BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

Super Tuesday could be the determining day for many candidates.  Some will fall by the wayside.  Others will live to fight another day.

Among the pollsters and pundits I have listened to and read, there seems to be a consensus that John McCain will gather enough support to safely assume that he will become the Republican presidential nominee.  At the same time the Democratic race seems to be split down the middle.  Of course, as we all know, surprises in these races are no longer surprises.  It seems that no one has been able to anticipate the thinking and voting patterns of America this year.

But, what could this outcome mean for the rest of the race to the White House?  If John McCain walks away with a clear lead or with sufficient delegates to sew up the Republican nomination, the party of elephants will have time to gather around the candidate and build his base.  Additionally, there will be time to tidy up the party platform before the Republican convention.  And, the Republican nominee will no longer have divisiveness within the party, but can focus on taking on the Democrats.

With the Democratic vote seeming to split down the middle, the two candidates will be forced to continue to slug it out for the nomination, perhaps all the way up to the August convention.  The one thing the Democrats don’t need is to be fighting amongst themselves while the Republicans are single handedly stacking the deck against a party without a definitive candidate.

Of course, there is no way around what happens.  We all have the right, the privilege and in this year of war and economic downturns the obligation to support the candidate we feel will best serve the people and the party.  But, I hope in some way, should the Democrats split the vote with no obvious candidate ready to claim the nomination, that the party will be able to stay united on the issues.

Following Super Tuesday, the Democrats need to stick to the issues, leave the mudpies and the barbs behind them, and keep the negatives out of the race.  There is no advantage in providing the Republicans with fodder.

But, who knows what the day will produce?