Tuesday, January 8, 2008

New Hampshire Primary

The sad spectacle of Hillary losing her cool(both Saturday and Monday) and Bill destroying the goodwill he earned from African Americans is an ominous portent of where this race is heading: Saying that "President Kennedy was in the Congress for 14 years and he was a war hero"--as Hillary did--smacks of desperation, as Bill was a draft dodger who had no more experience to be President than the laughable Huckabee, just two hicks from Hope. And for the record, I voted for Clinton twice and thought he did a much better job than Bush, who has brought the country to the brink of economic collapse. However, Bill Clinton is positioning himself to exit the stage like Nixon waving goodbye on the jet to oblivion and disgrace. His calling Obama a "fairy tale" was highly inappropriate and offensive, especially in the black community, suggesting that the uppity young black man should know his place, despite the fact that he is a Harvard-educated man of integrity who has spent his entire adult life in public service. The message is clear: How dare Obama have the audacity to think that he would be a better President than a woman who couldn't even manage her philandering husband while she was in the White House. It's sad to see an excellent leader like Bill Clinton stoop to the level of Bush by implying that his wife's last name makes her somehow more deserving to be elected. No wonder that the backlash is building against the Bush-Clinton monarchy of the last 20 years. Suddenly, people seem to be genuinely interested in real leadership change, and that is bad news for basically everyone except Obama. Let's see how Clinton holds up outside of the vanilla states and their 95%+ white populations, as the race heads into the real America--South Carolina(50% black), Nevada(heavily Hispanic) and Super Tuesday and let's see if Obama has enough fight in him to take off the gloves and land a knockout punch on Hillary's glass jaw.
Obama's political credentials are equal to those of either Clinton at this stage in the process, and his academic and intellectual qualifications dwarf those of Bubba Bush. Hillary Clinton has no tangible foreign policy experience, and the fact is the Clintons just don't get it and cannot accept the reality of American politics in the American Idol world: Star power and personal qualities own the day, not the "experience" and "we know better than you" smugness of Clinton and his other relics that stood on that Iowa stage while Hillary regurgitated her stump speech. Bill, Hillary, Albright and Wes Clark looked like what they have become: Hopeless museum pieces in a country that is quickly saying, "thanks for coming..."

On the Republican side, the forces of reason finally made their voices heard, but McCain's victory was hollow for several reasons: First, look at his competition: Huckabee is woefully unqualified, and Ken doll Romney is finding out just how intolerant the Republican base is. Those great social conservatives he has been courting would rather swallow their anger and vote for McCain than support the Mormon. That's the reality that no one is talking much about and it will become very clear in South Carolina, where Romney will be destroyed by both Huckabee and McCain. As the old Southern saying goes, lie down with dogs, rise up with fleas...
Romney made the huge miscalculation to cast his lot with a group--social religious conservatives--whose religious intolerance is such that they would rather vote for someone like McCain, who called their beloved leaders Falwell and Robertson "agents of intolerance," (which was entirely accurate) than vote for a Mormon. It's that simple and it will not get any better for Romney. He's essentially finished unless someone makes a huge mistake that lets him and his money back in the race. Really, what chance does he have if he couldn't buy an election against someone like McCain, who is despised by most of the base. Indeed, "Mc is back."
Trouble is, in a state that Bush won in 2004, McCain garnered a fraction of the votes of both Clinton and Obama. Uneasy lies the head that depends on independent votes and watched most of them go to the democrats. A fossil like McCain who is out of touch with so many issues that the American people care about doesn't present an overwhelming challenge for someone like Obama, but the reality is clear that he is the best the Republicans have to offer, so they better ride that horse for all he's worth, for look at their other options besides the fatally flawed Huckabee and Romney: "Slimy", er Rudy, is so hopelessly corrupt and unappealing that he can't seem to scare everyone into voting for him because of his distinguished record of mismanaging 9-11, while Thompson, who looks like dead man walking, was struggling to break 2% or 1,000 votes early tonight. So much for the savior of the party, the new Ronald Reagan. He's just a another bad actor. Perhps he can make another Cape Fear...He'll drop out and go back to sleep. That leaves Paul, who has been mocked by the party he represents. They don't want him around and continue to treat him like the little old crazy guy, even though many of his positions are much more honest and lucid than the other candidates. Nonetheless, it's hard to feel sorry for someone who bears the ill will of a group of ignorant and intolerant people otherwise known as the Republican base. You reap what you sow, my friend. Paul should have dropped out of a party that views him as no better than a fringe candidate. Face it, if you can't break 10% the show is pretty much over. In that great Westerbergian phrase, he's become a rebel without a clue.

3 comments:

EWORLD said...

Great post,
"His calling Obama a "fairy tale" was highly inappropriate and offensive, especially in the black community, suggesting that the uppity young black man should know his place, despite the fact that he is a Harvard-educated man of integrity who has spent his entire adult life in public service."

If its offensive to the black community, it is offensive period!. if its inappropriate to Latinos, or Asians, or whites, its inappropriate. The Clintons are incapable of understanding what Change or Hope means. Thats why Hilary has changed her message to say she has been "making change" since 1973. When Obama says he will end the war, it doesnt end there, he wants to change the mindset that got us into war in the first place. This is the fundamental difference between the Clintons and Obama. Obama understands the aspirations of this current, what we know we can be. Yes Hilary is ready to lead on a plateau d reality, business as usual, where everyone knows their place.

We are ready for a quantum leap armed with the American dream.

maryliz bender said...

Its so refreshing to find others who see through the highly transparent political games the Clintons are playing. Its a shame that the media enjoys playing along so much.

Obama08 :)

Patty said...

I like you site until I read this. It's to bad that you follow the Rep's and the right wing news media. For 15 years I have heard all the hatred and lies about the Clintons it hard to tell which ones are true.

Most of my friends (people of color) understand what was said. And they believe it to be true. They are going to vote for Mrs. Clinton because they believe she is the best person for this country.

Now take your hatred and wrap it around you what ever and do what you want with it.