Quitters never win

[illusionofjoy]

Ellen R. Malcom, in an op-ed for The Washington Post:

It's not surprising that low-income working women are the cornerstone of Hillary's success. Many of these women live on the edge of disaster. A pink slip, a family member's illness, a parent who can no longer live alone, a car that won't start or a mortgage rate that goes up -- all are threats that could devastate the family. And yet these women do what women have done for ages. They put on a confident face, feed their children breakfast and get them off to school. They don't quit. They suck it up and fight back against whatever life throws their way.

They see in Hillary Clinton a candidate who understands the pressures they face. As they watch her tough it out against all odds, refusing to quit and continuing to compete against whatever the media and her opponents throw her way, they see a woman as tough and resilient as they are. They clearly want her to win. Her victory, I believe, is their victory.

So here we are in the fourth quarter of the nominating process and the game is too close to call. Once again, the opponents and the media are calling for Hillary to quit. The first woman ever to win a presidential primary is supposed to stop competing, to curtsy and exit stage right.

Obama has a .25% lead in the popular vote (note the decimal point and the fact that Florida and Michigan do count, assuming Democrats want to win the general election). A win for Hillary Clinton in West Virginia, Kentucky and whatever primaries remain could reclaim her lead - either way it will be razor-thin for whomever is ahead in the popular vote. Superdelegates who are now drinking the Obama Kool-Aide are fools, just like a mainstream media bedazzled by how photogenic Obama is and, based on that alone, are willing to attempt a coup against a viable candidate.

Obama can not declare himself "king" and expect Democrats to fall in line. Democrats do not "fall in line," republicans do. Democrats are free-thinkers, our greatest strength and weakness. This lifelong Democrat would welcome a brokered convention over a coronation any day. A pledge by a superdelegate means nothing until the votes are cast. Let's see if our famously spineless representatives can stomach doing the right thing (I doubt it though).