The White House Marathon

By Ilyas Choudry, MMNS

Nomination Wrangling is hurting Democrat Chances in Elections 2008: Pelosi

WASHINGTON DC: New York Senator and Former First Lady Hillary Clinton has once again rejected pleas of Obama well-wishers to end her run for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. She is trailing the Illinois Senator in the number of delegates needed to obtain the nomination. At present, these are the delegate statistics:

Barack Obama: 1,631 / States Won: 25; Hillary Clinton: 1,501 / States Won: 16; Delegates needed to secure nomination: 2,024.

In another significant development, Hon. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has urged a swift end to the Democrats’ contest to nominate a presidential candidate. Talking on a TV media outlet, Mrs. Pelosi, a senior Democrat, said it was important to get behind one candidate, if the party expected to win the White House in November 2008. Mrs. Pelosi did not say, which candidate she preferred.

Her comments come after those made by the Democratic Party’s Chairman, Howard Dean, who said that, he would like to see the race concluded by July 01.

The latest opinion polls suggest that Clinton is leading Obama by more than 10 points in the next major primary election in Pennsylvania on April 22. Obama has distanced himself from calls for Clinton to concede the race, saying she should be able to compete, as long as she is able and has supporters. It is being reported, however, that her campaign is in financial trouble again with several million dollars of unpaid bills. Clinton loaned her campaign $5-Million from her personal fortune ahead of the “Super Tuesday” Primaries February 05.

To secure the nomination, the winner must secure 2,024 delegates at the Denver’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) of August 25-28, 2008, which neither of the candidates will able to do on the basis of delegates left in the remaining primary elections. If Clinton manages to win a larger share of the national popular vote, it is being said that she may secure the backing of the so-called super-delegates, who could tip the balance. And that is keeping her in the race.

Analysts say a bitter fight between the two contenders, going right up to the DNC in August, would very much hurt the ultimate candidate’s chances of beating their Republican contender John McCain.

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