Can The Democratic Party Withstand The Storm Ahead?

With Sen. Hillary Clinton snatching Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island last week, the race for the Democratic nomination is back on. And while Sen. Barack Obama still leads in the delegate count, one has to wonder if the party and eventual nominee can survive a long, drawn-out contest. 

The prolonged battle between Clinton and Obama, has been billed, for the most part, as a good thing; a war of ideas and ideals. But the longer this race pushes towards the Democratic convention in August, the more negative it is becoming. And with Republicans and conservatives slowly gathering behind Sen. John McCain, can a bitterly divided Democratic Party stand in November?

In the past few weeks, Clinton and Obama have aim at each other and the tone of the race has taken a negative turn; with Hillary’s now infamous 3:00am Phone Call commercial and her repeated assertions that, while her and McCain have the necessary experience, Obama will draw on, “a speech he made in 2002."

Clinton also unloaded on Obama concerning NAFTA and the allegations that his campaign has been playing both sides of the free trade issue, sending mixed signals to the Canadian government.

“This is part of the pattern and I think it is a pattern that really deserves closer examination. You know, NAFTA is a really critical issue to the people in Ohio. I have not just talked about the problems of NAFTA, I have put forth a very specific plan." Clinton said.

“A very specific plan.” Something perhaps Obama needs more of.

The Senator from Illinois has caught many Americans’ attention, however, in the arena of ideas: Hope, Change and Belief don’t balance budgets or resolve conflicts in the Middle East; it’s about time the Senator

came down from the clouds and took a look around.

Obama’s political inexperience was evident this past week. Not because the race took a turn towards the gutter, but because Clinton’s attacks worked. The kitchen sink hit Obama right in the face, and what could have been: the day Obama clinched the nomination, ended up being the day Hillary snuck back in the game.

The longer these two candidates attack one another, the longer John McCain can stay out of the fray, the chances of a Democrat moving into the White House next January, decrease, greatly. 

No Republican can criticize a Democrat as well as another Democrat; instant validation.

And let’s not forget about Michigan and Florida. The two primaries that have yet to count, may count after all. I mean, what good hearted Democrat doesn’t want to count the votes of two very influential states?

DNC Chairman and former Governor of Vermont, Howard Dean is in favor of some sort of resolution but stressed that the National Party will not pay for it.

“We can't afford to do that. That's not our problem.” Dean said.

The price tag could exceed $30 million dollars, and may be the end all on a “do-over” discussion.

Does Gov. Dean have an axe to grind?

It’s no secret that the Clinton’s and Dean didn’t see eye-to-eye about his 2004 bid for the Democratic nomination. An incumbent Democrat would have made it very hard for Hillary to make history in 2008.

It’s funny how that worked out.

And with Hillary winning over 50% in both of the primaries, expect the lawsuits to begin within the next few weeks, and then the counter-suits, and so on.

Then, there is the very, real possibility that the primaries that we have watched so closely; the campaign that has captivated the nation and energized the electorate, may be a moot point. Because when it comes right down to it, in the Democratic primary, your vote really doesn’t matter unless you’re a super delegate. 

Democrats must soon come to grips with the fact that in some smoke filled room in Denver, the real fight for the nomination will happen, among the party’s elite.

So much for the party of inclusion.

Imagine this: Obama wins more delegates than Hillary. But Hillary has more Super D’s and emerges as the nominee. Now, history has shown us that Democrats don’t react well to situations like this, See Bush v. Gore 2000, and it’s hard to picture either side uniting behind an “appointed” winner. 

40 years later, could Denver be our generations’ Chicago?

The road to the White House for both candidates will only get more difficult as the race screams towards summer.  And at the end of the quest for the nomination stands Sen. John McCain, a genuine war hero, a legislator with a proven bi-partisan record, a man who’s national security record trumps both Democrat’s and someone who has put principal over party time, and time again.

Whoever the Democratic nominee is, the results will deflate the other half of the party. And without a “strong” conservative to paint George Bush’s face on, motivating the masses may be harder than once predicted.