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March 10, 2008
Hillary Wears Polyester-blend Fabrics
Obama? Clinton? It's starting to bother me.
Experience means very little. If experience really is such a great asset Cheney and Rumsfeld's experience would have meant successful war in Iraq... and what's the death toll today? Nevermind.
I (and most of the people out there) care about judgement. Listen, folks, that's what it's about: JUDGEMENT. I want someone who will hold my basic values first when making decisions. Like the absurdity of war, equality for everyone, basic human rights -- these must come first.
Moving on, let's take a look at the bigger picture. Why do I really prefer Obama to Hillary?
First thing: Obama is more likely to win Missouri, and I'm using Missouri's bellwether status to judge the entire election. Still though, one state isn't enough, one might argue. What makes Missouri so precious? His win there was just a few thousand votes, if that.
Second thing: Think about the long term goals of the Democratic Party. Ideally we want to shift a greater chunk of the population around our goals, thereby winning subsequent elections. Highlighting Hillary's stark ability for polarization, here's why Obama could very well do for Democrats what Reagan did for Republicans in the 1980's: Unite and conquer the opposing party.
How, you ask? It all goes back to the libertarians. How the hell do ruby red Montana and Wyoming and Kansas elect very popular Democratic governors? How are the inner-ring affluent traditionally Republican suburbs electing Democratic representatives? Democrats might be able to use the current anti-war sentiment to ride this election to victory, but they need to pull in this vital group, which, I will say, will be quite tricky. Personal liberty needs to be stressed, and right now Republicans are doing a really bad job at it with all this evangelical bullshit. (Which, by the way, is a big reason I no longer vote Republican.) Many libertarians cite taxes and laizzes-fair economics as the only thing they vote on, which Republicans "seem" to dominate. The trick is to convince them that helping the poor, gay marriage (or whatever), and getting out of Iraq ASAP is really what is going to ensure them their personal freedom. Hillary might ride the tide of this anti-war surge into office with a defeat of pro-war McCain, but the young people and libertarians definitely will not identify with her. People want a government that shows them how they can get ahead. They need to realize that helping the poor, creating a sustainable economy with sound environmental choices, and eliminating discrimination will help them get ahead. (Don't ask me how, I'm not running for government just yet.)
Hillary, I feel, still represents the same core Democratic Party platforms as Obama -- there isn't much difference, really. But who can bring a sustaining Democratic victories to the party? The answer is quite clear, in my mind: Barack Obama. The fragmentation and destruction of the evangelical republican movement is the key decisive defeat that is needed, and Obama is better to bring that than Hillary. Hillary will only galvanize them back to the Republicans.
PS I think Obama+Sebelius is the dream ticket. Adding Sebelius to the ticket definitely would help win the heartland votes of Missouri, Iowa, and Ohio. I'll concede Florida is headed for a Republican victory, so just give that up. Adding Sebelius would also gain back the female vote for anyone left upset that Hillary will lose the nomination. It would also strengthen the idea that a president needs to be a good deal breakers, something Sebelius has done in the VERY Republican Kansas legislature. This is what gets things done in the long haul. A bitch might get things done in the short run, but it will leave an embitterment.
The bottom line: give up on the South. Texas-South Carolina, as far as I'm concerned will forever be stuck in the past and backward thinking. The West Coast and New England are also lost to the Republicans. Get the Midwest and a few western states in the Democratic camp (specifically Kansas, North Dakota, Missouri, Ohio, Arizona and Colorado), and the victories will keep on coming for years to come.
Posted by piep0058 at 04:55 PM | Comments (1)