Obama people--I have a nagging feeling that the better person is going to lose...

Bicoastal

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Fri Jan-18-08 02:51 PM
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Obama people--I have a nagging feeling that the better person is going to lose...

No, it has nothing to do with the "Reagan" dust-up yesterday--it has to do more with the Clintons. Seeing our former President explode on camera about the Nevada Union ruling...well, it just got me thinking, and then looking at poll numbers.

You cannot beat two lifelong politicians campaigning as one. I am angry and chagrined that former president Bill Clinton is basically being used as a 24-hour attack dog for his wife's personal ambition. I will honestly say that I feel betrayed by Bill Clinton for doing that, instead of remaining a mostly impartial figure in this heated race. It's never been done before by a former president, and to me it sets an awful precedent that history will not look kindly on. Nevertheless, it is (in my eyes) unbeatable. And unfortunately, the polls are proving this strategy works. We may see a Presidency shared by two people instead of one, and once again, as one of those people was ALREADY president, to me it's the worst idea we Democrats could possibly have had in this day and age.

I wanted a White House that someone could again rise to from humble origins, instead of on the back of nepotism and cronyism--a daring idea in the age of Bush and Bush Jr, election rigging, Katrina, corporate scandal, Immigration scare tactics, and so forth. It may be a strange thing, to see an America where people can get ahead regardless of who they were born to or who they are linked to by family connections. But I wanted it really incredibly badly, and with the Clintons it just isn't going to happen. Of course, they may not get into the White House. I'm fairly sure that I won't lift a finger to help Senator Clinton acheive her longtime goal, short of dutifuly voting for her in the General Election with my fingers squeezing my nose tight.

Now, to Obama. He made no fewer mistakes than any other first-time candidate for President, and perhaps even fewer than that. I've never seen him do an interview where he wasn't considering each question honestly and carefully, and choosing each word he was about to say meticuously. It's a style of politics that many of us aren't accustomed to, in this day and age of soundbite and flash. He was never the firebrand in interviews that he was during speeches, or the charmer that he was on the stump--he was just being as honest as he could possibly be. (Clinton--both Clintons--have appeared on television interviews, lying deliberately and directly to the American public. I suppose we're supposed to forget that at some point.) He's comitted no real scandal, no particular failure in leadership or ideas. To me he will always remind of a promising era of politics that may never surface--and I look forward to a long, fruitful Senate career, and perhaps another shot at the presidency some day. But against the Clintons' stacked deck, he has no chance, no prayer. I'll vote for him in February out of hope and loyalty. But for me, it's over. It's over.

And finally, to Clinton supporters and virrulent anti-Obama detractors. Congrats, you did it. You broke my spirit and sapped me of all my enthusiasm for this process. You reminded me of my complete failure to stand up to bullies back in grade school. You on one ocassion made me cry. So, I guess if you're the sort of person who takes pride in that, more power to you. Mea Culpa.

See you all in the Lounge,

Bicoastal