Like Bush Jr., Legitimacy Will Be ‘Obama’s Dilemma’

Has the ‘undemocratic’ nature of the Democratic primaries stained Barack Obama’s candidacy from the start? According to Juan Maria Alponte, who writes for Mexico’s El Universal, the lack of legitimacy of his nomination victory echoes that of George W. Bush’s general election win in 2000, and the notoriously complicated election of John Quincy Adams in 1824.

Alponte writes in part:

“The complexities of an electoral system where the historic contradictions between the popular vote and the vote in the Electoral College are even greater for primary elections, with barriers and counter-barriers to direct voting and the explosive paradoxes of delegates and superdelegates. … The great dilemma lies in an ethical conflict between legality and legitimacy. Without doubt, Al Gore accepted ‘legality,’ but this issue of legitimacy will be the future dilemma of Barack Obama.”

By Juan Maria Alponte

Translated By Paula van de Werken

June 5, 2008

Mexico – El Universal – Original Article (Spanish)

It seems, finally, that Hillary Clinton has been defeated. The cost of the fratricidal battle will oblige Barack Obama to quickly and effectively restore Party unity. Anything less will help McCain.

Hillary has insisted that she obtained more “popular votes” than Obama, who in turn has more delegates and superdelegates. It’s nothing less than extraordinary that The Wall Street Journal can say on this point, that “It’s very difficult to count the votes,” and in the same newspaper on June 3, June Kronholz in a piece entitled Some Superdelegates May Defer Decision wrote that, “Some superdelegates may arrive at the August convention uncommitted.”

That statement shows the complexities of an electoral system where the historic contradictions between the popular vote and the vote in the Electoral College (the latter has the capacity to decide an election, as was demonstrated in the recent election of George W. Bush over Al Gore ) are even greater for primary elections, with barriers and counter-barriers to direct voting and the explosive paradoxes of delegates and superdelegates. The great dilemma lies in an ethical conflict between legality and legitimacy. Without doubt, Al Gore accepted “legality,” but this issue of legitimacy will be the future dilemma of Barack Obama.

At the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 , these two major themes were already present. The Constitutional Convention was made up of 55 men. Of these, 29 were members of great universities. The remaining 26 were great personalities like Washington (who was immediately elected President of the Convention) and Benjamin Franklin, the inventor and diplomat. Washington defined the problem this way: “If, to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.” Hmm … wise and honest. A class apart.

READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated foreign press coverage of the U.S. presidential election.