Exactly what we don't need

Hillary Clinton's win in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, when polling leading up to the vote had Barack Obama leading by double digits, sent even the best and most respected political commentators (such as Howard Fineman) scrambling to explain what happened. It also, unfortunately, sent conspiracy theorists scrambling; it's sad that we can't have a close contest anymore without someone screaming it was rigged, but so it goes. Of course, when it's just conspiracy theorists, you can ignore them; but now, Democratic presidential (sort of) candidate Dennis Kucinich is calling for a recount. I'm not sure what to make of Kucinich doing this, since it's certainly not going to help his candidacy—either he's gunning for a slot in an Obama administration, or his loopiness includes a certain loopy integrity, because this isn't going to help his popularity with the Democratic party leadership, either—but there's no question, it gives the idea that there might have been irregularities in the NH primary a certain legitimacy.

And all I can say is, dear God, please let it not be so. Obviously, I have no intention of voting for whoever the Democratic candidate is this November—anyone looking through this blog should have a pretty clear idea where my political positions fall on the spectrum—and I suppose one might look at this and say, anything that hurts the Democrats is good. If Sen. Clinton's campaign really did steal the NH primary, which is what Rep. Kucinich is essentially saying, I can't see how that wouldn't hurt the Democrats; from a cynical point of view, then, I suppose one might hope it turns out that way. But I just can't do that, because if this is true, the damage is far, far greater to our political process. To operate properly, democratic/republican politics depends on a certain level of trust and mutual commitment to the process, and that's strained enough in this country as it is; if these allegations are true, it's another major body blow to that trust, and to that commitment to playing by the rules, and America really can't afford that. Especially not right now.

Besides, as much as I don't particularly care for Sen. Clinton, I do believe in her idealism, or at least that she once was an idealist; I think her hunger for power is real, but I also think that it's largely rooted in the desire to do good for her country, or at least that it started out that way. I would truly, deeply hate to believe that she has fallen so far that she, or anyone else in her campaign, could actually do something like that.

"Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Great men are almost always bad men."

—Lord Acton