Carol Mosley Braun, the designated spoiler for the Al Sharpton racialist vote in the Democratic primaries, is said by the Associated Press to be dropping out of the race, and will endorse Howard Dean on Thursday. In the almost unnoticed Washington, DC nonbinding primary on Tuesday, she pulled 11.61% of the vote, finishing in third place. Howard Dean came in first, with 42.7%, while Al Sharpton drew 34.3% of the ballots cast in the low—turnout, heavily black electoral contest.

Curiously, if one adds the Braun and Sharpton vote, the total exceeds Dean's vote just barely. In other words, Dean is competitive among blacks, but needs Braun's support to decisively outdraw Sharpton.

So why did Braun, who was widely regarded as having run at the behest of Terry McAuliffe, to avoid the necessity of giving Sharpton major play at the Democratic Convention in Boston, drop out now, right on the eve of the actual voting which counts? And why did she endorse Dean, rather than the Clinton Machine's candidate, Wesley Clark?

The answer must be that she has run out of money. And McAuliffe's sources were unwilling to cough up any more samolians to pay her airfare and hotel bills in Iowa and New Hampshire. That discretionary money is now being directed to the Clark sock puppet. Besides, there is going to be no chance of ignoring Sharpton this summer. He has easily shown himself to be the most amusing and compelling speaker among the Nine Dwarves, at least as long as one can control the gag reflex.

Having been stiffed by the Clinton crowd, Carol decided to use her clout where it might actually do her some good. should Dean be the neominee, and gain access to the party machinery, or even, hope of faint hopes, be elected President, there is at least some prospect of regainin the glory she enjoyed as Ambassador to New Zealand.

Carol Mosley Braun may be vacuous, but she isn't THAT stupid.

Posted by Thomas 01 15 04

She will angle for VP

Comment by Richard