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A Silver Lining In the Blue Battle
For one, the frenzied organizing around the country has proved a catalyst for dramatic party building in states that had been Democratically dormant. State after state has reported record turnout, and thousands of new Democrats are registering in advance of each contest. In upcoming Pennsylvania, Democrats have gained a net 200,000 registered voters over Republicans this year; that number is 105,000 in North Carolina.
The party can now take advantage of the infrastructure both campaigns leave behind. The unprecedented level of participation and organization not only reinforces Blue states, it improves Democratic odds in traditional swing states. In fact, the tide threatens to make GOP stalwarts like Texas up for grabs this fall.
The reverberations are being felt far beyond the race for the White House. Democrats are poised to make massive gains at the congressional and local levels for a second consecutive election cycle. They've already started: in a March 8 House special election, Obama volunteers helped Democrats capture the solidly conservative Illinois congressional seat formerly held by Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Finally, there's no denying that the extra pressure has made Obama a better candidate. After living a charmed political life, with nary a serious general-election battle against a Republican on his résumé, he needed to prove his mettle in hand-to-hand political combat. His able handling of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright revelations didn't just prove his deft political skills to worried supporters like me and superdelegates. It allowed him to address a potentially explosive issue well before November (though it's a relationship the GOP is sure to exploit).
No one can persuade Clinton to get out of the primary race. But by any metric imaginable, Obama has already won. The superdelegates aren't self-destructive enough to change that, and the sooner they line up behind Obama, the sooner Democrats can focus their fire on the real target: John McCain. Clinton can stick around, but the rest of the party will move on without her.
Moulitsas, a NEWSWEEK contributor, is the publisher of Daily Kos, a progressive Web site.
© 2008
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Member Comments
Posted By: bfreewithrp @ 04/23/2008 1:14:30 PM
Comment: How important is the presidential election to each and every American? Should we study the background of our candidate of choice before we go to the ballot box?
http://www.socyberty.com/Politics/11-Point-Guide-Voting-for-President.74823
11 Point Guide: Voting for PresidentLet us the voters study the congressional records and past history of each of the candidates running for presidential office.
"Beware of Wolve's in Sheeps clothing". She will tell you what pleases your ego and put her arms around your children...but see what she tried to do more than a decade ago, but was "stopped". Yes, she WILL garnish our paychecks with her Mandatory Healthcare plan. No Freedom of choice.
Just check the 1996 bill submitted to congress by Hillary Clinton and look who saved all America's butts, which includes all our children. Please begin your learning experience here:
http://www.eagleforum.org/psr/1998/dec98/psrdec98.html
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/discover-and-imagine-ron-paul/successfully-fought-hillarycare-lite/
Posted By: DeminTX @ 04/15/2008 12:17:17 AM
Comment: Please get your facts straight! Did you know Obama's father? Then how do you know he was a bragger? And as for oil companies, I am an employee of an oil company and I donated to my own personal money to the Obama campaign. If you weren't so quick to parrot lies, you would know that anytime you make a contribution to a campaign, you are required to list your employer. You can't can hold that against Obama if employees from oil companies want a better government! Shame on you! Again, just a pitiful attempt to, try to find something on Obama, as bad as HRC...keep looking - maybe something worthwhile, and truthful may turn up. What I don't understand is, if you don't like Sen. Obama, then just don't vote for him, just like I don't like HRC and will not vote for her. But you don't see me all over the internet bashing her and telling lies on her to try and pull voters away from her.
Posted By: donjuan78 @ 04/13/2008 1:15:46 PM
Comment: kos is a pathetic loser who wants obama to win desperately. Oh yea, and markos betrayed his hispanic race.