Come On, Come On, You Think You Drive Me Crazy

Is the following scenario, outlined by Slate's Chris Wilson on the "Trailhead" blog, likely to take place? No, in fact, I would place better odds on Larry the Cable Guy winning an Oscar, but that doesn't mean that it's not fun to toss around for a short while.

Obama, on the other hand, is fully capable of it. And if he’s really serious about representing a new kind of politics, now is the time for him to prove it in the only meaningful way left. Moreover, were he to play it right, dropping out now nearly guarantees that he’ll be elected president in 2012.
Here’s the roadmap:

Obama drops out next week, stating that although he could almost certainly win the nomination by fighting it out until the convention in August, he is simply not willing to drag the party through a battle that will cripple its chances against John McCain. He then pledges to help support Sen. Clinton in her bid—with full knowledge that she will not take him up on the offer.

In one stroke, Obama will regain his messiah creds by making the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the party. His followers will be furious. The mere mention of Clinton’s name will provoke unspeakable acts. They will abandon Clinton in numbers sufficient to hand McCain the election in November.

Losing the presidency again after eight years of Bush will ruin the Democratic Party. It will become obvious that Clinton’s decision to stay in the race was the turning point in the election. The base will turn its wrath on party leaders like Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi, who failed to push Clinton out. Obama, as the de facto head of the party, will broker negotiations to install new leaders loyal to him.

McCain will be eminently more beatable in 2012. Demographics will continue to shift in Obama’s favor as his 14- to 17-year-old supporters come of voting age. Anyone foolish enough to challenge Obama for the nomination—and don’t rule out Clinton—will go nowhere. Obama’s utopian vision for a Democratic party unified around him will be complete.

I'm not sure if I subscribe to the school of thought that says the current Democratic contest has been so contentious that it will cause those who support the losing candidate to "sit out" the general election against John McCain and coughRalphNadercough, but I can tell you this: If the course holds to its current bearings, the 2008 Democratic National Convention will be the first certifiably unpredictable political convention in my lifetime.

Regardless of whether you plan to support McCain, Obama, Clinton, or Nader in the fall, the American political landscape promises to be anything but boring.