Terry Cowgill

Red Eye Blogging

March 5, 2008 on 10:35 am | In Main, Race for Prez |

Wow, Hillary made a big comeback and I got to hear all about it as it was happening.

That’s because I was up half the night emptying buckets that were filling with water. We are in the beginning stages of construction over our garage and for some reason water rolls back into the house during heavy rains.

So I had the dubious distinction of watching the coverage unfold at 2:30 this morning and also when I woke up about an hour later. I think Matthews and Olberman finally left 30 Rock at 3:15 while the “Best Political Team In Television” droned on until breakfast time.

Now for the Dems it will be seven weeks of hell with Hillary and Obama slugging it out until Pennsylvania. This could rip the Dems apart, especially if (as appears likely) neither candidate has the delegates needed to secure the nomination before the convention. Meanwhile, Hillary, who still trails in pledged delegates, has hinted she would consider Obama as a running mate. Now she’s trying to get him to drop out. This is like end-to-end action in the NBA finals.

Imagine this: It’s a brokered convention and the candidate with the fewest number of popular votes emerges with the nomination. Now imagine the specter of a party that decried the “stolen election of 2000″ deciding its nominee in a smoke-filled room in defiance of the will of the people. Then imagine that party trying to beat a GOP candidate — even one who is pro-war — who appeals to moderates outside the traditional base.

Hillary keeps saying Bill did not wrap up the ’92 nomination until June. But unless either she or Obama drops out, this will not even be settled by the convention. Every time I can remember the Dems had such turmoil at their conventions, they have gone down to defeat: Humprhey in ’68; McGovern in ’72 and Carter in ’80.

The Dems could just blow it. Notwithstanding her comeback, Hillary has high negatives, while Obama is untested and his bubble could burst under a withering attack from the GOP. This is fascinating stuff the likes of which I haven’t seen in many moons …

P.S. Pardon my faux pas. Since they frown on smoking, the Dems would never decide anything in “a smoke-filled room.” I’m sure there would be Starbucks lattes on the superdelegates’ table or, if there were union bosses present, a round of Michelobs.

P.P.S. Maybe they could apportion the delegates this way. It only seems fair, right?