Before the primaries of Ohio and Texas, the momentum was with Obama. Even Bill Clinton said that Hillary must win both Ohio and Texas. And she did. But the number of net delegates she picked up was slim, not enough to change the math and the dynamics in any way.
That does not stop Hillary. She declares that now the momentum is with her. All the math guys in the party say that she can't get to the winning number, unless she gets more than about 60% of all the votes cast in future primaries. Nobody believes she can do this.
What does Hillary do? She gets everybody excited about a possible brokered convention. She goes on the air and says that maybe the best way to resolve the issue is by a joint ticket - naturally with Clinton on top. She further picks up the volume about having the delegates of Florida and Texas seated, even though the party barred them from the convention and no one campaigned there.
There's a way out. Mark Schmitt of Tapped has a brilliant idea for Barack Obama:
Here's the answer, and it's a little off the wall: He should offer a major concession. Agree to seat the Florida delegates from the January primary, along with a do-over caucus in Michigan. Don't concede the full legitimacy of the Florida primary, but just acknowledge that all the candidates were on the ballot and the expense and political cost of a do-over is too high. Seating the Florida delegation would be conditional on a do-over caucus in Michigan.
If you follow the competitive logic most of us use, this makes no sense. Why should Obama give in to something that is obviously wrong? Because this will enable him to win on his terms. Schmitt puts it neatly:
The advantages to Obama here are tremendous: it puts him firmly on the record in favor of enfranchising both states, it denies Clinton a second win in Florida, it shows a more magnanimous and graceful brand of politics than the win-at-all-costs mania we're witnessing from the Clinton camp, and it draws out the actual mathematical challenge she faces, without the fudge-factor of Michigan and Florida.
The philosophies of Clinton and Obama are so different they cannot be a team. One or the other must win. Schmitt's suggestion seems perfect for solving the problem.
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