Who are the Democratic Leaders telling Democrats to vote for Barack Obama because he is the best nominee for the party? Let’s take a look at those who have personal experience in being a Presidential candidate, and therefore, can tell us what type of a candidate is electable:
Howard Dean - Ran in 2004 Primary, resigned.
Chris Dodd - Ran in 2008 Primary, resigned.
Gary Hart - Ran in 1984 Primary, resigned; 1988 Primary
John Edwards - Ran in GE 2004 as VP; lost. Ran in 2008 in primary; resigned.
Jesse Jackson - Ran in 1984 Primary; lost.  Ran in 1988 Primary, lost.
John Kerry - Ran in 2004; won primary; lost general election.
Ted Kennedy - Ran against incumbant Jimmy Carter in 1980 primary; lost.

Ted Kennedy:
During the 1980 Democratic primaries, incumbant President Jimmy Carter increased his approval ratings during the Tehran hostage situation. There was an overall appreciation of Carter’s calm handling of the crisis. Kennedy was suddenly left far behind in the primary polls.

During the primary elections, Carter beat Kennedy decisively in Iowa, New Hampshire, and then several other states (except Massachusetts). When the later primaries in New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut came around, it was Kennedy who won largely due to voter’s growing impatience with the slow method Carter was using to end the hostage situation.

Carter was still able to maintain a substantial lead, even after Kennedy swept the last batch of primaries in June. Despite this, Kennedy refused to drop out, and the 1980 Democratic National Convention was one of the nastiest on record. (Sound familiar?)  On the penultimate day, Kennedy conceded the nomination and called for a more liberal party platform in what many saw as the best speech of his career. On the platform on the final day, Kennedy for the most part ignored Carter.

Howard Dean:
In the early stages of the 2004 Democratic primary, Dean ranked first in total raised ($25.4 million as of September 30, 2003) and first in cash-on-hand ($12.4 million). Dean’s funds came largely in small donations over the Internet; the average donation size was just under $80. His campaign found that raising money on the Internet was relatively inexpensive and the campaign could continue to resolicit funds from the same donors until their individual limit was reached. (Sound familiar?)

After losing in Iowa, Dean gave the following concession speech: “Not only are we going to New Hampshire, Tom Harkin, we’re going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we’re going to California and Texas and New York … And we’re going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan, and then we’re going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House!” At the end, he enthusiastically screamed BYAW!! The press repeatedly played this video and portrayed Dean as a ‘a little crazy’. (Thanks again Media!)  Dean became the Democratic National Committee Chairman in 2005. 

Gary Hart:
Hart ran for Democratic nominee for a second time in 1988. Immediately after he declared his candidacy, the press started hounding him about rumors that he was having an extra-marital affair with intern Donna Rice.  Although he did well in the primaries that he ran in, this negative media attention plagued him throughout his campaign.  (Sound familiar?)

Jesse Jackson:
Jesse ran in 1984 in the Democratic primary, along with several other candidates. He did not win, but what is notable here is that SEVERAL candidates ran through the entire primary season. (What, you mean nobody quit!?)

Jesse ran again in 1988 and, once again, stayed in through the entire process. With a large number of delegates, he hoped to get support to make sure African-American interests were represented in the platform and the VP slot; but that was not to be. (You mean he placed the voters rights ahead of himself?)

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So, what can we learn from these ‘Leaders’?:

1. They don’t know everything about winning the general election, or they would have won!
2. How to ’stay the course’ through the entire process.
3. How to raise a constant flow of donations.
4. How the media can sabotage an otherwise productive campaign.
5. Just like Ted Kennedy, never quit!

If they believe that their own course of action was right for a Democratic Primary, well, you would think they would be endorsing the candidate that is using their ‘power of example’. 

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Of the 7 Democratic Presidential nominees for President in this century (there were 11 Republicans), the last two are still alive and working for the party.   Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter had very different primary races. 

Bill Clinton:
Clinton did not win Iowa, the first primary state. The media brought out information about a supposed extra-marital affair (still not legally proven).  And, so it began - the battle between the Democratic candidate and the media (SOP). As a result, Clinton lost New Hampshire. He did well on Super Tuesday, and lost some ground after that. Clinton had 4 opponents who split the 11 states that he lost, but; overall, he did very well and took 52% of the total votes.  So, maybe we should look at what he has to say:

Jimmy Carter:
Carter, on the other hand, did not fare as well. Carter also did not win Iowa, but he did win New Hampshire. He kept working through the states, trying to acquire delegates and wins. Carter had 8 opponents who split up the 23 states that he lost; but, he was able to win 27 states and a total of 39.3% of the votes.  But, his campaign was in a time when multiple candidates did complete through the entire election.  Why is it so different now?  I don’t know because these are the ‘new rules’, it seems! 

Hillary Clinton is a great candidate. She has won the popular vote; she has won the states that have always been the Democratic electoral college base.  In fact, she has won in the states that would give her an overwhelming electoral college victory.  She also won in a number of swing states; and she has a chance of turning a red state (Arkansas) into a blue state during this general election season.  Why would she quit?  The Democratic Party leaders need to take a long look at this candidate again.  They may be passing up a solid winner!