Yes; especially if by “Clinton supporters” you mean the small-town, poorly educated, white working-class voters Hillary has decided to claim as her base.

If Obama is as great a politician as you all believe, why does it have to be a matter of one group trumping another?

This is Hillary’s game. She’s the one who decided to make it a scorched-earth campaign. Go ask her about it.

The divides are not as deep within the party as they are between the parties. If he can’t bring the Democrats together, I don’t see how gains from outside the party can make up the difference.

SHE sure as hell can’t bring the Dems together. If she somehow manages to swing some backroom deal to get the nomination, watch African Americans (their votes count as much as white peoples’ these days, you know), younger progressives, and many moderate independent voters stay home. And her good buddies the white working class voters will mostly vote for McCain.

It is the height of stupid to carp at Obama for not bringing the party together while Clinton and her groupies are working like hell to shred it apart. It’s also the height of stupid to think Clinton has a better shot at McCain than Obama does. The evidence says otherwise.

On the other hand, do you think the booing when Edwards praised Clinton during his endorsement will encourage her supporters to get on the Obama bandwagon?

Do you believe there can be “a new coalition of progressives” which includes disaffected Republicans and Independents, but not Clinton’s supporters?

If Obama is as great a politician as you all believe, why does it have to be a matter of one group trumping another?

The divides are not as deep within the party as they are between the parties. If he can’t bring the Democrats together, I don’t see how gains from outside the party can make up the difference.

And we need to win in November with as many votes as possible, or we’ll see another election that fell off the back of a truck.

wmr, Obama’s supporters are also critical to a Democratic victory in November. In no way does Clinton’s support among white working class Americans trump Obama’s support among other constituencies, particularly African Americans.

In fact, a current Quinnipiac poll says that white working-class Americans will support McCain over either Obama or Clinton and by about the same margins. This says there is absolutely no evidence that Clinton would do better than Obama among white working class voters in November. The Dems have lost the majority of white working class voters in the past several presidential elections. This includes Clinton in 1996.

I sincerely believe either Dem could be McCain, but I think Obama has a better shot at it. He will put some western and possibly some southern states in play that Clinton could never get.

Dave, if you think this is “scorched earth”, you must have slept through the last two general elections.

My concern is that after Denver will be too late. I’ve got plenty of problems with Hillary, but her supporters will be critical to a Democratic victory in November.

I must be more pessimistic than most of you, because I rate the future of the Democratic party as less important that the future of our country–and I believe those are the stakes.

A dear friend who used to be an ardent republican confessed to me he thought Obama may be the way to go after the excesses of the power grab by the Bush administration.

My lovely Brazilian hairdresser who NEVER talks politics said she was praying for Obama to win. She started the conversation and said the country was in such bad shape like Brazil used to be before Lula she knew God sent Obama. I don’t necessarily endorse her view, but after a 15 year acquaintance with the woman, it was startling.

Exactly, if the only way democrats can win is by appealing to a bunch of intolerant fools that consistently vote against their own economic interests, then what’s the point? A milk toast center-right democratic president would be no different than a milk toast center-left republican president!

Maha, I don’t want to call you an east coast Elitist, but if you live in Westchester County, you’re no longer considered in the hoi polloi by New York standards. The Bronx, now that’s a different story.