It's time for the General Election to begin.

[Sean Stuart]

It's time for the General Election to begin.

According to some very compelling mathematical analysis, Barack Obama will win the nomination. The only two possibilities that can prevent this are 1) a complete and total meltdown by the Obama campaign, prompting Clinton to win by landslides in every remaining state, or 2) Clinton convinces the party's super-delegates to nullify the popular will of Democratic voters and swing the election to her.

Possibility No. 1 is highly unlikely. This would most likely require some kind of bombshell discovery about Obama that shatters his campaign. As far as Possibility No. 2, and perhaps I'm giving the party leadership too much credit here, but I don't think the Democrats are that stupid. Think of the people who have made the Obama victory possible: more than anyone it's been young voters. If the party super-delegates are idiotic enough to defy the popular will, then droves of these young people - many of them first time voters, will receive their first lesson in American politics as such: "You silly kids! Sorry, but the adults will take over from here. Go back to your room and play your video games. We don't want you." This will alienate vast numbers of Democratic voters and will throw away millions of votes, not only this year, but for the foreseeable future. The Democratic Party would essentially look at its up and coming base - the future of the party - and say: "Go away." True, this would be classic Democratic Party idiocy: Cave in to the demands of an elite few and destroy themselves at the same time. But I hold out that this kind of stupidity remains below them.

Having said that, Obama is our nominee. And it's time he starts acting like it. He could fall into the trap of continuing his campaign against Hillary Clinton. But he needs to be smart enough to understand that he doesn't have to. If he makes that mistake, the Democratic primary campaign will continue its downward spiral, getting nastier and nastier and doing the Republican Party's work for it. McCain will be able to sit back and lob attacks at both of them while they attack each other. McCain needs to be challenged now. And Obama needs to be the one to start the challenge. If Hillary Clinton wants to praise McCain at Obama's expense, then Obama needs to use that to his advantage. If Clinton wants to compare herself to McCain, then Obama should help her do it. He needs to link them together and criticize them at the same time. Obama needs to let the Clinton campaign get nastier and nastier, while he shifts his attention to McCain. He should never ignore Clinton's attacks, but he needs to characterize them as what they are: desperate and dirty party-destroying politics, designed to use fear to get votes. He needs to point out that these are Republican tactics, and again criticize her campaign and the Republican playbook at the same time, appropriately linking them as both similar and deplorable.

But he needs to do this without declaring the primary campaign as over, because it is not over until Clinton concedes. To do so would appear arrogant and dismissive of Clinton's supporters, whom he needs in November - every one of them. The sooner this starts, the better. McCain must not remain untouched any longer, and must not have the opportunity to save up his campaign funds until after this long Democratic fight is finally over. Obama has billed himself as the candidate for change. After McCain has just embraced an endorsement from none other than George W. Bush, this is the perfect time for Obama to exploit it. He needs to make use of the fact that a McCain presidency would be more of the same and force McCain to run from Bush and anger the wingnut Republican base. Such is McCain's primary weakness.

If successful, Hillary Clinton will be seen as a sore loser, unwilling to accept reality as she continues to run after Obama, throwing spit-balls and forcing him to fight on two fronts when he needs to be fighting on one. More and more Democrats will pressure her to step aside and do what's best for the party and for our chances in November.

[Ian_rd]

1. Clinton is going to destroy the party

Obama threatens the elite Bush-Clinton regime exchange. And he must be stopped at all costs even if it means interrupting Bush-Clinton with McCain.