Not easy to just let go after 16 months of the Democratic Party primary

Perspective is a valuable resource, especially when the journey is long. And perhaps for some, the day after the end is too soon. Yesterday was the hangover after the end. The day after the hangover gives you much better perspective.

But as we have seen in the last 24 hours, an extra day does make a difference. For example, Sen. Hillary Clinton has decided to drop out of the race later this week.

A lot of people clammored for a quick resolution, but when you gone through an extensive period, 24 hours isn't enough. After all, this was:

-- the longest primary race in this country's history, almost a year and a half. Obama officially got into this race on February 10, 2007.

-- a contest between the two people who earned more votes than any other candidate in a primary.

-- the first contest since 1952 without a president and vice president running for the White House, and the first in the modern TV era.

-- a contest where the first major female candidate and the first major African-American candidate were not only running but also against each other.

-- a Democratic Party battle where the party has been out of the White House for the last 8 years not because of their efforts, but because two federal elections were stolen.

There is bad blood in both the Obama camp and the Clinton camp. Think of all of this as a bad breakup. If you are emotionally invested in a situation, it's not easy to just let go.

And within that bad blood, there is transference. Now I'm not a psychological expert such as Peter Michaelson, who often writes for BuzzFlash.com, but I am the son of a social worker and consider myself an amateur sociologist.

When Clinton supporters object to some transgression, and blame the Obama camp, when asked what specifically did Obama or his camp, they can't come up with an example. This doesn't mean the slight doesn't exist; it's blaming a source that isn't responsible.

Or when Reagan Democrats voted for Reagan in 1984, even as he was taking away their jobs, they blamed other people, not Reagan.

There is a lot of hurt in both Democratic Party candidates' camps. And some may not heal by November. But the best step to help gain perspective is to relax, breathe, and think about the big picture. It's difficult to have someone tell you to do so, especially if they are on the "other side." People have to do this at their own pace.

Transference has no place in logic, but feels at home in emotion. And we have had a lot of emotion in this process. Gaining a perspective takes time; it's a natural process.

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