Unite the Party

The Miami Herald covers a new Florida poll which shows that voters strongly feel that their votes should count, with 89% wanting delegates at the convention. But while such passion for being part of history is good for the party (1.7 million Democrats voted in Florida), the poll also warns that we must resolve the situation or risk alienating more voters.

"Twenty-four percent of Florida Democrats said that if the state doesn't have a say, they would be less likely to support the Democratic nominee."

The good news is that there is a clear way forward: seat the delegates, either using the existing vote or with a new primary, and unify the ticket with both candidates to ensure that no group of supporters feels cheated by this process.

"Exactly half the voters said both candidates should be on the ticket in November, with the loser of the primary as the vice presidential candidate."

Posted by Manton at 09:58 AM

Obama won the Mississippi primary yesterday, with especially strong support from African-Americans. According to the CNN exit poll, a majority of Democrats think that Obama should pick Hillary as his vice-presidential candidate, with a full 63% of those who voted for Obama in the primary supporting such a move. While mainstream media focuses on a party divided by race, these results also reveal that Democrats are ready to come together as a party and that one of the best ways to do that is a joint ticket.

The next primary is over a month from now, April 22nd in Pennsylvania.

Posted by Manton at 10:20 AM

In February, both campaigns announced record donations: $35 million for Hillary and $55 million for Obama. After her wins in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island, Hillary saw another bump of over $6 million in just 2 days.

While an argument could be made that this money would be better spent fighting against Republicans, the fact is that most of these donations are small, from voters who have never given money to a campaign before. At $25, $50, or even $100, these voters will not max out the contribution limits; they can and will contribute again for the general election.

But more than that, it speaks to how fired up this party is. Four years ago, Howard Dean pioneered the use of the internet to raise money and mobilize voters. Today our campaigns have perfected it. The challenge now is to keep that excitement going past the convention.

Turnout is also high across the country. In Texas, which has voted Republican for three decades, more people voted for Hillary than for every single Republican running combined. Polls in Texas show a matchup between Hillary and McCain or Obama and McCain closing in on the margin of error. Daily Kos suggested last week that even Texas is in play, regardless of nominee. Now imagine it in play if we have both.

Posted by Manton at 04:56 PM