Misanthropic Meanderings

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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Sweet Monkey Jesus on a Pogo Stick!

Are we done yet? I won't come out of my house 'til it's over. You think I'm talking about the election, but, not that that isn't chapping my shorts, I mean the Democratic nomination process. It's hard to believe that it started way back in 2007. It's hard to believe that it took so long. It's harder to believe that we're still hearing smack about who the nominee is. Right now, it's Barack Obama. But if you listen to some Hillarias, come Denver, it's gonna be Hillary. I thought we all voted so we wouldn't have to do this mess all over. What gives?

Turns out that even after you vote, the delegates who are supposedly pledged to a candidate can decide to vote for someone else. They could vote for John McCain, Dennis Kucinich or Patrick the Wonder Seal. Normally, This is just not donetm. It's a touch sneaky, ok, a lot sneaky but it isn't out of the question. Now, the fact that this would tear up the party, ruin a few political careers and hand the presidency over to McCain, could possibly show why this is a bad strategy.

Of course, seeing this as a bad thing seems to depend on how much you love Hillary Clinton and HATE Barack Obama. If you love her but only enough to think she deserves to share the ticket, you'll be fine with a powersharing veep spot. If you really, truly love her and despise Obama for his myriad faults that connect him to those who ruined it for Hillary, you wouldn't want her breathing the same air as that man. Oh well, Barack, you can't win there. It's obvious that Barack losing his lead over McCain in some polls shows he's weak and can't win. So if overthrowing him for Hil causes a little friction, then that's nothing compared to saving America from McBush 3.


In practical application, this theory doesn't quite work. The "friction" would be an explosion and the DNC & DLC would probably lose resoundingly in the upcoming elections. After all, how democratic can you be when your delegates seem to be easily manipulated by behind the scenes power plays? Some argue that Hillary has 18 million votes in her pocket and Obama needs to bow out in respect to that. Respectfully I'd point out that if she had 18 million, Obama had to have at least 18 million and 1. This was a close race, with democrats mostly torn in two even though 6 people were gunning for the nomination. You'd also have to believe those 18 million remained stagnant. Hillary's tactics were very hardball and at times, rough. Would she have won NY and CA? Possibly not after the "hard working Americans, white Americans" comment. I can safely say it turned me off. Mark Penn? A bigger turn off than saggy bvds and yellow teeth. Many of those 18 million were supporters, but not diehards. Things change, views change. They've opted to support Obama or McCain. It's possible they might return, but probably not. The same thing happened with superdelegates. So the numbers Hillary ended with may not reflect the numbers called out on the floor during convention.

There's one thing these people have right though. Obama has lost ground in the polls. His leads in individual states have dropped and McCain's numbers have risen. Doesn't make me very happy. I truly believe we need a Democratic president and Congress, at least for a term. It's not quite the doom and gloom that you'd think, though. The nomination process, or epoch of torture, took a lot of effort and had Obama running vs 2 people. McCain wasn't exactly getting love from the rank & file Republicans either. Things are now different. Most of the field is clear, McCain has been working to solidify the Republican base and the attack ads are working. This is going to be the real fight. Now. Any uptick Obama had was never going to stand until November, not without constant campaigning and counterattack ads. He took time off, both to visit troops in Iraq & Afghanistan and to recharge in Hawa'ii. Both things were necessary, but they did take him away from actively getting his message out.

Many marvel that he's running neck and neck in polls when you look at what the GOP in power has done for America. I understand. Last thing we knew, we had jobs, prestige, budget surplus' and no outright wars. WTF happened these past 8 years? Look at where we are, look at what we're facing and people are still voting GOP? Remember, not all the crazies have a diagnosis. And they vote.

This is America. 40 years ago, a black man running for Senator was mildly crazy. Some areas of the country still had segregation. A black man, with an arabic name is running neck and neck with some old white guy? Whoop-de-frigging-do! We've moved forward like I'd never dared dream. We're used to wrinkly old white guys in charge. A lean, brown dude is making one sweat for it? Hell yeah that's good.

We have long hard slog ahead of us. As much as I'd like this mud-slinging, soundbiting, fiasco of an election to be over, I'm going to accept that it won't be for a while. But it better end with a Democrat ad president.

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