Letting Hillary Lose

This is why I love Andrew Sullivan. I firmly believe that the reason the Clinton's were so politically successful in the 90's is because they perform exceptionally well under attack. They do a great job of playing stoic victims who are willing to stick up for themselves and fight back. And we loved them for it. I still do love that about them when they are being attacked by those who are more interested in scoring political points than in engaging in a constructive and informative debate on areas of disagreement.

What has turned me off the Clinton's this time around has been the fact that while they still at times are on the receiving end of some of these attacks, the majority of the attacks aimed at scoring political points (i.e. ones that are not based around differences in policy or approach) are not coming from Obama or his campaign. Yet her retaliatory attacks seem almost exclusively reserved for Obama. Its analogous to brother 1 hitting brother 2 and brother 2 turning and hitting brother 3. This has the effect of changing the dynamic of the engagement and in the process Clinton goes from justified victim to unjustified aggressor.

Throughout this campaign, when Obama has remained above the fray, he has been rewarded by the voters. But when he has engaged in her form of political warfare then she has effectively regained the position of victim - a position of strength for the Clintons as they have demonstrated time and time again. This is exactly the approach Obama engaged in in Pennsylvania and it didn't work.

Today I think I see what may be Obama's recognition of this mistake. There has been a lot of talk about the damage that Sen. Clinton is inflicting on the Democratic party and its chances of success in November. It would be an easy opportunity for Obama to nod in agreement without pursuing it to hard. But I see that he is taking the high road on this issue when I read in the Washington Post this statement by Obama...

"I never believe in irreparable breaches. I'm a big believer in reconciliation and redemption," Obama told reporters in Indianapolis. "So, look, this has been a fierce contest. I've said repeatedly: Come August, there will be a whole lot of people standing on a stage with a lot of balloons and confetti raining down on the Democratic nominee, and people are going to be excited about taking on John McCain in November."

Because the numbers favor him so heavily, the best thing Obama can do right now is focus on McCain and begin the long process of reconciliation. He can speak to the his base and speak to the constituent groups who have eluded him thus far without worrying to much about earning their vote immediately. Many have suggested that he needs to land a knockout punch. I couldn't disagree more. That will only alienate those who we need to vote Democratic in November. The process of reconciliation will be long and he needs to begin now. The best way to do that is to let Hillary beat herself.