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Self Interest

By Big Tent Democrat

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only.

What do pols care about the most? My consistent answer has been that they care about winning their own elections above all else. Of course, they won't say it that way. They will argue, and maybe even believe, that there is nothing more important to the commonweal than their election to office.

Steve Benen cites Jon Chait:

An easier question to answer is, How much does Clinton value her own interests versus those of the Democratic Party? And here the answer is very clear: Clinton is acting as if she doesn’t care about the Democratic Party’s interests at all, except insofar as they coincide with her own.

Benen's response gets it right:

[A]t Clinton HQ right now, a team of advisors are likely thinking, “If Obama’s the nominee, Democrats lose. We may be the only ones who realize it, and we may only have a 10% shot, but we need to keep fighting . . . in order to save the party and protect the party’s interests.”

As I say, pols ALWAYS think their election is critical to the interests of the party and the Nation. What I find ironic is when faced with, at the least, similar action by Obama, the same handwringers have not a word to say. And yes, I am talking about Obama blocking the revotes in Florida and Michigan - which undoubtedly were in the best interests of the Democratic Party. Not one of these pundits has ever stated the obvious - Obama put his own interests before those of the Democratic Party. They have no credibility in their handwringing about Clinton in my mind.

Related - The latest low from a once proud Democratic online community here. What an embarrassment that community has become.

[Update (TL): Comments now closed.]

Full post as published by TalkLeft on March 24, 2008 (boomark / email).