Are we there yet...

By Fester:

I'm just about ready for this primary season to be done.  I finally put the increasingly childish calvinball fundraising e-mails from HillaryClinton.com into my spam filter as junk and I am hoping that the massive cache of stockpiled superdelegates that Obama reputedly has in his vest pocket actually exists as they have been rumored to have existed since at least before Texas on March 4. 

BJ and I have been talking about whether or not this primary process has been good for the Democrats as we have both been worried about the probability or possibility of Hillary Clinton taking the Sampson Option of destroying the party to destroy her primary opponent.  Given the flood of rumors that are coming out, combined with the neutral to positive campaign messaging she has employed since any plausible path of winning ended with Indiana being a draw and North Carolina being an Obama blow-out, the Sampson Option looks like it will have been averted, especially if Wesley Clark is offered either the VP or SecState slot as a visible peace gesture between multiple Democratic factions. 

Overall I think this primary season has been a significant net positive as voter registration, GOTV organization, message sharpening and sucking up all of the available media oxygen has been real and positive for Democrats.  The significant negative is that John McCain is entering June with minimal counter-definition work having been done against him.  However given the generic issue and political environment, this is a flaw but not a fatal flaw in my opinion as I believe that as Obama consolidates his support among Democrats in the national polls, he should begin to open up a significant lead in the national vote share and projected electoral vote shares.

Looking forward to the next contested Democratic primary cycle, hopefully in 2016, I agree with Publius at Obsidian Wings that several significant reforms need to be undertaken including rationalization of the calendar, increased superdelegate transparency or the elimination of most/all superdelegates, and reducing the value of jurisdictions that do not have any electoral votes.  This process has been a net positive while being a massive stress test on the Democratic Party.  There are significant but non-fatal flaws that will need to be addressed in the near future.  But finally, it seems like things are over. 

Comments

[Kyle E. Moore]

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

SHHHH...

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Have you learned nothing?

Unless she physically says the words, just....

SHHHHHH

[AlanSmithee]

"Sampson Option?" What a fatuous democwat pwoggie-bloggie you are. The corporate D candidate will be chosen just the way it's been since '72, by the Dem elites. YOU internet cheerleaders have exactly jack-shit to do with the process.

Christ-on-a-cracker -- do you understand NOTHING about your own fucking party?

[Libby]

I'm not a religious person, but I'm praying that this will be over today. I don't think I can another three months of this.

[BJ Bjornson]

Fester,

You're more optimistic than I. Her ban on negative campaigning apparently doesn't extend to the Florida 2000/Selma Civil Rights/Zimbabwe rhetoric leading up to the RBC meeting. The undercutting of Obama's legitimacy as a candidate is hardly positive or neutral.

I do think we're past the Sampson stage, but Pyrrus still comes to mind. We'll see what the message is tonight. Hopefully Hillary at least moves into a de-escalation phase, but I want to hear it and see it first.

Because like Libby, I think another three months of this will be very hard to take.