"I am a Yellow Dog Democrat," 87-year-old Charles Johnson boasted proudly in his rich southern drawl along with a warm southern smile."Yellow Dog Democrat?" I asked."Yes," Charles replied. "I'd rather vote for a Yellow Dog Democrat than a Republican." Charles is from North Carolina, and, as they might say in is home state, he ain’t alone.
"I'm looking to be amazed," 19-year-old Brett Carmical told me.Brett, who is from Missouri, is missing his first week of college to attend the Democratic National Convention. And although he is almost 70 years younger than Charles, these two men, born at different ends of the past century, have something in common that often gets men of all ages in trouble: a woman. In this case, a woman young enough to be Charles' daughter and old enough to be Brett's mom, (in either case in vitro would not be necessary): Hillary Clinton.Charles and Brett are Hillary Clinton delegates.
"Having Hillary as a nominee would have been a slam dunk," says Brett.He can't understand why Barack Obama picked Joe Biden to be his running mate and says other Clinton supporters are equally upset. "A lot of them don't understand why. She got 18 million votes." (Remember that number -- 18 million – because you're going to hear it repeated from now until the election in November.)Brett is still upset that his nominee won't get the nomination. "I was frustrated but I kinda got over it," he said.
So did Charles, who says he thinks Hillary's got the stuff, but Obama? "We Democrats are going to give him the stuff if he doesn't have it," he said. It sounds like a threat, but Charles is a pretty nice guy, so it's more of an offer to Mr. Obama for on-the-job training if he wins the election, and Clinton supporters like Charles and Brett are counting on it.
Charles and Brett will both vote for Obama; maybe with a smile, maybe not, but they'll do it.Charles because he's a Yellow Dog Democrat and Brett…well, he's barely old enough to own a yellow dog or one of any other color, but he is old enough to vote and smart enough to know that plenty of other Clinton supporters will do the exact same thing, despite what you read about bitter feelings and tension between the Obama and Clinton camps.
"The healing begins when Hillary speaks Tuesday night," according to Brett. (News flash: It started Monday, thanks to another woman, Michelle Obama.
Did you catch the not-so-subtle, let’s-kiss-and-make-up gesture directed at Clinton supporters in Michelle Obama's speech Monday night?"The only limit to the height of your achievement is the reach of your dreams."She was talking about people who don't give up. "People like Hillary Clinton. Eighteen million cracks in that glass ceiling so our daughters could aim a little higher."Michelle Obama and Team Obama believe that the Democrats have to make nice to 18 million Hillary Clinton supporters because 18 million voters (see why you need to remember that number?) with say 20 or 30 percent voting the wrong way, is more than enough to lose an election.Guess what? Recent polls show anywhere from 20 to 30 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters have yet to buy the goods on Mr. Obama. John McCain's people are counting on it, but they should be careful about counting their chickens before they hatch, or their dogs, as in yellow dogs, before they learn new tricks or some stupid cliche like that because here's another news flash: What if the Democrats don't need to heal any wounds? Think about it.What would you do if you were a Hillary Clinton supporter come November?
Brett and Charles understand something more important than making nice -- they understand loyalty. They don't need the hollow kiss and make up syrupy sweet gestures that will pour off the podium inside the Pepsi Center to try and persuade Clinton supporters that the Democrats are one big happy family.That kind of fairly tale only exists on TV, and (surprise!) political conventions are 100 percent television.Making decisions based on loyalty and sucking it up so that your agenda wins, that's what being a Yellow Dog Democrat is all about. Brett and Charles are willing to put their personal preferences aside to do what they believe is necessary to put their party and the preferences they share back in the White House.They also suspect most Hillary Clinton supporters will do the same.Why?Because being a Yellow Dog Democrat in the White House, says Charles "is better than being a Hillary supporter in the dog house."
