Reply #26: let people talk

[Two Americas]

If this is "a really stupid idea and no one will support it" what is the harm in people talking about it?

People are talking about this because they do not think that either of the two remaining candidates are very strong going into the general. They may be wrong about that - but they could be right, as well - and in either case they have every right to discuss it and to be heard and have their ideas considered.

Lincoln went into the 1860 convention in a distant fourth place. The front runners had the majority of votes within the party, but Lincoln was the second choice of almost all of them and the better candidate in the general election.

Should neither of the two candidates win on the first ballot, that demonstrates that we do not have anything approaching consensus and there is every reason in the world to then open the convention up. Unlike in the general election, winning with 51%, with neither of the two remaining candidates being first choice for the majority of Democrats, is not really any kind of win. The goal is not to force a candidate on the rest of the party, and the second place candidate, Clinton, not only has the right but also the duty to stay in the race regardless of her "chances of winning."

Obama has just not put Clinton away. Wishing and hoping that he has does not change that. Too many people are still voting for Clinton for us to ignore them, ley alone viciously attack them (and I was as opposed to the Clinton candidacy as anyone here) and they have a right to have a voice in the convention. Too many Edwards, Biden and Kucinich supporters are ambivalent and dissatisfied with both candidates. Obama supporters have failed to convert millions of Democrats to the cause. The "we need to pull together now (behind MY candidate of course) to beat the Republicans" argument is fear-mongering and bullying.

We can wish and hope and believe all we want that Obama has swept the field and united the Democrats, but that does not make it so. You can not simultaneously argue that he has done this, and then bitterly attack those who disagree. If there are still people disagreeing, then he has not done that, by definition. Beating up on those who still refuse to go along with the Obama movement only makes things worse.