Well, folks, away we go into the world of TCH. Last night, I joined two good friends for dinner at one of our local haunts here in Athens. We had a splendid time: great drinks (despite the beer snobbery of one in the cohort who proudly admits he has a non-problem problem), great food, and plenty of delightful conversation until we skidded uncontrollably into the subject of Democratic politics.
Now, those of you who know me know that I am a proud Hillary Clinton supporter. Granted things for the Bill and Hillary duo (the Billarys as some have taken to calling them) have seemingly turned sour these past few weeks, I still support her as my candidate of choice among my party's potential nominees as did voters in NY, NJ, OH, PA, CA, TX, and FL. As one colleague asserted just yesterday: "She may be a thug...but she's your thug." Maybe. Anyway, back to last night. As we hashed out the differences and likelihoods of the Obama and Clinton health care plans and their respective stances on the war in Iraq and funding for higher education, I realized that the liberal commitments that motivate my allegiance to Hillary Clinton's candidacy is only shallowly perceived by many Obama 'liberals' as something akin to political insanity. This may, in part, be due to the Clintonistas' sheer confusion as to how this has happened to our party. Nonetheless, I found myself arguing that Clinton is indeed the candidate for my party because she will be able to build the necessary coalitions to win in November. I went on, floundering, she is more than capable to take this country in the right direction and, furthermore (returning to more solid line of argument) it seems very short-sighted of Americans, and we political junkies, to say that America should come to grips with the racial baggage that continues to plague this nation at every turn while leaving any challenge to the problems that imbalanced gender dynamics and sexism continue to create or permit for a future election, maybe, if need be. At this point, my Obama supporting comrades (I now think I am the lone voice still backing the Clintons in Athens; might I add that that number looked like it might drop to zero from the expressions on many on-lookers faces during our "discussion") assured me that there would be room under the Obama "hope" umbrella for me once I saw the light and decided to come along on the "change" bandwagon. Have we learned nothing from the big crowds, banners, and empty, yet full, rhetoric of eight (count them Nader supporters) eight Bush years?
From there, I (never the defensive type) confirmed the Obama camp's worst fear: that there may be enough discontent within the Billary crowd, particularly if Senator O doesn't at least extend the offer for special VP status for the NY Senator, to force many working class whites, middling class rural lifetime Dems, and a few members of the academic intelligentsia to abandon the party, at least for 2008, and risk further fracturing a fragile coalition that the DNC has been trying to hold/put back together since LBJ. Suggestions like a third party run for Clinton or even sitting this one out, of course among the die hard Obamites, seems ludicrous. "How dare you not support Obama!? Especially over Johnny Mac!" Whether the media pundits notice it or not, as they and the backroom dealers (a.k.a, disloyal and wavering superdelegates) combine efforts to force Hillary and Bill off stage right, their unobstructed attention and the questions this will no doubt bring for Senator Obama may leave them and my fellow Democrats with indigestion without even sampling the fish tacos.
TCH
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2 comments:
Excellent. This might be the best blog entry I've ever read! I'm a straddler...some days I think it might not be so bad for Billary to be in office, but then I see her smug "thug" face on TV and I realize that perhaps Obama might not be so bad...even though I do believe he is ill-prepared for the grand title. I will not abandon the Dems, so allow me to suggest that you, my dear friend, run for the presidency. I'd vote for you...no doubt! It's after midnight and I am clearly delirious, so I'm going to shut up now.
First of all, I love it. Now I get to respond as one of those Obama kids, and I've got to say I disagree with the thought that 'white working class voters' (if I had a nickel everytime Wolf Blitzer said that I could afford a large ranch in Crawford, TX) would abandon the party without the VP offer to Hill. It's been noted so heavily on the news that Barack can't win these voters, no doubt because of Hill's cries (pun intended) that the news is coddling Obama. Remember the mainly white middle class states like Iowa, Wisconsin, Colorado, Virginia, and many more that went Obama's way (I limited the list so as not to include Republican strongholds)? Rather, I think the reason he can't win these voters is location and legacy. Consider the location of Hill's notable 'white' wins (I hate using that moniker but I don't know how else to say it) and you'll notice that they are ALL in the Appalachia region. Reasons? I don't know, Bill's legacy? maybe. Racism? probably a good bit since Kentucky polls had 20% admitting that race played a factor in their vote. Now I'm not saying that every white Hill supporter in this region is a racist, BY NO MEANS. But I don't think it fair to discount label Barack's supporters as simply "eggheads and African-Americans" (Begala). Unions are also overwhelmingly pro-Obama= more working class help. Edwards in the administration= even more help. There's more to say but I'll wait. I'm digging the writing Chaseter.
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