2008 Woodie Awards
Long Democratic primary spells continued state focus
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Editorials
The Akron Beacon Journal reported Sunday that seven major Ohio superdelegates remained uncommitted in the Democratic primary race that continues on between Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). These uncommitted superdelegates are a small percentage of the approximately 300 remaining uncommitted party officials that will combine with the results of the late party primaries to eventually produce a Democratic nominee during the party's convention in August. The editorial board of The Miami Student believes that while there are certainly negative implications of a longer primary campaign season, in the end the Democratic Party should have ample time to come together while continuing to highlight the importance of later states in the primary structure.
It's easy to see where the pitfalls of a longer primary election can come into play: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is able to look forward to the general election and, if last week's White House press correspondent's dinner is any indication, even Vice President Dick Cheney and a good portion of the Republican base are behind the senator. Also, what we've observed is bitter Democratic in-fighting and catty bickering between Clinton and Obama that is no longer educating voters about the real issues in the campaign. Worse, if these squabbles between Clinton and Obama continue and the primary drags on until the convention in August, it is possible that many new voters who were energized and came out for this election will simply be turned off to the process and become disenchanted with their candidates come November.
The Democratic Party should focus on the implications that a long primary season holds for voters. It is possible that a shorter general election season would be beneficial for ensuring freshness and ferocity in competition that will not become overly repetitive as the current primary already shows shades of. Some political commentators feel that it will take somewhere around the range of three months for the base of the Democratic Party to return to quasi-cohesive functioning.
It's easy to see where the pitfalls of a longer primary election can come into play: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is able to look forward to the general election and, if last week's White House press correspondent's dinner is any indication, even Vice President Dick Cheney and a good portion of the Republican base are behind the senator. Also, what we've observed is bitter Democratic in-fighting and catty bickering between Clinton and Obama that is no longer educating voters about the real issues in the campaign. Worse, if these squabbles between Clinton and Obama continue and the primary drags on until the convention in August, it is possible that many new voters who were energized and came out for this election will simply be turned off to the process and become disenchanted with their candidates come November.
The Democratic Party should focus on the implications that a long primary season holds for voters. It is possible that a shorter general election season would be beneficial for ensuring freshness and ferocity in competition that will not become overly repetitive as the current primary already shows shades of. Some political commentators feel that it will take somewhere around the range of three months for the base of the Democratic Party to return to quasi-cohesive functioning.
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