Its one of the first days of the rest of our political lives and I predict we will never see a contested primary in Indiana like the one we just witnessed.  Why?  Because the Democratic Party leaders won’t let it happen.

Party leaders change the rules so that they, and not always the voters, control the nomination process.   That’s how they came up with super delegates and that’s how they produced proportional primaries.  Now, they will find a way to change the game so that in the future it is always decided before Indiana gets its turn in May.

Of course, Indiana has the ability to change the rules, too.  The Indiana primary could be held earlier in the year and the 2008 experience will increase the appetite for that.   Ironically, the Republicans hold all the cards, at least for now.  They control the state Senate and the Governor’s office, so change will happen only if the GOP thinks its a good idea.

Or, if the GOP sees that Democrats won an organizational advantage as a result of the efforts of the Obama and Clinton campaigns. 

It was a long time from 1968 to 2008, and it could be a lot longer before Indiana matters again.