Hillary Beats The Spread

Eight points. The over and under spread. Spurs vs. Suns. NBA bettors special. NOT!! This was the spread for the Pennsylvania Primary. Six weeks of grueling work. The spotlight of the nation and the world upon it.

This is what our politics has come to. It is no longer enough to win an election; the question is by how much. For Hillary Clinton, deep into debt, heavily outspent by her rival, the bar indeed was set high. A victory by a point or two would not do. The impossible had to become possible.

And she did such a thing. With 98% of the votes in, Clinton could claim a ten point lead over Senator Obama. She won. She beat the so called spread. She reached the proverbial double digit victory. She hung tough. She reached deep within. She did all she could do.

And yet some continue to disparage Clinton. She was negative (see today's NY Times editorial). She was dirty. She did whatever it took to defeat her rival. But what is wrong with that. If the Democrats are to finally retake the White House they need someone who will get off his/her high horse, get dirty, and find a way to win. After the "swiftboating" of John Kerry you would think that Democrats would cheer for a candidate that will fight for them not only on potential issues but to win the presidency so that those issues can have the light of day. That some continue to bemoan the nastiness of high stakes politics is one of the reasons that Republicans continue to win the big races. To fellow Democrats, the message is grow up, get down from the ivory towers, go where the people are, roll up your sleeves, and fight with all your soul and strength for the things you truly believe in.