Governor Ed Rendell and others would have us believe that supporting Senator Obama will result in the change of the current nominating system:
One last point – HOUND is not anti-PUMA. We agree with many of your grievances. For example, we, too, believe that the Democratic Party’s nominating process is unfair and undemocratic. We must change the policy where some votes are more important than others and some areas receive more delegates than their number of voters would justify – it violates the spirit of “one person, one vote.” We must eliminate caucuses that are inherently undemocratic and disenfranchise seniors (no absentee voting for those who can’t go to the polls), shift workers and our military. Forcing people to declare their preference in public also violates another cherished principle that undermines our democracy.
So, we are asking all PUMA members to curb your disappointment, mute your anger and frustration and join HOUND to help change America. While the PUMA may be more swift and athletic, the HOUND is smarter and more perceptive.
No Deal, Rendell. This dog won’t hunt.
It’s simple; if Obama were to reform the nominating process it would be admittance that his own flimsy nomination was not truly legitimate. It confirms that he was not the choice of the voters and that the caucus and delegate apportionment systems are unfair.
If anyone believes for a second that voting for Senator Obama will in any way ensure that the Democratic Nominating process will be reformed in any substantive or fair way, they are fooling themselves. How can we hope to change a system by anointing the very people who benefited the most from it and stand to lose the most by rejecting and reforming it?
Voting for Senator Obama ensures that the people who orchestrated this disaster gain power they are seeking and retain it. With Senator Obama as our nominee, he is ultimately the leader of the Party: his word goes. The immediate move of the DNC to Chicago should signal this, and also, that the fix has been in for a long time.
Senator Obama is concerned with consolidating his power. The system was set up and exploited in a way to benefit and prop up his candidacy. Those who created and manipulated the process will be the ones who benefit and gain the most from Obama’s nomination and presidency and thus will not be the bringers of reform. Lest we forget, should Obama be elected he will want to be reelected and no moves will be made that would risk the nomination of another in his stead in 2011.
Afterall, this is the same man who at the recent joint fund raising appearance with he and Senator Clinton, in response to a question of whether or not their would be a roll call vote at the Convention, reportedly responded that “he was not going to ‘negotiate’ the convention” at the event. This man is clearly willing and able to “negotiate” away the rules and principles of the Democratic Party in order to assume power.
Obama’s nomination is ultimately about the take over of the Democratic Party by the radical far left. It has been in the works for years, and Senator Obama is merely the puppet and face of the movement. If we sanction them at the polls, it could be decades before our Party regains any semblance of the Party we once knew when we joined years, and in some cases, decades ago.
The Party and Obama must be shown that the voters know their tactics are illegitimate and corrupt. They must be shown that when you go against the will of the voters, you will eventually have to answer to them at the polls. They must know that we will not blindly follow as they trample on the principles of the Party and Democracy. They must know that they are not the ones who choose the nominee, we, the voters, are. We and our chosen candidate have been ignored, and denigrated and told we are illegitimate and not needed. It is clear the “New Democratic Party” has no room or need for us. Donna Brazile was outspoken about this much on CNN. I’m with Paul Begala:
When people say things — I love Donna and we go back 22 years. We’ve never been on different sides of an argument in our entire lives. But if her point is that there’s a new Democratic Party that some how doesn’t need or want white working-class people and Latinos, well count me out. [emphasis mine]
We must stand up now if we have any hope of having a Party that represents us. The only way to do this is to reject them at the polls in November.
