Simple truth: If this is not over by the 2nd week in June, our party leaders will have failed us.

[RiverStone]

One thing virtually every pundit, delegate, activist, and democratic voter agree upon is if we carry this battle through the summer into a bloody convention floor fight, it would be a disaster for the party and our chances to win the GE this fall.

Hillary may not be happy with a compromised DNC delegate seating solution on May 31st and she may want to carry on beyond the last primary contests on June 3rd. After South Dakota and Montana count their last votes, the primary season finally ends. Many see the week following as the last window for Hillary to exit and still preserve some political capital and good will.

If she insists on dragging this morass through the summer, we need to see Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and probably even Al Gore step up to the mike and request she leave for the sake of party unity. That would be the time when Clinton endorser, Senator Maria Cantwell (WA), follow her previously stated belief that the person who gets the most delegates deserves the nomination. She and others who ultimately put party unity above personal preference must fall behind Obama and unify.

They owe use that much.

We elected them to win and to win back the presidency. Our party leaders have the ability and power to end our party's infighting and begin the healing. If they do not have the courage to do so, then they will have failed us. We are staged to take control of both the executive and legislative branch of our government in 2009; I can't fathom our party leaders letting that opportunity slip away.

By June 15th or sooner, the party must unite behind Barack Obama and win!

[gateley]

1. I think "they"

are feeling it'll be over after PR. We'll see. Murtha wrote a letter (or so I heard) to the uncommitted members in Congress telling them to get on the stick.

I agree wholeheartedly with you. Their job is to do what it takes to get a Dem in the WH in November. If they don't take action, they've totally failed.

[Benhurst]

3. And if our leaders were to decide Obama isn't the one most likely

to win, you would be in favor of their swinging the nomination over to Clinton or a third choice?

Please. Enough of this self-serving stuff. Whoever is nominated will have failed (or perhaps not even attempted) to have won the necessary elected delegates to claim the nomination outright and will need to be dragged over the finish line by unelected super delegates.

Since nobody managed to win outright according to the rules, it goes to the convention floor. It looks like Obama will be dragged over the finish line, but whoever it is, no matter whether or not he or she even ran in the primaries, will be the legitimate nominee of the party.

[gateley]

4. Yes I would. I want a DEM to win, and that may be self-serving,

but it would best serve you, too.

[Benhurst]

5. Good. I'm sorry if I misread where you were coming from.

There has been so much bullshit about having "the most" elected delegates and then adding in the super delegates on one side, and "the popular vote" on the other, that I've become a bit jaded. It's all spin, spin, spin and then more spin.

Neither Obama nor Clinton managed to win the prize outright. I'm not sure what that means other than somebody is going to have to be dragged over the finish line by our unelected super delegates, and neither of them has a convincing mandate to be nominated, to say nothing of actually being able to claim the prize outright under the rules.

I'm increasingly worried that neither of them will be able to unite the party and win in November. I hope that our "leaders" will take a deep breath, stand back, and base their votes on what they think is best for the country, even if it means rejecting both Clinton and Obama.

But given our "leaders'" record of the past eight years, and especially the last two when we have controlled Congress, I'm afraid they will continue to let us down. Impeachment is off the table, and so are duty and honor, I fear.

[gateley]

6. I share your concerns

and hope that our leaders will do what is best for the country. I have no problem with bringing in a another candidate if that's what it takes.

And I also share your view of their disappointing performance as of late. Like you, ESPECIALLY after we took over the majority of Congress.

Don't get me started on impeachment :grr:

:hi:

[marions ghost]

2. well said

[Musty]

7. AGAIN?

n/t

[Bake]

8. The biggest mistake, IMHO, was dragging the convention out until August.

They started it way too early, ended it way too late. Screwed up the calendar all the way through.

Way to go, Howard. Great job ... NOT!

Bake