May 23, 2008, California Quake (politically speaking)
From Al Giordano, our newest side-bar denizen, we give you this story of a flood of Biblical proportions... well, a political earthquake of 40 delegates and/or super-delegates (epicentered on California Congressman Cardoza) now committed to back Clinton will soon be announcing their support of Obama. Maybe they will, maybe they won't, but right now... that's probably how you bet.
I noted that after Obama held serve on North Carolina/Indiana night, the last big distribution of pledged delegates in primary season, the super-delegates would start breaking for Obama. And indeed they have; right now, 23 May 2008 at around 2100 EDT, at least according to Democratic Convention Watch, Obama is just 56 delegates away from clinching, with Clinton nearly 5 times that distance.
I said to a Clinton supporter just today that if I were Sen. Clinton, I personally wouldn't withdraw until Obama had finally locked it up; politix is funny and one never knows when they'll be this close again. Anything can happen, as this year (and indeed, the very rise of Obama from recent-state-legislator to the cusp of the Presidency, and the amazing fall of some other politicians including Clinton herself and some other guy from New York) should be more than a sufficient justification for her to hang in there.
Of course, while anything can happen, talking about certain contingencies is in uniquely bad taste, but then, Sen. Clinton and Team Clinton have been shooting themselves in the foot for some time, have they not?
Still and all, it seems unlikely that Sen. Obama will be going to his (and my) 25th college class reunion in Morningside Heights next week... I'll likely go anyway... even as I have been having more repressed memories of the younger Barry Obama return to me... or have I? Well, perhaps I'll discuss with fellow alums... all men (Columbia's last such class, btw).
Well, no matter. It seems we have our nominee, and whenever he sees fit, we will have our ticket, locked and loaded, and on track for a historic election. And if Sen. Obama does get himself elected President of the United States, his predecessor will have handed him one hell of a job to do. But I have every confidence that Sen. Obama would be up for that job. We will see. The fact that our nation's largest political party's rank and file have chosen a woman and a man of color as its front-runners tells us that large parts of this country have already come a hell of a long way. Now, as that party gets ready to unify behind its candidate (and no matter what some say, Sen. Clinton will withdraw in a most gracious manner shortly after either Puerto Rico or South Dakota/Montana push Sen. Obama over the top), we will see just how far the nation as a whole has come.