have no choice but to pick them both? Of course this was supposed to be a parody of what John McCain really thinks. But I didn't find it funny because, well, it's kinda true. I don't care how you spin it -- dragging this primary out has been bad for the Democrats, and good for Senator McCain.

There is a war going on within the Democratic party. And it's not pretty. Some Democrats are taking this primary contest far too personally. If one peruses the pro-Obama and pro-Clinton blogs, the level of antagonism for the other side can be quite off-putting. These staunch supporters cannot be honestly critical about their own candidate. When the most outrageous comments are made by Obama or Clinton supporters, the other side attributes that attitude to the candidates themselves. 

But here is some common sense from radio host Thom Hartmann. I found this posted on Air America's Web site:

Obama - Ask Hillary First!

The issue at hand for the Democratic Party for winning in ‘08 is not losing to McCain but losing to a divided Democratic party. The first thing Obama should do if nominated is put Hillary on the ticket. Will the Republicans have a field day with her on the ticket? Yes! Is their some bad blood in the water due to some negative campaign strategies on the part of the Clintons? Probably. Can Hillary be a tough fighter able to play tough allowing Obama to stay higher above the fray? Yes!

Howard Dean said a few months ago that the loser will be the most important person in the Democratic presidential run this year. Hillary's legacy in this 08 election could place her as the healer and bring together a united Democratic party. As a winning ticket they also move this country closer to healing the racial and misogynist undertones that still have roots.

Can you picture Denver with Hillary's delegates close to half of all delegates demanding that she be included on the ticket? To some it's a crusade. If Hillary was the one out ahead - by just a little over half - wouldn't Obama supporters want the same?

Obama's offer and Hillary's acceptance of an Obama/Clinton ticket hold the healing and the power to move this country in the direction of the real change in Washington that Obama talks about. First he must bring the Democrats back together again.

Obama - ask Hillary first. And if she should say no, the offer would still have a unifying affect.

--Thom Hartmann

Not sure it's fair to blame Hillary Clinton for all the bad blood. But I don't think she's run the smartest campaign (as recently demonstrated by her mention of Bobby Kennedy's assassination in June, 1968 in order to defend staying in the race). Yes she had to be more aggressive to stay in there. That's just politics. But Clinton cannot deny the reality of where the delegate battle is going. Her position is becoming untenable.

But there is another problem. Many Hillary Clinton supporters feel that the sexist attacks in the media against her have been rampant. Some state they will not vote for Obama because of his silence on this issue. The idea of a unity ticket does not satisfy them. Just like many Obama supporters, having the other candidate on the ticket is unthinkable to them. I find it strange since both are moderate Democrats who don't really differ that much on the important issues. We all support the platform of the Democratic Party, don't we?

It's very simple. Obama and Clinton have both been victims of dirty campaigning from the GOP and by fellow Dems. So the bigger question is, when do we stop self-destructing our party and focus on the most important problems? That's not just rhetoric. This primary has not evolved into the war on sexism and racism 2008. The fight against ignorance and injustice goes on no matter who is President. We can't take our eyes off the prize because we don't like the way our media deals with certain issues. I think the sexism and racism permeating our media is a clever way of creating cynicism. People get so disgusted by the negativity, they end up not voting at all. We shouldn't sit back and let this happen again. So I agree with Hartmann's overall message: a unity ticket if possible. Victory at all costs.

Comments

[Carin]

Sorry Ralph but your wrong. A joint ticket is a bad idea. Yes, Senator Clinton and Senator Obama share many moderate views. But the difference is in their methodology. If they ran on a joint ticket, they would cancel each other out. Victory at all costs is not victory. I am tired of this us against them. Ralph, we are one nation. Not only does the democratic party need to unify. The Country needs to unify. If you can guess who I am supporting, then nuff said.

[Ralph]

Carin, how can we unify the country if we can't even unify the Democratic party? Dismissing the votes of almost half the Democrats in the country is not a good way to start the process - hence the call for a unity ticket.

Don't lose sight of those who always try to divide us to begin with. In fact that's been the Republican strategy since Nixon. For over 20 years the right wing smear machine has been attacking 'liberals' as un-American and immoral, etc. Now we have a chance to prove that patriotism is really about upholding our Constitutional ideals, not flag-waving militarism.

Is there another VP pick that you think would unify the party?

[fuggettaboutit!]

On yet another level altogether, the Republicans and Democratic Party are one and the same. The country's already as unified as it's gonna get, over 80% agreeing the Bush blows, the war is wrongheaded and the course of the nation is well off track. No elected official will bring meaningful, lasting change, least of all any of the presidential candidates. Even if Barry pulls it off, he's not going to usher in the fresh air everyone dreams he will.

[Carin]

Well, I was hoping for John Edwards. I think he would compliment either candidate.

[Ralph]

Hell, I wanted him for President because I knew that having the first serious black and female candidate would be very distracting in the media. And my fears have been more than borne out. That being said, I think picking Edwards as VP makes sense, but some would say we need new blood in there like Jim Webb of Virgina.

[Carin]

The media frenzy is unavoidable. Jim is cool. (btw, hillary would not be new blood.) But maybe too cool?

[fuggettaboutit!]

Yes, it's heartening (to me) to hear talk of Webb as VP. But let's not forget - Ron Paul never ended his bid, and he's far and away the best candidate. He's suffering a media blackout, and the presumption is that McCain (gag) has the nomination, but at minimum Paul will shake up the Republican convention and make people think. The truth is, if we could get out crap together, we could get Paul in office. I'm pro-choice where he's pro-life, but on absolutely everything else I've heard him opine on, I totally support his position. And to consider what kind of man he is against this climate, he's got a lot more star power than Obama for me.