Truthfully, I’m rather surprised I don’t have much to say about the Obama/Clinton debate last night (I almost reversed those names, than backspaced over it. That’s probably telling. Though of what, I am unsure). I didn’t watch it (my headache prevented much in the way of coherence on my end), but I read most of it, and it seems like Hillary took an offensive strategy, spending most of the evening trying to create doubt in Obama.
Obama’s is, arguably, the position to be in, though that’s not to say that it’s easier. As someone who’s been in a rather enviable position and who has been repeatedly and personally attacked by people jockeying for that position, or better, I admire Obama’s reticence and restraint. It’s something I know I have to learn; I find it extraordinarily difficult to accept some of the slings and arrows that come with outrageous fortune, or sometimes to remain quiet. It’s not merely that success can breed contempt, but also that success is so very often so rarely something one believes one deserves.
Because, of course, success is not external. Success really comes from within, and has no direct correlation to anything either material or acquired; the most successful people in terms of business and wealth can also be the least successful in terms of life.
The more I learn of Obama, the more I feel I like him as a person, which is completely strange considering I’ve never seen the man. The more I see him speak, the more I see that smile, the more certain I become that I want to vote for him. The more I think he’d be good not just for our country but also for the world.
I think Edwards has a similar quality, to some degree, but without the same characteristic ease with which Obama carries it off. Edwards seemed to have to try, which is, I think, why he performed poorly; he was often fighting to gain ground, and sometimes it’s better to just be happy with the ground you’ve got and allow it to grow. Obama seems very happy with the plot of land he’s got, and I think people are realizing, more and more, just how large that plot is, because the deeper one goes, the more lush it appears. And I think I’ve extended that metaphor about as far as it can go, so I’ll leave it.
I think, last night, it became obvious that neither candidate would select the other as VP; the longer this process extends, the more I become certain that an Obama/Clinton ticket is simply completely out of the question.
But Obama/Edwards?
Yes we can.
February 27, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I know this is kinda silly, but when election season comes around and I’m trying to decide who to vote for, I try to imagine which candidate I’d most like to have dinner with. And this season that dinnermate is Barack Obama.
I think there’s a lot to be said for charisma and likability in terms of voting. Even if one candidate’s policies are favored over another’s (I prefer Clinton’s proposed goals over Obama’s regarding healthcare, for example), I think people tend to vote for the candidate they like most as a person. Typically, more likability = more trust.
For some reason, I get the feeling Obama would be more willing to run for VP than Clinton would if he didn’t turn out to be the Democratic front-runner (although I believe he will be). I don’t think she could swallow her pride long enough to take second-place.
Besides, she already had her unofficial run as President back in the 1990’s.
P.S. I’d just like to point out how hilarious it is that Spell Check tries to change “Obama” to “IBM” (and did you know it tries to change “Entrekin” to “Entrain”? Heh).
February 27, 2008 at 10:45 pm
My politics more closely match Hillary than Obama, but you won’t ever catch me voting for her. I think it’s great that a woman is running for president, but she isn’t the right woman. I have little respect for her as a candidate due to some of her disingenuous moments. I believe she does care about the country; but I also think she cares more about her ego and is more than willing to compromise her ethics to feed it. I’m also quite annoyed by her husband. And I think it’s time to change the name on the door. Too many years of Clinton and Bush for me.
In the beginning, my dislike of Hillary had more to do with her ability to divide our country than anything else. What closed it for me was her “poor woman” moment. I found it to be a transparent ploy, and it made me lose respect for her. You can’t have it both ways. Perhaps, she was being genuine. Her actions after the fact, though, have led me to believe otherwise. It was a clever trick, though. She has been maligned because she’s a woman, and women everywhere know what that’s like. She tapped into that. But the bottom line is this woman doesn’t speak for me as a woman. She doesn’t speak for any woman I know.
As a woman–as a human being–I need someone who can win against the McCains and Huckabees. I need someone who is comfortable in her own skin and isn’t trying to be a chameleon. I need someone who knows the international landscape–not just in an intellectual way–in a personal way.
I admire Obama’s campaign because he does act with restraint when it is terribly difficult to do so. When you’re attacked, it’s human to break down or attack back. Obama doesn’t do either. He sits back, assesses the situation, and reasons with his opponents. It’s not always a pleasant thing, but he’s diplomatic and even-handed. I think it’s because he understands what it’s like to be an outsider who made his way to the inner circle. He’s lived so many of the things Hillary only theorizes about. For me, Obama does a lot to rehabilitate our country’s image. He brings people together–which is odd given the history of racism in this country. I really do feel like people want to return to a place of honor in the world. We are sick of being the ugly Americans. Obama is the man to turn it around. That makes him the feminist choice for me. After all, feminism isn’t about gender. It’s about change–real change–not just theory.
I’d love to see Edwards back in the race. My hesitancy about him had everything to do with his wife’s condition and the toll it would take on him should something go wrong during his presidency. I think Obama needs a nice, white Southerner to turn the tide and clinch it, too.
February 27, 2008 at 11:03 pm
@Kristen: thinking of a dinnermate seems like a great way to vote, and you know, I think Obama’d be my first choice, too. Although, I’ll bet Edwards can cook some mean grits. I don’t even know what grits are, but I bet I’d like them.
And if you’re interested in healthcare, the new Esquire has a great article on, get this, Schwarzenegger’s reform plan. A Republican. Governor. From Austria, by way of Hollywood and then California, who’s more known as a cyborg than a politician.
And you know what? It’s actually kinda brilliant.
@Alma: yeah, I think Edwards would rock as a VP, the more I think about it. I’ve always run cool on Hillary, never really an opinion one way or the other, until last night. You can’t cry that there’s so much pressure on you, oh poor you, and then spend the entire evening relentlessly and ruthlessly attacking your opponent. It’s just bad form.
Though, can we ask: is her husband eligible to run as vice president?
I think if Hillary got the Democratic nom I might actually vote for McCain. But I don’t think it’ll come to that.
February 29, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I started out promoting Helen Thomas for President, but no one came up under that. So in consideration of her age, I backed off. Clinton started off badly with me because of her statement made in relation to eliminating every disorder on the autism scale, saying she’d see to it we (you know I’m Aspie) would all be medicated and institutionalised. After that, everything else wrong she’s done in the last 35 years (on which she bases her experience) came to the forefront for me.
I like the dinnermate idea, too. That clinches it for me. It will be Obama – and his wife and kids.
March 1, 2008 at 8:25 pm
what surprises me is how stupid the two leading democrats are. they havent even been nominated yet , let alone elected and have made statements on foeeign affairs that has totally pissed off an entire country and it would appear just like most American politicians are ill-educated on american interests.
if they don’t understand that America benefits greatly from NAFTA …… just keep insisting it be renegotiated.
As a Canadian I would dearly love to see that happen as we shut off the gas/hydro/and access to our fresh water . and thenamerica can freeze to death and die of thirst in the dark.