Last Tuesday's victory was kind of anticlimactic. Barack Obama's win was not as close as his edging out Clinton in the Democratic primaries. And a lot of us were worried that the long dragged-out contest was hurting our party's chances against John McCain.
I made the case that it was helping, not hurting. It kept Obama in the news while McCain faded into relative obscurity. It also allowed certain controversies like Rev. Wright to be brought into the open and dealt with before the Republicans got a chance - a lot like a vaccine uses dead viruses to prevent live ones from causing disease. I made the half-serious case that Hillary continued her futile campaign long after it was clear she was going to lose to make sure Barack was good and ready for the GOP's assault later on.
I still maintain that Hillary Clinton would make a better Senate Majority Leader than Harry Reid. She could be a liability at times, but at least she's tough. And she came around when those ridiculous PUMAs came out of the woodwork. They turned out to be a non-issue, but she made it clear to them as well as she could that a vote for McCain and Palin would've been a vote against women - Hillary Clinton included.
So all is forgiven, and any rift among the Democrats is nothing compared to the schism the Republicans are seeing right now. Sadly, Bill Clinton's reputation may be damaged beyond repair. He made an ass of himself too many times this year. At least he has plenty of time to write another book or two.
| < Open Thread | Obama brings Change, not his cabinet > |
