Gary Hart '84-Obama '08 Comparisons



The similarities between the Gary Hart campaign for President in 1984 and Barack Obama's canidacy now are astonishing. Hart -- a philosophically-educated disciple of Robert Kennedy -- ran on a platform of idealism backed by fiery young and intelligent supporters. They represented, and fought for, the best of America. Gary Hart is now ardently pro-Obama, and focusing on the problem of superdelegates, where the negative Billary machine will do everything -- as their monies die out and the Democratic voters move against them -- in their power to move in their direction. From the salmon-colored weekly:

"In that ‘84 campaign, the Obama role was played by Gary Hart, whose 'new ideas' fueled a stunning 13-point victory in New Hampshire that rocketed him to the top of the race and, within weeks, brought Walter Mondale -- who had entered the campaign as the most prohibitive favorite in primary history -- to the brink of capitulation. A Hart sweep of Super Tuesday in early March 1984 would have flushed the former Vice President from contention, but when Mondale narrowly won two states that day (to Hart’s seven), the press declared him reborn. When the primaries and caucuses finally finished in June, it was a draw: Both men had won about the same number of pledged delegates and Hart had even edged Mondale in the combined popular vote.

"But the nomination was Mondale’s because most of the superdelegates -- party leaders and elected officials who account for 20 percent of all convention votes -- had been with him from the start, long before Hart had emerged as a viable option.

"... Hart, who teaches at the University of Colorado-Denver, is now supporting Obama. There are clear similarities between the old Hart coalition and the one Obama is building this year: college-educated voters, political independents, and younger voters. The Clinton and Mondale bandwagons also look alike, filled with members of core Democratic constituencies: women, Hispanics, lower-income white voters. (The main difference: Hart struggled to attract black support, which Obama has practically monopolized.)

"Hart sees the Clinton-Obama race playing out the way his did, but with the potential for a very different ending.

"'It will go to the convention like it did in ‘84, but (Obama’s) got a much better chance of getting support from superdelegates than I did, because most of them were lined up with Fritz before New Hampshire.'"

It's all about the superdelegates, folks. More here.