Real Kato Blog: Kerry Piling Up Primary Wins

With John Kerry starting to pull away in the Democratic nomination race, some Democrats think the party should coalesce behind him as quickly as possible.

With today's victories in Virginia and Tennessee (two decidedly non-New-England-liberal states), John Kerry has clearly staked his claim to the party nomination. It's hard to see another candidate catching him at this point. Wesley Clark and Howard Dean should be dropping out soon.

John Edwards probably has some motive to run for a second-place finish; it would help his still-young political career. Unless, of course, he wants a vice-presidential spot; in that case, he'd be wise to stop fighting Kerry quickly. It doesn't seem in Edwards' nature to want a vice presidency, but that might be his best move in the long run. It wouldn't be bad for the party, either.

It seems most Democrats are willing to take whatever candidate has the appearance of strength. Exit polls suggest that the primary motivation for voting is to find a candidate who will beat Bush. Based on that, one wonders if folks have any particular affinity for Kerry, or if they would change their minds if someone else emerged as the front-runner.

And so, perhaps the nomination will go to someone who isn't quite the Democratic idealist that Dean or Edwards is... that might not sit well with some Democrats, but the good news is this: the party, right now, is united and energized, and the battle with Bush will be a good one.

Permalink