For those of you who haven't been following the news, the Democratic Party "elders" have been trying to force Hillary Clinton out of their Presidential Primary Race. They feel that Barack Obama must become the presumptive nominee of the party well in advance of the Democratic Convention in Denver this August.

The Math

The Democratic Party has 4,047 delegates attending the nominating convention. A candidate to the Democratic convention needs 2,024 delegates' votes to win the nomination. Thus far, Obama has 1,629, or 40%, of the total delgates needed to win the nomination. Clinton has 1,486, or 36%, of the total delgates needed to win the nomination. Based on this narrow spread, the powers that be in the Democratic Pary have decided, using some arcane math that escapes me, that Hillary Clinton must get out of the race. Supposedly, she has no chance of winning the nomination, despite the fact that 24% of the delegates have yet to be pledged. Their local primaries occur later in the year.

The Circuitious Logic

Now, let me make sure I've got this straight. The Democrats can't allow full, free and fair democratic elections, because that would do irreparable damage to the Democratic Party.

Barack Obama is the front-runner, and in fact he's so far out front that Hillary Clinton must withdraw from the race because the Democrats can't run the risk that she might win the nomination in Denver and embarrass the bejesus out of everyone. Never mind that Barack Obama doesn't have enough delegates to win on the first ballot in Denver. Barack Obama must receive the nomination, because Hillary Clinton doesn't have enough delegates to win on the first ballot in Denver. Huh!? Read it again. Sound like it doesn't make sense? It doesn't!

Hillary Clinton has to stop beating up on Barack Obama, so that he can so out-shine John McCain that even he ultimately will decide to vote for Barack Obama.

That about it, people?

History is Written by the Victors

Let's have a little lesson in history. The purpose of a political convention to to select a nominee, not stage-manage a coronation. In the 1860s, William Marcy Boss Tweed fixed the New York City Democratic Party elections in the smoke-filled rooms of Tammany Hall. Those days are over. In the 21st Century, the Democratic Party fixes its elections on the cable news channels, in plain sight of everyone.

Conventions have degenerated into pre-scripted infomercials, containing an election whose results are as phony as the enthusiasm of the delegates in the hall, designed solely to whoop up the audience at home. "Be among the 1st hundred callers, and you'll also get your own, personalized earmark! Hurry, they're going fast!"

In 1880 the Republicans nominated former speaker of the House of Representatives James A. Garfield on the thirty-sixth ballot. Garfield won the Presidency. In 1920, the Republicans selected Senator Warren G. Harding on the tenth ballot. He, too, won the Presidency. In 1932, during the depths of Great Depression, the Republicans renominated President Herbert C. Hoover. Two weeks later, Democrats selected Franklin D. Roosevelt over Al Smith on the fourth ballot. Roosevelt won the Presidency.

In 1972 the Democratic party nominated Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota on the first ballot. He lost.

In 1984, the Democrats nominated Walter F. Mondale, and, historically, Geraldine Ferraro for Vice President, on the first ballot. They lost.

In 1988 the Democrats nominated Gov. Michael S. Dukakis on the first ballot. He lost.

As history shows, there is no advantage to a candidate in getting the nomination on the first ballot, nor is there any disadvantage in not getting it on the first ballot.

Let me be clear: I am not a supporter of Hillary Clinton. I also am not a practitioner or supporter of Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos." I am not a Democrat, nor am I a Republican. I'm a LOCist.

What's a LOCist? It's a Party of one, of which I am Party Chairman. It is based on the 1960s theory of television programming put forth by CBS "master scheduler" Mike Dann and Paul Klien of NBC, called the "LOP" or "Least Objectionable Program" theory. In those days, there were just the 3 major networks (or 2 plus ABC, if you're really honest) and programming was based on the concept of the Mass Audience. Nowadays, with network audiences down to about 50% from a high of 90%, the LOP theory no longer works.

HOWEVER, when it comes to Politics, there are only 2 "channels": Democratic and Republican; all the other parties are the equivalent of local stations, some with and some without network affiliations. Each major party needs MASS NUMBERS, so they try to nominate the Candidate that is Least Objectionable to their base. That's why, in primary season, Democrats run to the Lef