Immodest proposal
Apr. 25th, 2008 11:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mahnmutFile under unpersuasive but provocative: Chris Wilson, an editorial assistant for Slate, says it’s time for Barack Obama to drop out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
If Hillary Clinton “had the good of the Democratic Party in mind, she would have given up her bid the day after the Mississippi primary, which Obama won by 25 points,” Wilson writes. But since Clinton won’t drop out, Obama should, Wilson suggests.
“And if he’s really serious about representing a new kind of politics, now is the time for him to prove it in the only meaningful way left,” Wilson writes. “Moreover, were he to play it right, dropping out now nearly guarantees that he’ll be elected president in 2012.” He later adds:
In one stroke, Obama will regain his messiah creds by making the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the party. His followers will be furious. The mere mention of Clinton’s name will provoke unspeakable acts. They will abandon Clinton in numbers sufficient to hand McCain the election in November.
Losing the presidency again after eight years of Bush will ruin the Democratic Party. It will become obvious that Clinton’s decision to stay in the race was the turning point in the election. The base will turn its wrath on party leaders like Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi, who failed to push Clinton out. Obama, as the de facto head of the party, will broker negotiations to install new leaders loyal to him.
McCain will be eminently more beatable in 2012. Demographics will continue to shift in Obama’s favor as his 14- to 17-year-old supporters come of voting age. Anyone foolish enough to challenge Obama for the nomination — and don’t rule out Clinton — will go nowhere.
Sounds crazy? But really?
If Hillary Clinton “had the good of the Democratic Party in mind, she would have given up her bid the day after the Mississippi primary, which Obama won by 25 points,” Wilson writes. But since Clinton won’t drop out, Obama should, Wilson suggests.
“And if he’s really serious about representing a new kind of politics, now is the time for him to prove it in the only meaningful way left,” Wilson writes. “Moreover, were he to play it right, dropping out now nearly guarantees that he’ll be elected president in 2012.” He later adds:
In one stroke, Obama will regain his messiah creds by making the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the party. His followers will be furious. The mere mention of Clinton’s name will provoke unspeakable acts. They will abandon Clinton in numbers sufficient to hand McCain the election in November.
Losing the presidency again after eight years of Bush will ruin the Democratic Party. It will become obvious that Clinton’s decision to stay in the race was the turning point in the election. The base will turn its wrath on party leaders like Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi, who failed to push Clinton out. Obama, as the de facto head of the party, will broker negotiations to install new leaders loyal to him.
McCain will be eminently more beatable in 2012. Demographics will continue to shift in Obama’s favor as his 14- to 17-year-old supporters come of voting age. Anyone foolish enough to challenge Obama for the nomination — and don’t rule out Clinton — will go nowhere.
Sounds crazy? But really?
