STRAIGHT TALK FOR CLINTON AND OBAMA

It appears to me, based on the reports of the last few days, that our two Democratic candidate's campaigns are moving toward a win at all costs, take no prisoners approach to winning the nomination for their party, something that bodes ill for them, their party and the country.  They, and their campaign brain trusts, need to stop, take a deep breath, and recommit themselves to running a issues oriented campaign that will incorporate the changes needed to get America back to the path that a majority of the population seems to want.

They need to keep their eyes firmly focused on the prize: the White House and a strong majority in Congress.  Allowing their campaigns to degenerate into name-calling and finger pointing free-for-all will provide an opportunity for the Republican nominee to exploit these combative and inappropriate behaviors to call into question their ability to lead the nation in difficult times.   In addition, acrimonious campaigning by Clinton and Obama will turn off some independent voters, a key group in this election.

The worst possible outcome for us this November is to end up with a Republican President and a small Democratic majority in Congress. Unless, of course, you believe those four years of political gridlock and no action is a desirable solution for our current situation. If we cannot elect a Democratic President and Congress we had better hope for, and vote for, a veto-proof Democratic majority in Congress if any substantial changes are to be made. 

Senators Clinton and Obama need to get control over their natural competitive natures and egos and accept that the contest for the Democratic nomination has critical implications for all Americans. They must sublimate the normal American drive to be the number one at all costs and return to their rational and positive behaviors they exhibited just a few weeks ago. 

My own personal view is that the most effective slate for Democrats in November would be a Clinton/Obama one as opposed to an Obama/Clinton slate.  I believe that the slate of the first woman and the first African-American, in either order, would be a winning combination, but only is they present a unified front focused on a platform of positive change.  I suggest Senator Clinton as the candidate for President simply because of her greater Legislative experience and her eight years living in the White House. Another causality of personal attacks on the candidates campaigning could be the refusal of either of them to occupy the Vice Presidential slot on the ballot.  Based on the phenomenal interest and passion Obama has generated as a candidate, I believe it is imperative that he appears on the ballot for the Democrats to win in November.

 An unknown factor is that we cannot quantify is how many people will enter the voting booth and express their hidden racism or sexism by refusing to vote for either a female or African-American for President or Vice-President, but the large primary turnouts and caucuses seem to indicate that a majority of voters have gotten past these issues.

There has been a great deal of discussion about the proper role of the so-called super-delegates in the nomination process, with one school believing they should use their votes to put together the strongest Democratic slate as possible and the other school feeling their should go with the candidate that received the majority during the delegate selection process.  I would certainly agree with the last position if we had a uniform system of state primaries that reflected the will of the majority of the Democrats, but the caucus system employed in states like Iowa and other states reflect the views of a relatively small number of politically active citizens.

But what if there is an almost equal division of regular and super delegates to the convention?  Should a greater weight be given to the delegates from primary states as opposed to delegates from caucus states?  What about the delegates lost by Michigan and Florida because they violated the primary schedule rules? All of these issues have to be resolved.

Whatever the final decision of the convention delegates is, it must be perceived as fair to, and by, both candidates and must reflect the best efforts of the Democratic Party to win the White House and clear control of Congress in November.