Ugh, I am so ready for primary season to be over. And yesterday’s result was almost perfect to maximize the annoyance. If Hillary had won resoundingly, it could have actually signaled the return of a real contest. But instead, she won by enough to ensure that she’ll continue running for (probably) months without really doing anything to improve her chances of winning.
The reality is that she has very little chance of winning. And if she does win, it will almost certainly come in a fashion that will incite serious (and justified) anger. Which makes me wish that she would simply state that fact, call on her supporters to unite behind Obama, and let us all focus on beating McCain.
I know this attitude is frustrating for Clinton supporters, so let me explain. First of all, while it’s hard to prove a counterfactual, I can pretty firmly say that if the roles were reversed I would be just as strident in calling for it to be over. I’m an Obama guy, and have been for quite a while, but ultimately I’m a Democrat and a progressive and I want what’s best for the country, not for one person I’ve become invested in. So if it were opposite, if Obama had a virtually insurmountable deficit and was hanging on past his expiration date in the hopes of some stunning comeback, I really think I would ready to call for him to give up.
The problem is that of course there is a case to be made for Hillary sticking around, and of course it’s not “fair” to ask her to bow out when there’s still a non-zero chance of the nomination. And beyond that, it’s difficult to make a case that a candidate should give up when she’s still on track to WIN primaries in big states. But, all that said, there has to be a point when a good person sacrifices for the sake of others.
In order to run for president, you have to have an intense ego and an absolute belief in yourself. But at some point that has to be tempered by a recognition that elections are about 300 million people (or 6 billion people, really), not just 2 or 3. And yes, there is an impressive coalition of die-hard Hillary supporters, but ultimately it’s smaller than Obama’s support. Not much smaller, but there’s a big enough difference in results we’ve already seen that it’s conclusive, clear, and real.
She obviously won’t pull out now, and shouldn’t. But if May 6 goes Obama’s way, I think the case will be strong that it’s time to move on.
An End Has A Start – Editors
I never did get around to reviewing that Editors album last year, did I? Well, you probably know the score already. Ripping off Joy Division (or paying homage to them, depending on your perspective), and doing it very well. And there’s a chance that this album will mark the point where Editors pulled ahead of Interpol in this genre, by the way.