Primary over, Plainfield Dems focus on Obama and November

With Tuesday's primary election now history, Plainfield Democrats briefly honored the winners, acknowledged the challengers and turned their attention toward the November general election, in which the question of President Obama's second term will be settled.

Remarks by victorious candidates Tracey Brown and Adrian Mapp were rather subdued and city committee chairperson Jerry Green was gracious in conducting the ritual celebration: Everyone has their eye on the November election and Plainfield's importance in it.

Besides thanking her supporters and saying she would work very hard if elected in November (the 'if' brought smiles to the faces of the knowing audience), Brown said that she and challenger Roni Taylor have long been friends, complimented Taylor on the tone of her campaign and said she looked forward to their continued good relationship.

Taylor, showing her classiness even though defeated this time around, decided against a phone call to come and congratulate Brown in person.

Though foreign observers often marvel at America's primary election system, folks in communities like Plainfield, where one party dominates the registered voters (here it is about 10 to 1 Dems over Republicans), quite often forget that the function of primaries is to give adherents of a political party a choice of candidates for the general election.

2012 was the ELEVENTH year in which Plainfield Democrats have had different candidates to choose among in the June primary election -- a sure sign that small-d democracy is alive and well in our community.

Although President Obama received 4,109 votes on Tuesday (according to City Clerk AJ Jalloh's as-yet-unofficial figures, see here), that number is relatively modest compared to the 2008 presidential primary in which 5,762 ballots were cast for Obama (40% more than this year), giving Plainfield the largest margin in Union County. (Do folks remember that up to that point Assemblyman Green had backed Hillary Clinton?)

Nevertheless, the New Dems, who were early champions of Obama in the 2008 election cycle, swept that year's local primary, with wins by Annie McWilliams and Adrian Mapp widely considered to be a rebuke of Green's machine by the voters (see the 2008 poll results here, and Plainfield Today's analysis here).

This year, with Obama in office, the New Dems chose not to put up a candidate, and Taylor's supporters faced an uphill battle to get voters to go off the line. However, Obama will not be eligible for a third term and the possibility exists for Plainfield voters to continue to enjoy the blessings of democracy with primary choices into the foreseeable future.

There may be more to candidate Brown's 'the best is yet to come' slogan than anyone can imagine at this point in time.

ASIDE: It was reported to me that PMUA commissioner and former Councilor Malcolm R. Dunn was seen at Plainfield High School campaigning for ... Mr. Abdul-Haqq. This so soon after Councilor Mapp helped seal his appointment as a Commissioner. Politics, as they say, is transactional and friendships count for nothing.

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• Plainfield website:  "2012 Primary, citywide totals" -- There are also breakouts by ward and district.
  
• Scribd:  "2008 Plainfield Primary Election Results"
• Plainfield Today:  "2008 Primary: A look at the numbers"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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