The Democratic Primaries Continue (to Pennsylvania!)

What do Hillary Clinton’s victories ultimately mean? Aside for the delegate count, the abrupt halt to Obama’s momentum, and the fact that the candidates are coming to Pennsylvania now, I’ve been going back and forth on what a longer Democratic primary race means for the future (especially the general election this fall).McCain has officially locked up the nomination on the Republican side, and just this morning President Bush formally endorsed his candidacy. McCain has known for weeks now that his bid for the Republican Party’s nomination was a sure thing, and he has consequently been able to focus all of his energy attacking Clinton and Obama’s stances on the Iraq War and NAFTA. Unfortunately for the Democrats, they have had to split their time by responding to McCain’s attacks and simultaneously dig into each other as the primary moves on. Many seem to think that the continuing divide in the Democratic Party makes John McCain’s job that much easier. In fact, Rush Limbaugh himself told Texas listeners that he wanted them to vote for Clinton. “I want Hillary to stay in this,” CNN.com quotes Limbaugh as saying. “We need Barack Obama bloodied up politically. It’s obvious that the Republicans are not going to do it, they don’t have the stomach for it. As you probably know we’re getting all kinds of memos from the RNC saying we’re not going to be critical. Mark McKinnon of McCain’s campaign said he’ll quit if they get critical over Obama. This is the presidency of the United States we’re talking about. I want our party to win I want the Democrats to lose.” In other words, a prolonged primary season of Democrats attacking Democrats works to the Republican’s advantage.However, there is another, more positive way to look at a continued Democratic race. For one, both candidates are proving throughout the country that they are capable of withstanding attacks from both one another and John McCain. Keeping them on their toes, so to speak, could make them both stronger. In addition, the race has raised certain states (like Pennsylvania) to a level of importance unthinkable a month or two ago. In fact, the fight for every last delegate has forced both candidates to campaign in smaller states that usually don’t get a lot of attention. This seems like a good thing for democracy.Hillary Clinton’s victories mean the Democratic race will continue, but I myself still haven’t figured out what that means for the party and the general election this fall. Apart from personal preferences for the candidates, what do you think a prolonged race means (if it means anything at all)?