On Hillary Getting Out

I really don't understand the big push on the part of so many Democrats to get Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race before it's over.

In 1984, Reagan was way ahead of Mondale in the polls and totally crushed him in the election. But we HELD the election, didn't we?

In 1964, Johnson was way ahead of Goldwater and totally crushed him in the election. But we HELD the election, didn't we?

In 1948, Dewey was way ahead of Truman and, um, well, uh ... Good thing we HELD the election, wasn't it?

In 2000, Al Gore caved in before the last vote was counted in Florida instead of fighting to the bitter end, and what did we get? 4 years of George W. Bush.

In 2004, John Kerry caved in before the last vote was counted in Ohio instead of fighting to the bitter end, and what did we get? 4 MORE years of George W. Bush.

We're Democrats. The name isn't coincidental. We believe in the democratic process. We believe in holding the elections and counting the votes -- ALL of the votes.

If we get to the convention and the ballots are cast, I fully expect that it'll come down something like 2600 for Obama and 2400 for Clinton, and the candidate with the most votes will be declared the winner -- JUST AS IN EVERY OTHER ELECTION IN AMERICA! And Democrats will then rally around that winner, just as they always do.

I despise monarchy, hereditary rule, divine right -- all of that garbage. I want the Democrats to hold an election, not a coronation.

I don't blame Hillary Clinton for not caving in. I'm sick of Democrats who are all too eager to throw in the towel.

And how could she face her supporters if, after all the sacrifices they've made on her behalf, she had the chance to get the most votes ever cast for a woman at a major-party convention, and she dropped out at the last minute? They stuck by her thru thick and thin, but she bails on them before the final whistle? That would totally suck.

Understand, I'm not a Hillary Clinton supporter. I thot she was notably the worst of the entire field of Democratic candidates at the start of this election cycle, and nothing much since then has made me change my mind.

But she's run a good, hard campaign -- a campaign intended to win, a campaign with huge, widespread, grass-roots support from loyal, hard-working Democrats -- and she deserves to have that achievement recognized on the floor of the convention she's been pointing toward.

So let's do what Democrats are SUPPOSED to do: Hold the election, count all the votes, and declare the winner on that basis.

And give Hillary her moment in the sun. She's earned it, she deserves it, and her image will stick for decades with millions of little girls and young women, one of whom WILL grow up to be our first woman president.