Hillary Clinton split with Barack Obama last night in the Kentucky and Oregon primaries. That was not enough. Clinton needed an upset in Oregon and she didn't get it.
The Dems are down to three primaries, Puerto Rico on Sunday June 1, with South Dakota and Montana closing out this longest primary season on Tuesday June 3.
But, it is over. Absent some cataclysmic event within the Obama campaign, he will be the nominee. In fact, Obama has begun sending staff into the Democratic National Committee building to start the process of taking control of the national party. This appears to have been done with no complaint from the Clinton campaign.
But irrevocable damage to the Democratic coalition might already have been done.
My debate partner on Associated Press television last night, Jenny Backus, insisted that Obama will be able to solidify the Democratic party behind his general election campaign.
I'm not so sure.
The exit polling in Kentucky showed the continuation - indeed the acceleration - of a trend we have been seeing for many weeks. According to the LA Times, the exit polls in Kentucky "found that only a third of Clinton supporters would vote for Obama in November, while about 40% would cast their ballot for Republican John McCain and the rest -- roughly a quarter -- would stay home.."
White voters refusing to vote for a Black man? Could be. But it might signal a bigger problem for the Obama campaign as it moves to consolidate power.
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Hillary Clinton, in an interview with the Washington Post's Lois Romano, got off on a feminist rant:
"The manifestation of some of the sexism that has gone on in this campaign is somehow more respectable, or at least more accepted …" she said.
"It does seem as though the press, at least, is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by the comments by people who are nothing but misogynists."
Just a Hillary-whine trying - one more time - to be seen as "America's Victim?" Maybe, but there seems to be a growing sentiment that being Black in America is better (at least if you are running for President) than being a Woman in America.
In a column published on the San Francisco Chronicle website, Carolyn Lochhead, let fly a misandrist (hatred of men) screed the likes of which we have not read since the glory days of 1960's bra-burning:
"The Democratic primary campaign uncovered the pervasive and insidious sexism that runs rampant through our country: Hillary Clinton is the most qualified candidate, and she is being cheated out of the nomination by the good old boys network, the DNC and the Mainstream Media.
"We need to be counted. We need to stand up and let the DNC know we will not get in line...the DNC thinks we will vote for Obama because like abused women we have no where else to go."
Yikes!
But wait! There's more! In a Washington Post op-ed, writer Marie Cocco wrote about the end of the primary season, thus: "I will not miss the deafening, depressing silence of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean or other leading Democrats, who to my knowledge (with the exception of Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland) haven't uttered a word of public outrage at the unrelenting, sex-based hate that has been hurled at a former first lady and two-term senator from New York.
"Among those holding their tongues are hundreds of Democrats for whom Clinton has campaigned and raised millions of dollars."
Am I the only one detecting a pattern, here?
I can hear the Democrats, even now, rehearsing their all-female Kumbaya Pageant which will be the closing ceremonies of the Democratic National Convention.
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