Reprinted by permission of Ray Abernathy. Ray's website is available at: http://www.rayabernathy.com
Now that we’re sure that either Hillary or Barack will go into the Democratic convention in August with a slim lead and a big need for solidarity, one would hope the leader would consider asking the loser to become his or her vice presidential running mate (Hillary already having hinted approval of such an arrangement). The rationale is part analytical and part intuitive. The analytical argument is that combining their demographic strengths would yield a uniquely powerful ticket, Obama bringing younger and African-American voters, Hillary older folks, Hispanics and women. And why take a chance on a VP candidate who hasn’t been tested or vetted? But the intuitive trumps the analytical, because there’s something special going on here. It’s the turnout thing.
Ed Sills, the Communications Director of the Texas AFL-CIO, described the phenomenon in a series of emails late lTuesday night. “At this writing, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have each received more votes individually than the combined totals of John McCain and Mike Huckabee. If something approaching three million Democratic votes can turn out for a primary, how many Democrats might turn out for a general election? Texas needs to be in play nationally this year.” Ed went on to note that the old turnout benchmark was 2.5 million and called March 4 an “amazing display of voter excitement.”
The excitement continued into the caucuses, Ed said, citing as an example a Travis County precinct that went from a high of eight delegates in previous caucuses to 241 last night. And he reported that in his own precinct, where in 1994 he had been the lone Democratic delegate, the throngs of Clinton and Obama delegates worked well together and had a helluva lot of fun.
“Today we had 308 sign-ins, including scores of friendly faces who have had children at or who have taught in Caraway Elementary School. If there’s a war going on between the Clinton and Obama camps, it did not occur in Precinct 331. Both sides easily agreed on procedures for getting everyone counted and there was plenty of amazement on both sides as we filled an elementary schools cafeteria with what had to be the largest precinct convention ever for an area that was mainly deer and squirrels in the last era when turnout was this fervent. Barack Obama got about 70 percent of the caucus votes, for a 28-11 advantage in senatorial convention delegates. The Obama and Clinton organizers did an outstanding job of moving the convention along with no serious difficulties. The good feeling was so strong that by acclamation we simply passed all resolutions without comment up to the senatorial convention.”
Individually, these two candidates are bringing out primary voters in historic percentages. Ed’s report suggests they might do even better running together, and that there would be plenty of support for such a move. In a general election, a Barackary or a Hillabama fusion could explode turnout to the level of Johnson-Goldwater. And wouldn’t that be a delicious way to send John McCain to the lonely page in history now occupied by his idealogical Godfather.