Politics
It was an interesting night, but I don’t think it tells us much. I want to see what happens in bigger states like California and New Jersey. Personally I think Obama did very, very well. Prior to Iowa he was projected to _lose_ NH by double digits, and he held it to 3%. The real point is that the Democrats represent a completely new, 21st century look to the political process. A woman and a black. Either one is a radical (and welcome) change for this country.
That bunch of stuffed shirt white guys on the Republican side are just pathetic. Mitt Romney and Guiliani talking about “change”. This is the party that longs for the good old days of the 1950’s when women and minorities knew their place and father knew best. Conservatism is about the status quo and even nostalgia for times past. They have nothing to offer in this fast paced, interconnected world. And three of their candidates said they don’t believe in evolution. That goes beyond pathetic to terrifying. Apparently facts whether it’s about Iraq, economics or science mean nothing to the rank and file of the Republican party. Governing through faith — maybe god will keep that hurricane from hitting New Orleans.
I feel confident that Clinton can govern well, and I think Obama could energize this country in a way that hasn’t happened since JFK and RFK in addition to governing from a place of consensus which we badly need. I’ll work like hell this year to make sure the Democrats take back the White House and make more gains in the House and Senate, and, unfortunately, I think the economy is going to help us. Seven years of Bush has brought us to recession, war and disrespect around the world. I am a citizen of a country that tortures because we’re afraid. I want a leader that tells us not to be afraid, but to get to work and get the job done.
Melinda
January 9th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Read the article below, my friend, and see what we are up against. It ran in yesterday’s L.A. Times and is entitled “Chamber of Commerce Vows to Punish Anti-business Candidates.” Populist = liberal in terms of 4 letter words to the rich of this country. If your company belongs to the C of C, you might want to pull out.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-chamber8jan08,1,398255,print.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=1&cset=true
We watched the results with great interest. As I drove home, the radio was predicting a trouncing for Hillary and still talking like she had had a nervous breakdown on Monday. What nonsense. Why is the media so intent upon denying most of us a say in the elections?
January 9th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Melinda,
Exactly right on all counts, as far as I’m concerned. And I think what is happening with the Clinton and Obama campaigns will make them both stronger candidates, and whoever wins, a better president.
Can’t wait to see what happens next. This kind of excitement is so good for the country. Maybe it will help put the anti-science crowd to rest, and we can tackle some real problems. Oh well, one can hope.
January 9th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
I am, by heritage, a “don’t touch my money” Republican—a believer in limited government, strong constitutional rights, and fiscal conservatism. Fairly early in life, I decided that libertarianism fit my beliefs better than the Republican Party’s ideas did. But I still tended to think of Republicans as closer to libertarianism than Democrats. That started to change under Reagan, because of his ties to the religious right—they were weak on church/state separation, they were militaristic and in favor of foreign intervention, and it eventually developed that they weren’t even fiscally conservative (as the financial collapse of Orange County showed).
Then a couple of years ago I was having dinner with some friends, and I started to describe a friend who has moved away as “living in the civilized part of Kansas”—and realized that I considered Lawrence, Kansas civilized because it was in the only Kansas country that went Democratic in the last presidential election. So apparently, without noticing it, I had decided that voting Democratic was a sign of being civiized, and voting Republican was not.
I’m not exactly eager to embrace the Democrats. But as Heinlein said, sometimes it’s a choice of “bad” and “worse.” I’ll take the party that still is committed to Enlightenment values, even if I disagree with their methods of pursuing them, over the party that seemingly would like to undo the Enlightenment.
January 9th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
“’Democracy is the worst form of government, with the exception of all others.’ Winston Churchill.”
So, you’re not the only person to feel that way, William.
I’ve been just shaken with rage over the Democrats in Congress not fighting against the Patriot Act, and not having the guts to confront Bush and the Republicans over the torture issue, and — well, the list could go on and on.
But they are a better choice then troglidytes the Republicans dig up with their racist, nativist, hateful rhetoric, their fear of science, and lack of pity. When Frist “diagnosed” a breathing shell of a woman off a video tape I knew the party had just gone right off the rails.
January 9th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
The whole torture thing is really, really damning. When I see news stories about torture and Bush administration people, I see them saying, “Well, it hurts and terrifies them, and it’s close to torture, but technically it’s not quite torture and so it’s okay.” Or, “They’re not American citizens and not legitimate prisoners of war, so they aren’t constitutionally protected and we’re not breaking the rules.” And what I hear from that is that these are people who want to torture, and will do it when they can, or come as close to it as they can, where carefully not stepping over whatever line they can draw to make it seem legitimate. And I take that desire itself as proof of bad character, the sort that makes someone unfit to hold public office at all. I don’t want officials who refrain from torturing me because they’re held back for the moment by some thin layer of legality; I want officials who hate the thought of using torture on anyone.