I've been thinking a very similar thing. Everything is happening too early. The dems in particular are in danger of becoming pretty well committed to a nominee *way* too early. Too much time for a dean-scream moment, or some dark secret to blow up, or any number of gaffs... or... in an ideal world... the dems sit back and look at their candidate and suddenly it occurs to them: "Wait... what the #$@& were we THINKING??"
Truth is: There is still *plenty* of time for another white-knight sort of candidate to jump into the ring and start scooping up all the marbles. Not Gore, and not Kerry. Somebody new. A governor maybe. Somebody with some charisma. An actor? Not sure... but I'm about 75% sure it's gonna happen.
See... so far only party hacks and the political junkies have really paid any attention. But think about later when Joe Union Steelworker and Jane Teamster start paying attention. You think either of them is going to look at either Hillary or Obama and feel anything other than revulsion? No way they're going to find any deep resonance across the mainstream of the party. I just don't see it.
It's gonna be somebody else. Or: Dem turnout will be record-setting low.
IMHO.
I think there will be a point of "Wait... what the #$@& were we THINKING??"... but I think the left will get behind their nominee out of sheer hate...
hate don't win elections...
If Obama is winning, and a 'white knight' is brought in to defeat him, the Dems will no longer have their 95% margin in the black vote, and will never be in contention for the presidency again.
Hillary! won't allow a white knight *near* her prize ... the most dangerous spot in the universe is between Hillary! and something she wants. Obama is about to find that out.
I think Edwards is hoping to acomplish something in the white-knight line, but he's dreaming. You'll notice Richardson --- a Clinton creature --- is still hanging in there, as if New Mexico doesn't need its Governor.
Hmmm ... Bill Richardson, successful Governor with just a few bimbo eruptions on his political complexion (gives him Clintonian character!), walks into a broken Democrat convention with Hillary!'s delegates and superdelegates. He is Hispanic with an English surname, he has served as state Governor, US Ambassador to the UN, and US Secretary of Energy. He is more experienced than the top three or four Democrat candidates put together. He has enough gravitas to look good at a debate. And, yet, he is complely owned by the Clintons.
I think I'll call this the Richardson Trojan Horse Gambit ...
'course on our side the articles floating around the Virginia blogs this week are "it could have been Allen" and "the most important word in the GOP primaries was macaca"...
Not to rehash it all, but don't think the Clinton Crime Syndicate wasn't behind all of that. Back in 2005 word on the Hill was that he was the one she was afraid of. Granted, he stuck his own foot in his mouth, but the media frenzy following is what did him in...by 9,000 votes.
In that case, g'nad, hate did win an election.
I could have been busy in a whole different way this year...