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The vote goes on

And what's so wrong with that? Democracy is messy, but it's the best

April 24, 2008

The case for Hillary Rodham Clinton to fight on for the Democratic presidential nomination grew stronger Tuesday after her double-digit win in Pennsylvania. But there was never much reason for her to abandon the race before every primary vote is cast. This is a democracy. Voting is what we do. It's often a messy way to choose a leader. But it's the best way.

Before Tuesday's win, the chorus of pundits and pols counseling Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.) to withdraw was growing louder. She can't win, they said, a reality she should accept graciously for the good of the party. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) leads in pledged delegates and popular votes. He has more money and draws bigger crowds. And Clinton's negative campaigning could hurt the party's chances in November against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumptive Republican nominee.

That may all be true. But, so what?

This hot race is turning Democratic voters on. Voter turnout topped the previous record by 48 percent in Massachusetts, 11 percent in New York and 69 percent in New Jersey. Pennsylvania officials said yesterday that Tuesday's unofficial turnout doubled any in recent memory. People are paying attention, and that's a good thing.

Obama's lead is daunting, but he won't win enough pledged delegates for a clear victory either. This nomination will be decided by Democratic superdelegates, who are elected officials and party poobahs. They could swing their support en masse to one candidate or the other and end this now, just as easily as they could sometime after the last primary vote is cast in June. They shouldn't short-circuit the process.

Record turnouts signal that voters want to be heard. That includes those in states with primaries so late they usually have no impact on the nomination. This year they matter. The result is voter enthusiasm that should be nurtured, not squelched.