Gordon Prickett's take on Presidential Politics

Voters have spoken loudly in the Presidential Caucuses and Primaries, starting on January 3rd.

John McCain is the presumptive GOP nominee and all his opponents have withdrawn.

Barack Obama has won a large majority of the state contests and is way ahead with the popular vote. He has a sizeable lead over Hillary Clinton in convention delegates, that is highly unlikely to shift in the 10 or so contests remaining. But he hasn't yet secured a majority of all the convention delegates. That is, he has not sown up the Democratic Party nomination

Serious challengers Edwards, Biden, Richardson, Kucinich, and Dodd have all withdrawn after realistic assessments of their results.

What remains in the contest between the two Democratic finalists are, 1) unpledged super-delegates, and 2) the disqualified state Democrats in Florida and Michigan.

The impartial analysts seem to agree that Clinton's only chance at the nomination now is to somehow convince enough party leaders, super-delegates, and Obama-pledged delegates that Sen. Obama is "unelectable" in the November 4th contest with John McCain.

Which brings the news to a local focus - with three Minnesota super-delegates who remain uncommitted, unpledged. Do they think Obama can win?

Let's ask Rep. Collin Peterson, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and former statewide candidate and current DNC member Nancy Larson. On KAXE's Morning Show.

With the endorsement by super-delegate Gov. Richardson the other day, the remaining most prominent "supers" are Jimmy Carter, Nancy Pelosi, and Al Gore.

I would pose them with the same question.

If most of the answers are affirmative, then I believe it is time for Sen. Clinton to step aside, like John Edwards did, and help elect a Democrat in the fall.

The nation now is ready for the formation of a national and a global agenda for the next four years and beyond. Let us discuss and debate this agenda, Republican versus Democratic. And let's "turn the page" in this campaign, and begin to write a new American chapter.

-Gord Prickett is a KAXE volunteer from Nord Lake in Aitkin county