[Elections 2008: Black Star News Editorial]
Yesterday Senator Barack Obama spoke in Iowa, after he won a majority of the pledged and superdelegates in his quest for the Democratic party’s presidential nomination against Senator Hillary Clinton, following the contests in Oregon and Kentucky.
He's off to the White House.
He praised Clinton with these remarks: "We have had our disagreements during this campaign, but we all admire her courage, her commitment, and her perseverance. No matter how this primary ends, Senator Clinton has shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America in which my daughters and yours will come of age."
These words will not be enough to win the Clinton girls ---- the millions of women that have come out in the primaries to vote for Senator Clinton, recognizing that she has run an historic race and had it not been for Senator Obama’s own spectacular rise, most likely would have been the Democratic Party’s candidate against John McCain.
So how can Senator Obama win the Clinton girls?
Clinton has won millions of votes and has demonstrated that she clearly can capture voters in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania----and while Obama has shown that he can win critical states by campaigning aggressively, the contest between the two has run too long and created polarization, white women voters have kept Clinton in the race and Obama can best win them all by having Clinton on his side.
What is to be done?
The obvious solution is for Obama to offer Clinton the Vice President spot on the Democratic Party’s ticket. It would still be a singular historic achievement and would put Clinton a heart beat away from the top spot. It would also honor her many years of public service, some of which had been sadly tarnished during the course of the campaign when her strategist adopted race-bating tactics favored by her husband Bill Clinton, to try and undermine and derail Obama’s campaign. It would also offer Clinton a graceful, dignified and respectful way to stop running against Obama and allow the party to focus on the general election.
And the best thing, after the offer had been made, would be for Clinton to decline it, for the sake of the Party. This is because the Clinton name, and her unavoidable association with her husband, sparks something inside Republicans, and though divided and in disarray, the party’s supporters would all emerge from the woodworks to support John McCain.
Obama would then express his regret that Clinton declined the offer, and select a candidate with deep national security credentials for the ticket, which would cancel out McCain’s alleged strength’s in military and national security matters.
Yet, once the offer for the VP spot has been made, there is no guarantee that Senator Clinton will decline it. And therein lies the problem.
It is hard to believe that Clinton will simply fall on a sword and withdraw from the race for the sake of the party. And while super delegates will likely prevent a floor fight at the Convention in August by lining up behind Obama after the last primaries in June, the Clinton girls won’t be satisfied.
Yet, maybe Senator Clinton is much bigger than many people believe----maybe she could surprise us all by declining an offer for the VP spot. Can Obama take that risk and make the offer?
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