As the media continues to drive the story for an ultimate victory by Barack Obama, it is instructive to look at the dynamics of some previous Democratic primaries.
Ted Kennedy, a media darling, contested the Democratic nomination against sitting President Jimmy Carter and was much further behind in pledged delegates than Hillary Clinton. Yet he rolled into the convention as a major force, with victories on the Democratic platform, raucous demonstrations and inspiring speeches.
Hillary Clinton is around 100 delegates behind out of a total of more than 4,000. The race is NOT statistically, or even practically, over as Barack Obama cannot reach the total required without superdelegate votes. If Kennedy was allowed to continue his campaign, shouldn't Hillary be granted the same courtesy?
Yet it is precisely because of the influence she is wielding, that everyone is pushing the story about getting her out of the race. And with the dynamics of round-the-clock cable coverage, they may just succeed at doing so.
But the underlying reality must be faced. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has captured the hearts of around half of the Democratic Party, and that must be acknowledged in some way to satisfy her supporters.
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- Willy Gissen
- In 2003, Willy Gissen founded Cut-It-Out Communications, a full-service public relations agency based in Hartsdale, New York. His organization specializes in the incorporation of online activities into traditional public relations programs, primarily for business-to-business clients.
These activities include the creation of e-newsletters, the set up and maintenance of internal blogs, and the development of inbound links to maximize a client’s search engine ranking.
See his other articles at public relations instruction, and visit his other blog, New York Times Leader, for an analysis of each morning's lead story.