How to Make the Democratic Party Disappear

Imagine the scenario where the first African American in history to actually have a better than average chance of winning the presidency, wins both the popular vote and the majority of pledged delegates in the primary election, only to have it stripped away by the leaders of the Democratic party.

I've often imagined what it would be like if there wasn't a Democratic party. But only in the context of how long it would take for the Republicans to destroy themselves if allowed to fully realize their vision for America unfettered from the Democrats. It's a fun thought experiment. And I give it about 10 years before the backlash from right wing rule created an American equivalent to Evo Morales.

But today I am thinking of a Democratic-party-free world for an entirely different reason. I'm thinking about how the scenario mentioned above would actually play out. And it's looking like I may get to see my thought experiment in the real world.

As reported by the Boston Globe, and diaried by David Sirota here, it's looking like the Clintons, their people, and some superdelegates are seriously contemplating giving this thing to Hillary even if it defies popular will.

I simply can't imagine anything more damaging to the Democratic party. Or, for that matter, to the Clinton's political power.

To get an idea of what it would be like, think back to the Bay of Pigs. The CIA launched an operation of Cuba's shores in an attempt to take down Castro's communist government. The operation was doomed to fail. The military and the CIA wanted to use the hapless operation as a catalyst to force Kennedy to bring in the military. Kennedy, smelling a rat, didn't take the bait. He saw bombing Cuba as a direct path to war with the Soviets.

Word quickly spread among the Cuban American community that Kennedy left the anti-Castro invaders for dead. Almost a half century later many, if not most Cuban Americans who will not vote for a Democrat because of the Bay of Pigs. I know quite a few personally. They're adamant about it.

The African American community is, of course, much bigger and far more important to to the Democrats then the Cubans. In fact, the way the demographics spread today, it is impossible to elect a Democratic president without the support of African American voters.

Listen carefully when I tell you, this is the peril that awaits our party if we allow the Clintons and their backers in the party establishment to take this nomination from Barack Obama by other means. It won't just be African Americans who turn on the Democratic party. It will be most of the base aw well. And the November elections, if Hillary is the nominee, will be more like a massacre. Because by my count, and that of many others, there is no way Hillary can win the nomination by any other means than nefarious ones (trying to take Michigan and Florida's delegates) or undemocratic ones (superdelegates defying the popular will).

Superdelegates need to think very carefully about what is at stake here. As do the Clintons and the leaders of the party. They run the risk of turning the greatest advantage in generations (the Obama "movement") into the greatest threat. Are all these superdelegates really that stupid? To trade off a real movement, a self-propelled get out the vote drive, for the return of the Clintons to the White House?

Of course they are. So it's up to us to help them see the light.