"What's clear right now is
that the margin between both candidates and John McCain is shrinking. The
Democrats should worry less about which of the two candidates they choose and
more about choosing one."
Philadelphia:
It's about time that the superdelegates put an end to
the clash between presidential candidates Clinton and Obama - even if Clinton
doesn't realize that it's time to stop.
There are moments
in life in which a person must make a decision, even if you don’t know what
decision is the right one. You can weigh the pros and cons, draw on the council
of friends or see a fortune-teller. But calculating the probabilities only gets
you so far, since no one can know all the variables. All of which is why one
must act on the basis of the information available at the time.
That should be
exactly the course of action now taken by the U.S. Democratic superdelegates, in whose hands lies the power to bring the
clash of rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to an end. The information we
now have is this: Obama's has the balance of superdelegates
needed to obtain the Party's nomination.
With his huge
victory in North Carolina, he neutralized Clinton’s win in Pennsylvania the
week before. Clinton was unable to catch up to and overcome him. And the
enthusiasm that a clear victory in Indiana would have generated is missing as
well.
U.S. Democrats
had half a year to compare presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary
Clinton and to verify that both uphold the same core Democratic values. At
present, which of the two stands a better chance against Republican John McCain
on November 4 is anybody's guess. What's clear right now, however, is that the
margin between both candidates and John McCain is shrinking. The Democrats
should worry less about which of the two candidates they choose and more about
choosing one.
Both Obama and
Clinton spoke indirectly to this issue in their speeches Tuesday night. “We
will have to remember who we are as Democrats,” said Obama, the winner of North
Carolina. “It will not be a change if the Republicans keep the White House,”
said Clinton. Now would be the time for the Democrats to prevent this … and
avoid another round of the undignified mud-slinging seen over recent weeks.
Few real
surprises are left. Clinton is the favorite in West Virginia, Kentucky and
Puerto Rico - states dominated by the White-working class and Latinos. Obama
has a better hand in Oregon, Montana and South Dakota. He has bee traditionally
strong in liberal bastions as well as the Midwest. None of these contests will bring
any new insights, let alone reverse the outcome of the race. That's why the
Clintons want to have the results of Michigan and Florida recognized, states
where the votes were disqualified by Party headquarters. She won in both
states, but without real competition.
The message sent
by such an decision would be devastating. It would sow even more discord rather
than promote party unity. If Hillary Clinton can't recognize when its time to
concede, then the remaining undecided superdelegates
should offer a helping hand: with a swift vote in favor of the candidate who
has emerged as the winner of primaries held so far: Barack Obama.
