Hillary or Obama-- What's a Girl to Do?

This is my last political rant before Super-Tuesday. I’ll be voting in the Democratic Primary in my state but for whom? I still don’t know. I probably won’t know until I am standing in the voting booth with the curtain closed. Will it be Hill and Bill, the dynamic duo of the nineties? Or will I cast my vote for the silver-tongued Obama, charismatic multi-cultural icon of the 21^st century? It’s like handicapping a horse race. Do I vote for the favorite or take a chance on the long shot—who if he comes in, will pay off at twenty to one?.

Some of My Thoughts

Until a month or so ago I thought Hillary was the one. I’m her demographic, after all. She’s done well as a Senator from New York and proved herself to be an astute politician and a can-do legislator. She’s got the powerful connections, the broad based experience, and the mega money to win. Plus she’s logical, practical and has specific ideas about what to do. She’s a problem-solver. Plus, I said to myself, the icing on the cake is that with Hillary we get a two for one deal. Bill will be there too and between them maybe they can begin to repair the damage done by the current gang of thugs and thieves. So, maybe the Clintons are a bit on the slippery side—but they are after all politicians and sometimes it takes a thief to catch a thief.. I was all set to settle for Hillary and take Bill as a bonus.

When Obama declared, I didn’t pay too much attention. I remembered him from his 2004 Democratic convention speech and found him impressive. But, I thought— he’s too young—too untested. He only has three years in national politics. Let’s see how he develops. It’s not his time yet.

The early primaries and the televised debates have changed my thinking,. Barack was breathtaking in the debates and on the stump. While Hillary and Edwards talked about what they would do—Obama invited us all to participate in putting America back on track. He said we would do it together. He spoke clearly and concisely to the issues, revealing a mind both brilliant and passionate. Like so many others, I made the Kennedy comparison and I began to think—maybe, maybe, this is his time after all.

Then Bill had his little hissy fit in New Hampshire—and in a blinding flash I saw the potential downside of the two for one deal. I remembered some of the less savory moments of the Clinton years—no, not Monica. That was stupid but not dangerous. I was thinking more of the rental of the Lincoln bedroom in the White House to campaign contributors, the pardons of the deep-pocketed sleeze-bags, and the long, tasteless good-by on Bush’s inauguration day. Was Bill seeing this as a third term for himself? Could Hillary control his ego once in office?. Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure about the buy one get one free Clinton package.

Here Comes the Cliffhanger

Now I’m really listening to the Obama message. On the issues, he and Hillary aren’t so far apart. Either would make an acceptable President . But in style and philosophy, Obama has set the tone. He speaks so convincingly about honesty and transparency, about bringing people together. He’s issued a clarion call for change that is being heard around the world. Should I take a chance and believe that he can do it? I don’t know. I’ll figure it out on Tuesday. The economy ,the war, the world looks bad. Obama looks good, but at twenty to one, he’s still a long shot.

No Longer A Long Shot

At the moment Obama is the odd's on favorite and Hillary is hanging on by her teeth. In just a few weeks his popularity has reached messianic proportions What's next? I wouldn't count Hillary out just yet and in any case we haven't seen the last of her. I suspect deals are being made in back rooms even as I write that will make for an interesting Democratic convention this summer and Primary season isn't over yet. It'sonly February-- on to Texas and Pennsylvania.

Post Pennsylvania Update - 4/25/08

Here we are in April and we were told that Pennsylvia would tell the tale. It hasn't. The run up to the Pennsylvania primary has only served to harden the battle lines and for my money, some of the stuff that went on was downright silly. The media jumped all over Hillary for saying that she arrived in Bosnia under sniper fire. Hillary jumped all over Barrack for saying that working people were bitter and turning to religion and guns and the viral video posted annonymously on Youtube featuring Obama's pastor set off a firestorm resulting in Obama's seminal speech on race in America.. My favorite sound bite was Hillary, the Wellesley girl and Yale Law School grad accusing Obama, the bi-racial scholarship kid of being elitist as she downed beers and shots in a down and dirty bar in Scranton. Gotta hand it to her though--by the end of it she looked like the tough come-back kid and he looked kinda whipped. His rock star image is starting to fray around the edges.

So now here we go again-- on to Indiana and North Carolina. This is like a baseball game that has gone too many innings. By now the American economy is clearly tanking. Food prices are on the rise and gas prices have doubled. People have a pain in their pocketbooks,so the war is less of an issue and the economy is more of one. For the moment "it's the econiomy stupid" and both candidates are strutting their stuff.

I can only hope that as we move on to Indiana and North Carolina the logjam will break one way or the other. It is ironic that we Democrats have not one, but two, really good, qualified candidates and we may still shoot ourselves in the foot and end up with President McCain.

The End - 6/7/08

And now it is over. Hillary went from front-runner to also ran and just gave a graceful speech in which she endorsed Obama and suspended her campaign. Some people are disappointed and others triumphant but we have a candidate now--in my view an excellent one. Now that this heated battle between two well-qualified candidates is over, it's time to unify the party, roll up our sleeves and get ready to greet President Obama next January.