Democrat's Time of Testing

If Clinton wins the nomination, what happens then to the Democratic Party? What is supposed to happen is that the fierce competitors suddenly take off the gloves and lock arms with the winner. This could possibly happen if Hillary names Obama as her Vice President. However, if she goes another direction, which is likely, then things will get interesting. Having tasted the power of a new, fresh coalition, the Obama people may resist the conventional path of folding in behind the victor.

In a recent speech, Mrs. Clinton explained to her audience that even though Martin Luther King was huge in the campaign against discrimination, it took a Johnson to get the Civil Rights Act passed. MLK (“I have a dream”) was – well, a dreamer. LBJ was a benevolent champion for their cause. Her analogy of King / Johnson to Obama /Clinton was not lost on the Obama people. It opened up an issue that here-to-for has not been talked about in Democratic circles.

The Democratic Party for years has operated under a co-dependant relationship that upper class white people provide the laws; black people provide the votes. In one speech, Hillary unwittingly opened up this issue and explained that she is the one to maintain that structure.

It has worked in the past because the black voters never coalesced around a candidate like they have Obama. And until now, there has never been one who has added young educated white voters to that coalition. What is happening with Obama is the sense that this coalition is saying, “We don’t need that relationship anymore. We’ve grown up. We’ve come of age and we can recognize our own power. We don’t need you to provide it anymore.”

Look for Hillary to recognize the power of that coalition and try to buy it by making Obama her running mate. The real mystery here is whether Obama will sell out his coalition and take that offer.