The Trouble With the Democrats (and one endorsement)

While it's still early in the 2008 Presidential primary race, the general consensus is that the top two Democrats are Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois. Hillary is at about 36% in the polls, while Obama is holding steady at 25%. Hillary has raised about 26 million dollars up to this point, while Obama is just below her at 25 million. (John Edwards of South Carolina is a distant third in both the polls and fund-raising.) So if it is to be either Hillary or Obama, who should we pull for? (Or, if we are card-carrying members of the Democratic party, who should we vote for in the primaries?) When looking at the pros of both candidates, we see that Hillary has a major advantage in her husband. People remember the Clinton years as "the good old days," back when no one knew the name Osama Bin Laden and the biggest news on TV was the President's sexual misadventures. (Sure, that's also a disadvantage, but compared to the nightly blood-and-guts reporting from Iraq, it seems almost like a Jay Leno routine - funny, but safe enough.) Obama is a breath of fresh air, someone who is new, untainted by scandal or Iraq, and someone who has pledged to end the war. He is also a far better, more inspirational speaker than Hillary. The main disadvantage for Mrs. Clinton is that people see her as cold-blooded and ambitious, someone who stays in a loveless marraige for political reasons. They see her as lacking femininity and human kindness. Obama, on the other hand, is seen by some as genuinely compassionate and feeling, but not cutthroat enough to survive a presidential race. So who do we Democrats support? The tougher candidate that people don't like and see as a retread, or the softer-looking candidate who has yet to prove his mettle? It's official - the Blue Donkey Lounge supports the candidacy of Barack Hussein Obama. What I would like to see happen is for Obama to start using his 25 milllion dollars to put TV commercials on the air questioning whether such a polarizing figure as Hillary Clinton has a real chance in a general election against Rudy Giuliani or John McCain. I would also like to see him take more chances on the internet, where he is extremely popular. He should make good use of bloggers (hi Barack!) and viral video to spread the word that he is a winner. Most of all, he should engage Hillary directly and make his positions known. If necessary, he should get nasty, because both Hillary and the Republicans know how to do that and will not hesitate. The last thing we need is another Generic Democrat, because Generic Democrat always loses. (Look under Kerry, John for a definition of Generic Democrat. If Obama lets himself get Swift-boated, he deserves to lose.) If Obama can prove that he is not only eloquent and smart but also strong, he will be a formidable opponent in the primary and in a general election. Vote Obama in 2008! See related article.