avablog

It is a distinct possibility that John McCain could be elected by the “Reagan Democrats” to serve GW Bush’s third term. The sad fact is, not everyone in this country is as progressive as you Iowans. Of course, Obama could go a long way toward assuaging the fears of the ignorant if he actually defined what his vision of “change” will entail. Should we really be using tax dollars to bail out irresponsible homeowners? Is free trade, an increasing dependence on foreign goods, and the end of American manufacturing as we know it really the best course of action for the country? Can we really, in good conscience, leave Iraq any time soon? And, as much as I hate to admit it, the Reverend Wright thing still gnaws at me… How can someone as intelligent and gifted as Obama not realize after so many years what the politics of his pastor were? I’m afraid of November, too. But I’m not exactly sure why…

I guess I’ve always wondered why Obama should’ve cared at all about the politics of his pastor. I mean, his political record doesn’t seem to indicate that he comports himself according to any of Wright’s beliefs; are we to believe that Obama is suddenly going to incite a race war as soon as he hits the Oval Office? For Christ’s sake, Wright looks like the head of the PTA compared to the felonious characters in Hillary’s past (and present). Not to mention McCain, who boasts Karl Rove as an adviser?

I suppose the Wright thing is the least of my concerns, but, it does speak to the willingness of the American public to look the other way for someone that they like. I’m tired of politics being reduced to impressions created by campaign commercials and speeches designed to be uplifting and unsubstantial. The fact of the matter is, if the next president has the temerity to do what is right, he/she will be a one term president. We like our cheap stuff and our stimulus checks (where the hell is that money coming from!?) and I’m having a terrible time standing up in front of my students and talking about how we live in the greatest country on earth when I’m watching it go to hell because of nothing short of apathy and a lack of accountability among our elected officials. Of course, I am also pregnant and working on my own post about how scared I am of the world my children will inherit.

Hey, Bush has made quite a career out of temerity. I’m ready for a Commander in Chief who exercises a little more thoughtfulness and regard for things like, oh, lemme see…the Constitution?

Politics has always been about speeches. Forever and ever. The commercials are a more recent phenomenon, obviously, but no less ingrained in the process by this point. Do you suppose you’d feel better about a well-spoken, intelligent, compassionate President or one whose brother helped him rig an election and who can’t even pronounce “nuclear?”

The funny thing about the racial issue, re:Obama, is he’s actually only half-black. Not that his bowling abilities support that as an argument.

It’s all so confusing. If only we had an easy way to tell who is really white and who is really black.

All right, all right, I get it… “Lighten up, Frances.”

I don’t think Thanksgiving will suck, Mark. I see Obama making headway with whites earning less than $50,000/year everywhere – except Appalachia. Not exactly a wellspring of exuberant Dems since the time of JFK, but still I think he can and will do a trip through there and win some more votes in the general.

Many of the races now occurring are in states that never get any attention. Hillary is pandering to their feeling of being left out by scalding the media as a bunch of elites in the tank for Obama. She’s using this negative response to the media to help fuel her argument for going through all the primaries – as though, were she to drop out, somehow the remaining primaries would not occur and citizens would be deprived of votes. No – they would merely be deprived of the media attention they crave – attention from the same media candidate Clinton so readily disparages.

There’s enough irony in various aspects of Clinton’s current campaign style to go around the planet a zillion times.

But none of it matters. I just wish he’d pull Puerto Rico out from under her. (Kim’s secret batty idea for the day.) Even though they don’t vote in the general, if he could win it after all the race-baiting nonsense they’ve pulled (which is why I’m now very comfortable touting Obama as my party’s nominee, by the way), it’d be a treat to progressive Dems everywhere.

OK all this pessimism is BRINGING ME DOWN. I know that elections have not gone so well for us in the last years – but I honestly believe the sun and stars have aligned for Obama this year.

Obama won the white working class vote in Oregon yesterday. Even if Hillary got the nomination Kentucky would go for the GOP so actually what happened in Oregon is more important since it is a swing state. I think the more moderate states {and electorally more important} that went for Hillary like Ohio and Pennsylvania will go for Obama this year.

Bush’s approval rating is at an all time low. I think the media is finally starting to talk about McCain’s ethical issues like how all of his Sr. ad visors are lobbyists and he just looks to damn old – especially next to Obama.

I think we liberals have come out of the Bush years with a slight mental illness – nothing good can ever happen politically in this country. Maybe it is the last stage of mourning after enormous pain in ’04. We forget that both Gore and Kerry came very very close to winning. {well Gore won, but that is a different post….} We do not need to win that many more votes to give the White House to Obama.

So I say to my fellow liberals are who so damn pessimistic: SNAP OUT OF IT! and lets get ourselves a new President who we can be proud of!

One more thing: how discouraged is anyone else by the gender divisiveness in this race? It is bumming me out. I see someone like Geraldine Ferraro accusing Obama of sexism (when he has staffed up with the most amazing group of brilliant women and men I’ve seen in a presidential campaign), and saying she might not vote for him in the fall, and I just shake my head. And worse. Look for my next piece to be titled “Geraldine Ferraro is a Hot Tranny Mess.” I don’t have it fleshed out, but I want that title, baby!

Kim, I don’t know who you are, but I totally agree with you

Another one on your side, Kim. Actually, I was taken aback by the number of people I spoke with before the caucus in January who made gender the ONLY issue. Though the number of Clinton supporters who threw up the word “experience” without backing it up with anything more than the word itself was also galling. This insistence upon gender and race, in any case, is beyond me. And then, the depths to which Clinton has sunk since the beginnings of all of this are horrifying.