Monday, January 7th, 2008

Clinton flails, Obama soars, and the US might just be worth a damn again

by

Hillary Clinton is already feeling the pressure from Obama’s success in Iowa and his probable victory in New Hampshire. I’m a little surprised that someone with as much experience, and who has put up with so much crap from her political enemies for 20 years, is cracking up this early in the race, but the facts say otherwise. And while people are shaking their heads at the somewhat inexperienced Obama’s sudden success, I think it comes down to a couple of factors For one, Bush has left such a bad taste in the mouths of the American people, and has been such a colossal failure, that people are aching for change. But on a personal level, I can say that Obama has that certain ineffable something that turns a candidate into a force to be reckoned with. And he’s the first guy who transcends the baby boomer feuds and battles that have dominated American politics for the past 30 years. Seeing Obama’s rise, I can understand how the boomers got behind Kennedy in 1960….whether you liked his policies or not, he was one of us. Same goes for Obama. Whether any of this pans out into him actually winning the presidency, or if he’ll be worth a damn if he gets into the White House, is up for debate. But as it stands now, he’s the guy I’d most like to see win.

Warren Frey is a journalist, freelance writer, podcaster, video producer, and all-around media consultant currently based in Vancouver, Canada. His written work has appeared in such publications as Metro Vancouver, the Westender, Mac | Life and the Japan Times.

2 Responses to “ Clinton flails, Obama soars, and the US might just be worth a damn again ”

Chris Burgess says:

And he’ll have to contend with Ralph Wiggum who won the Springfield Primaries quite recently. That Wiggum is a force to be reckoned with!

killahmullet says:

“What was missed was the last-minute surge of women, either undecided or not intending to vote, who backed Clinton in droves, bumping her up about nine points from her standing before the primary. They accounted for an unexpectedly large 57 per cent of the turnout, and she gained 46 per cent of their votes, compared to 34 per cent for Obama.” (excerpt from Toronto Star)

Either Bill was up to something in NH or those tears got people thinking she’s actually human.

Last night, I watched a the famous FOX Sunday interview with Bill Clinton and some of the New Hampshire debate, and concluded nobody should count Hillary out. Personally, I’d like to see the U.S. electorate break with the Clinton and the Bush clans – both have to take responsibility for creating the polarization we see today.

However, the Clintons are seasoned campaigners who know how to get the vote out. Hillary is also OK in a debate – Obama seemed a little green in the first 15 minutes of the NH debate.

Nevertheless, it is good to see that Americans are turning out in record numbers to vote, and both the Republican and Democratic races are tight.

It should make for a great presidential race, and hopefully things will change for the better.

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