Where Is the Outrage?

Florida and Michigan are probably not going to have re-votes.  I have acknowledged the reality but I refuse to accept it as legitimate.  Do you think that automatic delegates and party leaders such as Bill Richardson would be asking the party to unite behind Hillary Clinton if Barack Obama had been denied an opportunity to close the gap by seating delegations from Michigan and Florida or holding new elections?

If the situation were reversed, would people be acting any differently?  Would Maureen Dowd and Frank Rich be writing editorials attacking Hillary Clinton for dragging her feet?  Would Jesse Jackson, Jr. be on television accusing the Clintons of discriminating against black voters in Michigan?  Would Keith Olbermann be giving a “Special Comment” about how Hillary Clinton–no excuse, me, her advisors–are disenfranchising voters to serve her own self-interests?

Let’s be clear.  If Barack Obama were in second place, and needed new contests in Michigan and Florida, Howard Dean would be moving heaven and earth to get those new contests. John Kerry and Dick Durbin would not be urging Barack Obama to step aside.  Chris Dodd would not be calling on the candidates to split the delegates equally.

Oh no, there would be outrage.  There would protests in the street.  There would be talk of a third party.  There would a movement to finance an independent campaign for Barack Obama.

Where are the angry party leaders?  Where are the indignant editorials in the New York Times?  Where is the outrage?  

For Hillary and her supporters, there is no outrage.  Why?

Two words:   Clinton Rules.

Because this candidate is a Clinton and Washington liberal elite has never liked the Clintons.  

Because this candidate is a woman and the Democratic Party doesn’t care about appearing sexist.  

Because the Democratic Party is taking Hillary’s supporters for granted.  Clinton’s base includes the Democratic Party’s most loyal and most vulnerable–older voters, women, Hispanics, blue collar workers, and gays and lesbians.  Where else are we going in November?  Obama’s independents and younger voters might not show up on election day, but Howard Dean and Barack Obama expect us to be good little sheep and follow the leader:

“I am confident I will get her votes if I’m the nominee,” Obama stressed. “It’s not clear she would get the votes I got if she were the nominee.”

What it boils down to is that we don’t matter.

But as much as party leaders want us to just go away, Democratic voters are having none of that.  A recent poll by Rasmussen shows that voters aren’t ready for this race to end:

A solid majority of Democrats, 62%, aren’t ready for either candidate to leave the race. Nationally, Clinton and Obama are running essentially even among Likely Democratic Primary Voters in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

Forty-seven percent (47%) of Obama supporters think Clinton should drop out. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Clinton supporters say Obama should drop out. Those who remain undecided are a bit more likely to suggest that Obama should leave. But, it’s worth noting that less than half of Obama supporters say Clinton should withdraw, less than half of Clinton supporters say Obama should withdraw, and less than half of undecided voters say either should withdraw at this time.

Much to the dismay of the Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, and the rest of the “Throw Hillary from the Train” crowd, equal numbers of voters want Obama out as want Hillary out:

Twenty-two percent (22%) of Democratic voters nationwide say that Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination. However, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that an identical number–22%–say that Barack Obama should drop out.

As much as Nancy Pelosi and Teddy Kennedy may not like it, this isn’t over. We’re not going away.  We’re going to stay right here reminding Democrats that there is a double-standard in this party.  We’re going to remind Democrats that party leaders are allowing voters to be disenfranchised at the expense of our candidate.  

Most importantly, we’re going to remember.

We’re going to remember that when it came time for party elders to show some leadership and stand up for all Democrats, they chose not to.

Oh no.  This isn’t over and we won’t forget.