Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 
From: Mitch Golden
Subject: Regarding Hate Springing Eternal

To the editors:

Regarding Paul Krugman's observation of the the excess of heat without light
in the Democratic primaries (Hate Springs Eternal, Feb 1, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/opinion/11krugman.html ): While I
agree with much of what Krugman says on the matter, he leaves out a
different sort of Clinton rule, one that is doing her a disservice and is
fracturing the party.

Many Obama supporters are afraid that Obama will win fair and square, only
to be cheated of the nomination by a backroom deal among the superdelegates,
or by seating excluded delegations from Florida and/or Michigan.  Clinton
herself has exacerbated this feeling by calling for these delegations to be
seated, after agreeing last fall that the disallowed primaries would not
count.

Many veteran observers of the political process are predicting just such an
outcome, so it's unsurprising that Obama supporters take it quite seriously.

Clinton owes it to Obama supporters to agree to lose gracefully if she does
in fact lose, and not to game the system to gain an undeserved victory.
(And Obama should give a similar statement for his part as well.)

Were the campaigns to do that, I think we'd find the temperature declining
significantly.

Mitch Golden