Dan Riehl
Riehl World View
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Talk about the worm turning. News of this type has completely reversed itself over the past four years. And it’s partly linked to this move to show Super Delegates the door. Whatever new ruling paradigm Democrats may have thought they were going to build on Obama’s shoulders after 2008 has collapsed. But it was bound to happen. Obama is way to the Left and the party was recruiting centrists.
If Hillary had gotten the nod and stayed closer to the center, we might have been looking at another forty year run for Democrats. But they blew it when they went with Obama. I wonder if they’ll get around to realizing they have the late Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and others to thank for it, too? It also puts Obama on the spot. He either shifts to the center, or the party is going to have to leave him behind.
Democrats have lost yet another touted recruit, this time in Kansas.
State Sen. Laura Kelly (D) just announced her withdrawal from the race to face Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.). She becomes the fifth formidable recruit to bow out in recent weeks.
Kelly joins several recent dropouts, including businessman Jack McDonald, a well-funded challenger to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) who announced last week that he wouldn’t run. The others are Ohio state Rep. Todd Book, who was running against Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio); former Tennessee Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Paula Flowers, who was running for Rep. Zach Wamp’s (R-Tenn.) seat; and Solana Beach City Councilman Dave Roberts, who was running against Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.).
Both McDonald and Kelly were cited in a late October memo from DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) that touted the committee’s recruiting successes.
