Democrats' Damaging Brawl - Clinton and Obama are paving the way to a McCain win.

The Washington Post ^ | April 20, 2008 | David S. Broder

[Aristotelian]

As a rule, presidential elections are not won or lost by what happens in April. But last week, more and more Democratic officeholders and strategists were worrying out loud about the possibility that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are running themselves into trouble with their unending battle for the nomination.

The negativity of the campaigning for Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary is spotlighting issues that can easily be exploited in the general election by Republican John McCain. And the increasingly personal tone of the Clinton-Obama exchanges is draining some of the enthusiasm from Democrats, who have believed for many months that 2008 would be their year for victory.

Even so, according to this month's Post-ABC News poll, there is still no strong demand from grass-roots Democrats for the two senators to end their battle and turn to the challenge posed by McCain.

By a margin of 53 percent to 41 percent, those surveyed said that it is more important that their favorite candidate win, even if the race goes into the summer, than that the race end as soon as possible.

Supporting that finding, by an identical margin, these Democrats said that Clinton should remain in the race even if she suffers an upset loss in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

By contrast, in conversations Wednesday and Thursday with members of Congress and other Democratic officials, I found few superdelegates who are sanguine about the prospect of seeing the intraparty fight continue until the late-August convention in Denver.

They were reacting in part to Wednesday night's savage ABC News debate, perhaps the nastiest since Clinton and Obama sparred in South Carolina more than two months ago.

[Aristotelian]

Clinton and Obama are paving the way to a McCain win.

That should make much of a difference to liberals. Any way you cut it, they'd have one of their own in the Oval Office.

[Aristotelian]

Correction: That shouldn’t make ...

[Question Liberal Authority]

As a rule, presidential elections are not won or lost by what happens in April.

I'd say the 1992 election was lost largely because of the Rodney King incident. It was the videotape of the beating that undid papa Bush's mojo from Desert Storm. The riots were in April 1992.

[TheWasteLand]

I'd say the 1992 election was lost largely because of the Rodney King incident.

What about Perot?

[Question Liberal Authority]

By a margin of 53 percent to 41 percent, those surveyed said that it is more important that their favorite candidate win

In other words, avoiding conflict is meaningless if it comes at the expense of victory.

That is the exact opposite of Obama's message.

[Liberty2007]

so rodney king was

BUSH'S FAULT v.1.0!

[Question Liberal Authority]

What about Perot?

You're right. He declared in February.

Maybe these pre-Labor Day events are more important than folks want to think.

[umgud]

Nominating a black man is a watershed moment for the dems, but so is nominating a woman........... so waht do the dems do? They try both duering the same election and tear themselves apart.

[spokeshave]

Petard meet Hoist

[spokeshave]

And pass the Shardenfreude

[Question Liberal Authority]

so rodney king was BUSH'S FAULT v.1.0!

Depends on how you define it. Don't forget some of these clowns blame papa Bush for the assassination of JFK, and grandpa Bush for the rise of Hitler.

Plus, there was the October Surprise, where, as a private citizen, Bush commandeered a US military jet and held a secret meeting with Islamic radicals, conspiring to undermine the otherwise wildly popular president, Jimmy Carter.

Then there was the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein, which, of course, was the fault of George W. Bush because some low level diplomat supposedly gave Saddam the green light.

And when Saddam lit the oil wells on fire, the environmental experts said that it would cause a nuclear winter, possibly exterminating all life on Earth.

[Question Liberal Authority]

They were reacting in part to Wednesday night's savage ABC News debate

What I wouldn't give if there was an actual savage debate between those two - hosted by Michael Savage.

[Dilbert San Diego]

but is Hillary a real woman candidate? She’s so mannish and is an extension of Bill Clinton, running as if she were co-president during those eight years..............

[Post Toasties]

Here’s to McCain coasting to victory.

[Tainan]

+ nuance

[dr_lew]

She’s so mannish ...

I dispute this. I assume you refer to her combativeness, dominance, etc. as mannish, but her appearance, with her extreme hippiness and narrow shoulders, create a distinctly womanish impression, and her pesonality is accommodated by several traditional female stereotypes, such as the "battle ax" and the "dominatrix".

[NurdlyPeon]

This fight is an example to the truest liberal principles: “self before party, party before country”.

[CindyDawg]

I’m not so sure about. After they fight it out and a winner declared, I think they will turn their attention toward him.

[OeOeO]

[sagar]

Political ambition of Clinton and arrogance of Obama might be destroying the liberals’ wet dreams come November.