Drawn-out primary strengthens Democrats

It has been a long Democratic primary, but when the dust settles, we will see a stronger and more invigorated party.

When this process began, nobody believed that it was possible that states like Indiana and North Carolina would play any important role in deciding who would be the Democratic candidate.

Sen. Hillary Clinton’s lackluster showing in these two states has all but ended her run for the Democratic nomination. Sen. Barack Obama is within 200 delegates of the official nomination, and his slow trickle of superdelegates has turned into a stream. The back-and-forth battle between Obama and Clinton has allowed a media narrative of a divided Democratic Party to gain traction, much to the Republicans’ glee.

The reality is that the Democratic Party is in an incredibly strong position to trounce the Republicans come November, making 2006 look like a tea party. This long, drawn-out process has only worked to strengthen Democratic organizations nationwide. Millions of new Democrats have registered to vote across the nation, many in states thought to be safe for Republicans but now trending Democratic. Iowa, Nevada, Virginia and even Indiana — all have been put on the map for the first time and as a result have gone from deep red to purple or even blue.

Some have argued that national polls showing Sen. John McCain and Obama in a dead heat means that Democrats are in trouble.

I dismiss this argument. Once the media stops focusing on the Obama-Clinton horse race and sheds a little bit of light on McCain’s economic policy and desire to stay in Iraq for 100 years, Americans will reject a third Bush administration.

This can already be seen in smaller races across the country and in fundraising. For example, in 2008 there are 35 U.S. Senate seats up for election — 12 Democratic and 23 Republican. Polling suggests that 18 of the Republican seats will be competitive, with only 2 competitive races on the Democratic side.

The U.S. House of Representatives is much the same, and in terms of fundraising, the Democrats are blowing their Republican rivals away.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the body in charge of raising and distributing money to Democratic races for the House, has $38 million on hand. Its Republican counterparts at the National Republican Congressional Committee have about $5 million on hand.

This sort of funding disparity is systematic in races both national and local.

McCain has been unable to raise half of what Clinton or Obama has raised. So to all you doubters out there who believe that this Democratic primary has been detrimental to progressive politics, my message to you is to chill.

This is only the beginning of what will be a Democratic tidal wave come November.

The Bush administration and its Republican cronies have done terrible things to this country. For someone who has lived his entire adult political life beneath the Bush administration, the prospect of a progressive government in this country almost seems too good to be true.

But in the words of Gerald Ford, our long national nightmare is over, and a new age of progressive and responsible government is coming. Act accordingly.