It looks like Obama has the nomination all sewn up, but Clinton remains defiant. What is she thinking? Does she have some sort of trick up her sleeve? One thing she might try to do is promise jobs and other favors to flip delegates over to her side.
This happened in 1976, according to Elaine Brown in her book "A Taste of Power." Jerry Brown defeated Jimmy Carter 2-1 in California, but was unable to stall Carter’s momentum. Brown writes:
"By the end of the second of the four convention days, a massive number of Brown delegates had already been sold over to the Carter machine, which was well organized and funded. Specific promises of freeways and such had been made to delegates who were mayors and governors; support for reelection went to senatorial and congressional delegates; federal judicial appointments went to judges and lawyers; and legislation to certain so-called special-interest delegates—with the blatant exception of black people, there being only a handful of black delegates among the thousands. Brown was not a man who operated with a machine. A dreamer and an intellectual who detested expedient politics, he had no idea how to dike the swelling tide."
Before Obama supporters get too worried about this prospect, they can probably take heart that Carter himself is endorsing Obama this evening.
In her next book, Elaine Brown became critical of Jerry Brown, and I too have become more critical of him over the years, especially since he remains a Democrat. I was a part of Jerry Brown’s insurgent campaign in 1992, when we tried to stop Bill Clinton. Before the Internet was widespread, Brown made use of a 1-800 number to raise funds. I painted the number on a huge banner and hung it over 35W. A police officer confiscated the banner and ticketed me for "illegal sign by roadway." I had been sitting on a folding chair, reading the newspaper, which had been reporting what Brown called "a scandal a week" surrounding Bill Clinton. Brown campaigned on a theme of ending government corruption.
One of the Brown supporters became manager of the John Marty for Governor campaign. Like Brown, Marty had a $100 limit on contributions from individuals. After learning about and witnessing corporate influence in the Democratic Party, I gravitated toward the Green Party and the rest is history.
People who are afraid to do the right thing can still help us get 5% by going to gp.org.
