Should Hillary give in?

As presidential candidate Hillary Clinton falls behind in the race against Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, people have mixed feelings about how the situation should be handled. Political officials and citizens can’t agree on the course of action that Hillary should follow; many supporters of Clinton have said that it would be undemocratic to force her out of the race. On the other hand, many Democrats are worried about a division in the party leading to the possibility of a McCain winning the election.

Neither Obama nor Clinton will be able to capture the 2,024 delegates required to win the nomination, so superdelegates will most likely be the determining factor in deciding the Democratic nomination.

Clinton has been urging both the superdelegates and the Democratic Party to let the race run its course, believing that she still has a chance at the nomination. The Voice of America quoted her eloquently saying, “We are strengthening the Democratic Party. Chill out! We are going to win this election if we just chill out and let everybody have their say.”

Obama has supported Clinton’s decision to stay in the race so far, saying that she should be allowed to continue in the race. “My attitude is that Senator Clinton can run as long as she wants,” he said while speaking in Pennsylvania. “Her name is on the ballot and she is a fierce and formidable competitor.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also supported the idea of allowing the race to continue. “The election has to run its course,” Pelosi spinelessly told ABC News. “We have to continue the election in terms of hearing from the people.” She did, nevertheless, state the party should back a candidate as soon as possible prior to the national convention in August. She was also criticized for mentioning that she thought the superdelegates should vote for the candidate with the most nominations so far.

Taking a little more straightforward approach, some Obama supporters have contacted Clinton, requesting that she drop out of the race. Senator Patrick Leahy has candidly stated on Vermont Public Radio that he believed that Clinton should drop out and back Obama to support unity within the Democratic Party.

Many other Democratic officials have recently announced their backing for Obama saying the time to choose has arrived and that it is important to show solidarity against the Republican Party. Freshman Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota announced her support of Obama citing that it was a hard choice but that she was worried about the hostility exhibited in the primary. Gov. Bill Richardson has also announced his endorsement.

The struggle really comes down to this; should Clinton continue in the race even though it may be at the expense of a Democrat winning the presidency? Nancy Pelosi did have one good point; maybe the superdelegates should vote for whoever receives the most delegates. The people should nominate the Democratic candidate, and superdelegates aren’t representative of the people’s choice. They are just one person throwing around a weighty opinion.

At this point it doesn’t seem like Hillary is going to back down and it appears there aren’t enough members of the party disapproving for her to feel compelled to quit. If citizens are worried about the next president being a Democrat or support Obama, as a citizens and voters, they should let their representatives know. With enough pressure Hillary might step down.

JACQUELINE WAYMENT
Opinion Editor

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