Saturday, March 8, 2008

Fair play?

After Senator Clinton’s narrow win in the Texas primary, the headlines all screamed about her BIG WIN. I can hardly sleep tonight awaiting tomorrow’s big headlines for Obama’s comeback win in Wyoming. It’s a larger delegate spread than Clinton's in Texas by most reports.

And so the real issues at play here, those Which-Cannot-Be-Named, the emotions, the passionate supporters, and the media machine are all falling into historical patterns. Yes, I’ll call it now because it’s obvious.

Senator Clinton cannot beat Senator Obama in the remaining primaries or caucuses to take the nomination. Why doesn’t the press treat her like they did Huckabee? What is the race about? Are we really ready for this?

If the superdelegates side with the candidate with the fewer numbers, the Democratic Party will fold, or nearly fold. Or at least be severely damaged for years to come.

So when America’s Wonder Man vs. Cruella DeVille turned into America’s False Hopes vs. America’s Sweetheart on TV and in print, and it happened when the country realized that he really was going to win the nomination, it felt like a slap on many levels. The absence of headlines and coverage in the past two or three weeks feels like ‘more of the same’ kind of treatment. I know that I get vastly unpopular when I point to the obvious and it concerns those things Which-Cannot-Be-Named.

Senator Obama has chosen not to rush down this road about such things, and this is why he can win Wyoming and I cannot. I’d show up there and part-way thru this messy business I’d be shipped back to Texas to make more compost, or to find more pig tails to twist. At some point I just cannot read or watch anymore.

When congress people can say things such as, “The terrorists will dance in the streets” if Obama wins because of his middle name and there’s no backlash, but Obama’s advisor goes overseas off the record and calls Clinton a monster and he has to stop campaigning to handle the press, there’s a serious problem going on here.

When a candidate can consistently spread false and misleading information that has been proven to be false and misleading, especially caught in the lie live on TV during the Ohio debate [NAFTA], and still use the same platform to win that state’s primary then there’s a problem.

Mostly, for me, when a candidate moves to kill the spirit and involvement of America’s youth, a population who has never been so engaged in politics since the 1960’s, and uses middle-aged populous to bully them, there is a problem.

I don’t know how Senator Obama can continue to sit back and smile the way he does. I am certain that he anticipated this scenario. Unfortunately, I had hoped for a little more integrity from the American people and that few would buy into this historical game of how we divide people.

Well, the Presidential Race 2008 story isn’t finished yet but I’m not too enthused about these middle chapters. No one said it would be easy. It feels like the candidates are being pushed into a fight that they didn't want to have. I do lay more blame on the Clintons because they are running a campaign the way one would against someone from an opposing party.

Now, it's as if the entire country is sitting back waiting for Obama to drop a bomb on Clinton, and egging him to do so. Another day passes and he is simply smiling and moving forward. I see nothing weak about this man yet.

The speech that changed America - Barack in NH

Derrick on Obama - inspirational

Barack in Dallas