Among some pro- Among some pro-Obama bloggers, today is the "Day of Blogging for Voter Justice." Members of a group calling itself the Afrosphere Action Coalition are promoting an online petition asking Hillary Clinton to drop out of the Democratic primary in order, as Jack Turner writes at Jack and Jill Politics, "to help unify the party and unify the country." Turner warns, "We will destroy this party and do lasting damage to this nation if the Democratic campaign continues along its present course. Feelings are hardening on both sides; relationships are being strained, and if this goes to Denver there will not be enough time to heal the widening rift."
The petition itself takes a much harsher stance, suggesting that a Clinton presidency, because of her campaign's supposed race-baiting, would be worse than a McCain presidency:
Should the Democratic Party leadership nullify the people's votes by giving Mrs. Clinton the nomination, despite the popular will as represented by earned delegates, we would then call upon African-American voters and all Democratic Party constituencies and supporters to withhold their support from a Hillary Clinton candidacy in November. We have survived eight years under President Bush and, if compelled to do so, we will survive four years under a President McCain. However, we cannot and will NOT survive the nullification of our most hard-won right - our votes.
This is yet more troublesome evidence that as the nomination fight wears on, race will become a more and more divisive issue among Democrats. Indeed, asking superdelegates to overturn the popular vote in the case of the first African American to have a shot at the White House brings up painful memories of centuries of disenfranchisement perpetuated against African Americans. If Hillary had an almost insurmountable lead and Obama refused to drop out, some supporters of women's leadership would be, I think, equally perplexed.
All that said, the superdelegates are a part of the Democratic nominating process and both candidates have the right to campaign for their support up until the convention. Grassroots Democrats and the DNC may very well realize after this year that the primary system is flawed and overly complicated. But until then, it's hardly surprising that a candidate behind in the popular vote by just 3 points would want to use every tool in the shed to stay in the running.
--Dana Goldstein
