Throughout the course of the bruising heavyweight bout between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the title of Democratic nominee, much was made of the effect that the battle would have on the prospects of Democrats in the Fall. The mudslinging, the name-calling, the shots at experience and policy- for the most part, it appeared that the punches thrown could do nothing but hobble the eventual nominee. I'll admit it: I didn't see how Hillary Clinton's extended presence and continued criticism could possibly do Obama any good.
The conventional wisdom arises out of situations like the one that took place in California. Just two years ago, I watched gubernatorial candidates Steve Westley and Phil Angelides bang each other up pretty mercilessly during the Democratic primary. In the meantime, incumbent Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger- fresh from an embarrassing political defeat in a special election and lagging in popularity ratings- stayed away from the fray and collected money. When Angiledes finally emerged the victor, he was so hobbled that he couldn't go the distance with Schwarzenegger. The "Governator" KO'd his challenger by 17 points.
So to declare my attitude skeptical toward the assertion that an extended primary could actually help a party in the long run was an understatement. But now, I'm finding myself with a different perspective entirely.
The main event match-up between the Democrats featured more than jabs being traded back and forth. It forced serious ideas about the future of the country onto the table. National health care, the environment, energy independence, foreign policy, honesty in government (i.e. lobbying), education- the seemingly endless debates and town hall meetings forced each and every candidate to have a set policy and platform on every single issue under the sun.
It left the race for the Republican nomination looking like a lackluster undercard fight.
What's more is that it left John McCain scrambling to piece together plans of his own. Generating as much fanfare as possible, he released "the Lexington Project," a watered down version of the simplest of energy independence plans to emerge from the Democratic race.
Where McCain hasn't been able come up with policies or plans fast enough, he's had to do his best to criticize Obama's. That amounts to a chariot race kind of push toward the finish line: in other words, it's not so much outpacing Obama as it is trying to knock over his cart.
Read jwilkes’s Last Article: The VP Olympics: A Play-By-Play
