The State of Things
By Todd Withrow, Senior Political Analyst
Published: March 1, 2008 8:17 PM EST
This Democratic Primary season has been a wild ride for everyone involved from candidates to political junkies like myself, and I can’t believe it’s almost over. The candidates have dropped off steadily and now there are only two left: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Now it’s no secret that I’ve been rooting for Hillary. I think she has what it takes to put this country back on the right path. She’s been delivering speech after speech on healthcare, the economy and the war in Iraq; and I like what I hear.
Unfortunately for her, it seems that knowledge and experience aren’t what Americans are looking for in this election. It appears that instead they want change as supplied by Obama. Now being the cynic that I am I’d like to know what kind of "CHANGE" Mr. Obama is offering us. What direction does he want to take this country in? What are his plans? Does he have any plans? Well he has said he wants to take us away from the "old style" of politics but oddly enough he engages in those styles just as vigorously as the Clinton campaign. I’m sure he would deny this but it’s been widely noted in political circles that the Obama people have been making plenty of calls to African-American Congressmen & women who support Hillary and accusing them of being traitors to their race.
Now after hearing this type of political nastiness you would expect a New Style politician to come out against those underhanded tactics but as of yet we haven’t heard a peep from Mr. Obama; and I bet we won’t. Obama also says he has better judgment to run this great country of ours but if you take the time to look at his voting record in the Illinois legislature you’ll discover that on many votes Obama just voted present instead of using his superior judgment to make the right decisions.
He also got the top spot on the Afghanistan Oversight Committee but has neglected that position because he has decided to run for president. And excuse me but I think the state of Afghanistan is very important as we are in a war there. If he isn’t concerned enough to attend those committee meetings, how can we trust him to run our country? Those points being made, it is true that Obama has run a very well maintained campaign. He has stuck to his theme of CHANGE and he hasn’t faulted from it. Hillary on the other hand has switched from a theme of experience then to change etc etc.
Her campaign has seemed much like a rollercoaster ride. Personally I think that the big mis-step in her bid for the White House came when Bill Clinton stepped too far into the race in South Carolina and in doing so he stepped on a lot of toes. He seemed more like he was running for the Presidency instead of supporting his wife. Mr. Clinton definitely pushed some of Hillary’s African-American voters away with his Jesse Jackson comment.
In hindsight, it looks like he may have cost her the democratic nomination. I hope not though I’d love to see Hillary pull out victories in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island and thereby changing the dynamic of this race. Honestly, it looks really tough for the senator from New York but if it’s one thing that everyone in politics knows; it’s that you never count a Clinton out! They are fighters!
September 2007: Archive
