As the televisions of the household were preoccupied with Lethal Weapon and Mannequin (yes, seriously, Mannequin) I tuned in to CNN.com to catch a streaming feed of Clinton's speech in New York. I missed the beginning of it, but the gist of "I'm still #1" was paraded around. As she recalled the campaign trail, she spoke as if giving an acceptance speech, scoffing at the idea of a losing battle for the nomination and even bringing up 9-11.
What her speech lacked was the need for bringing the Democratic party back together; a perfect opportunity asking her supporters to support the party regardless of how things turn out (I say that somewhat tongue in cheek). Most of her speech was what we've come to expect; a lot of self-touting and arrogance. If one didn't know better, they would think she had not only the nomination but the presidency signed as a done deal. To summarize: Hillary Clinton sings praises in the form of "me me me me!"
Regardless of her head in the sand, and regardless of whether she makes it onto the ticket as running mate or at least advising in some way, I have no doubt she'll bring many advantages to Obama's campaign as well as bring back and unite many Democratic voters. My own opinion as to seeing her actively in the White House...I'm a bit wary of the idea, but I do think she can bring certain things to the table that will at least help Obama get on his way to the White House in November.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Go Crazy, Obama Fans, Go Crazy!
More to come on this wonderful night, including a quick hit on McCain's ugly little speech.
Open the Champagne, Beer, or Root Beer, party the night away, listen to Obama's speech, and get ready for the big show. The real work begins tomorrow.
McCain's Creepy Speech and South Dakota
A few things to learn from McCain's Speech
1. He loves Hillary Clinton. He has daughters, so naturally all you pro-choice women should allow him to put justices that consider Robert Bork a role model on the bench.
2. He loves change, but not like that tax and spend, lib-uh-rul appeaser Barack Obama.
3. His smile is incredibly fake, and the crowd feels reminiscent of some of those made for TV stunts the Nixon campaign would pull.
4. He disagreed with Bush, except on some of the stuff that really mattered. He hates war, except for when it is pointless and started under false pretenses (unless he is calling his Iraq War Resolution a mistake)
5. Kenner isn't New Orleans, and a 95% agreeance with President Bush does not make a maverick.
6. "That isn't Change We Can Believe In"-Jeez, is that the best you can do?
Now, the opening of his speech clearly spoke to the moderates and independents unsure about Obama, while giving the rabid GOP base what it wants with the absolutism and oversimplification of Obama's role. It wasn't a bad speech that will certainly is better when read instead of heard.
Bring it on Senator McCain, bring it on. The GOP lucked into you, because Huckabee or Romney would have been a 1964 rehash. But Obama ain't no Mondale or Dukakis. The big show is here, and its time to suit up.
In other news, South Dakota is still considered too early to call, although it doesn't really matter. Clinton will win there, Obama will win in Montana, and Obama takes the big prize of the night.
The VP Watch Begins
August Prairie will be starting a weekly feature from now until Senator Obama chooses his running mate. Once we get caught up with the GOP world, we'll also start watching McCain's potential running mates as well.
Senator Obama will most likely seal up the Democratic nomination tonight Therefore, tonight marks the beginning of the general election campaign. To mark that occasion, its time to begin the Vice Presidential Candidate Watch. For right now, we'll be watching seven potential candidates:
Governor Tim Kaine - Virginia
Governor Kathleen Sebelius - Kansas
Senator Evan Bayh - Indiana
Senator Hillary Clinton - New York
Governor Bill Richardon - New Mexico
Senator Jim Webb- Virginia
Senator Chuck Hagel - Nebraska
Each of these candidates has plusses and minuses, but the first four on the list appear to be much more likely than the last three. Richardson and Webb have some things in their past that would cause some potential harm, despite their definite benefits. Hagel is a Republican (and a conservative one at that) who would probably not accept the Vice Presidential bid if offered, which is highly unlikely.
That leaves the top four. My gut feeling is Kaine or Sebelius will be the choice for Obama, but political realities might force him to choose either Bayh or Clinton. I personally would prefer Clinton stays in the Senate and plays a significant role in getting legislation through during President Obama's tenure, but necessity might force his hand.
Next week we'll take a look at each of the seven candidates mentioned above, as well as three others that I have left off the list (for now).
Prelude to a Celebration
As of this posting, Barack Obama's web site is reporting only 12 delegates to go until clinching the magic number for the Democratic nomination. Unless he doesn't reach viability in Montana and South Dakota (not going to happen), Obama will clinch it tonight, if not sooner. The superdelegate trickle became a flood, and is only going to get bigger.
Stay tuned...
Monday, June 2, 2008
Hillary; maybe for you, but not for me
Editors Note: This is the first post by Erin, a new contributor to August Prairie. She'll be provided assistance on this blog as we head on through the general election.
Hillary and her various sycophants have chorused like clockwork that the campaign trail was biased against her because she's a woman. The argument usually goes that opinions against her must stem from the fact that simply, she has a uterus.
What isn't being recognized by her close and personal yes-men is that, frankly...she's offering nothing new in her campaign. Her gender alone appeals to feminazis, working women, and the more "conservative" (although I'm not necessarily meaning Republican) housewives. "You go, working woman!" As a female, supporting anyone else should, by sycophant logic, make me a disgrace to my gender.
Simply; she is a woman running for president. She must be revolutionary!
If gender alone was the prerequisite for one's opinion on leadership, then it wouldn't matter if it was Hillary. It could literally be any woman. Not that women haven't ran before; Hillary has one more "secret weapon".
"Experience". By which I mean, she has Bill. People know her simply because Bill was in the White House, and so some people see this as her "returning home." Granted, I was only a kid during the Clinton administration, but as far as I remember, all she did was endorse the Pizza Hut reading program on some flyer or handout I once recieved at school.
Now to tie this little roundabout post together; as much as I love Pizza Hut, I'm instead putting my trust, my hope, and my vote to Barack Obama. It's time for some new ideas and a fresh face in the White House. "He lacks experience." "He's too passive and naive." Sounds kind of familiar...lets see...I can sort of recall someone only serving one term in the House of Representatives before winning an election...hmmm....anyhow, Hillary's tired campaign of promises that everyone has heard before means nothing to me. Those who aren't looking at gender in her campaign are pulling for her because they are afraid of change. It's easy to hide behind a facade of change, even when the "new" factor is an unrelated variable such as an extra X chromosome.
Same bullcrap. Different gender. Some revolution, eh?
Vacation's Over: Almost Time for the Big Show
Tomorrow night South Dakota and Montana will be the last two states to sound off in the Democratic Primary. Although it is unlikely that Senator Clinton will concede tomorrow, Obama will likely clinch the nomination either tomorrow or Wednesday, as his pledged delegate haul from the two states and a couple dozen superdelegates will put him over the top. That which became possible with his victory in Iowa and probable with his victory in Wisconsin will finally become reality.
However, the Democrat's marathon was just the preseason. It is time for the real show as the campaign against John McCain and the GOP machine heats up. Although this is a good year for the Democrats, it appeared that 2004 was going to be as well. This ain't the beginning of the end, but rather the end of the beginning.
From tomorrow night to November, August Prairie will be there. Expect more posts, more analysis and features, and a few other major changes. Stay tuned, and let the games begin!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)