08 January 2008

The Insurgent vs. the Establishment

Quote of the Day:
Since George McGovern won his party's [1972 presidential] nomination - never once has an insurgent candidate defeated an establishment candidate to acquire the nomination. That goes for both parties. In the 220 year history of presidential nominations, insurgents have defeated establishment darlings only a handful of times. A big reason is that the establishment sets the rules. An insurgent candidate riding a wave of grassroots support still has to contend with them. This does not mean that an insurgent cannot beat an insider. It just means that it is hard. Obama will probably win New Hampshire tonight. And he is in a very good position to win his party's nomination. But don't count Clinton out. She's the insider, the candidate of the establishment - and they have a habit of winning.
-Jay Cost at Real Clear Politics, reminding us in a nicely written piece that the Democratic race is far from over.

Click on the link and read his post. He outlines the process by which Hillary Clinton might still win the Democratic Party's presidential nomination at the convention in Denver this summer...even if Obama wins New Hampshire (and many subsequent contests) by a comfortable margin.