As I write this, the Democratic primary results from New Hampshire are "too close to call" ...
... and Sen. Clinton is leading by about three percentage points and roughly four thousand votes. I can't really say "I Told You So," because I didn't really tell anyone anything, but until she drops out, I'll be cautious when anyone tries to tell me that Hillary's campaign is over. That's all I'm sayin'.
But it is interesting to me how quickly the media was to write her obituary, after just one contest. Yes, it was a moment in history when Barack Obama won Iowa, no one denies that; I said it myself. But it will be an equally momentous happening tonight if (still too close to call) a woman wins the New Hampshire primary.
And it's been interesting to me what folks have said about this country in the days after Obama's victory. I heard a lot of people, online and live-and-in-person, that Obama is our best choice because the nation needs to "heal," and that Barack Obama could "heal" us in a way that Hillary Clinton could not. And I have an opinion about that (quelle surprise).
I don't believe that the next President of the United States is going to "heal" anything. The divisions in (what I truly believe is) this divided nation are too deep. No matter who wins the 2008 elections, you will not see evangelicals and war-hawks holding hands and singing Kum-Ba-Yah with queers, peaceniks, choice activists, and tree-huggers by 2010. Ain't gonna happen.
And I realize that a lot of people don't like Sen. Clinton. But guess what? The Hillary-haters can hate Hillary with every fiber of their being, and they couldn't hate her more than half the country hates the current White House resident. We've put up with that petulant cowboy for seven years and have one to go, and despite our protestations, there has not been a mass exodus to Canada. As far as I'm concerned, if Hillary Clinton is elected along with a strong Democratic majority in Congress and starts reversing the destruction of our Constitution, kicking ass, and taking names, and the die-hard conservatives don't like it -- good.
All that being said, I stand by my joyful dance of glee from last week. If Obama wins New Hampshire and goes on to win the nomination, I will enthusiastically support him in his bid to be the next President. I think he'd be an amazing candidate and a fantastic leader of the free world.
On a more personal and less political note, thanks to all who reached out here and via e-mail with well wishes concerning my dad. The latest news from my sister is that Dad is out of surgery and his heart is beating strongly. His blood isn't clotting as well as they'd like, so he'll be on a ventilator this evening (to ensure a good rest), and there's a chance that the doctors will have to go back in tomorrow if the clotting situation doesn't improve. According to the staff, this development is "not unusual," and the overall outlook remains very positive. This is likely the last I'll hear about the situation this evening, so I'm going to go back to televised political nerdery for now. Thank you, thank you for all the support -- it means more than you can know.
UPDATE: MSNBC just called it for Hillary. The corporate media should be totally embarrassed.
January 08, 2008
Let's Talk New Hampshire
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14 Told Me a Secret:
Super congrats! Even though I as still being fickle as hell, I was ever so happy for this win. Everything you said nailed it. I hope people will start going on their gut feelings rather than who might be ahead in the polls. The people in New Hampshire stepped up and voted from their guts. They did't get sucked into the media slaughter of Hillary. I love it. I will do my happy dance now.
Still can't decide who to vote for but I have a few weeks.
I'm glad your dad is OK. My husband has serious clotting issues and the good news is that there are lots of safe meds to adjust blood coagulation.
Hey! congrats, also, on Hillary pulling out the win. I'll vote with joy for any dem, so it's all good. Should just make for a better race. Also, I sent you an email, but I often get put in junk mail the first time, so if you don't get my note, check for me in junk (apt in so many ways!).
I am very happy for Hillary, even though I lean more towards another candidate. What I am most happy about, is that this race is going to be a tough one, and will hopefully force all those involved to discuss the monumental challenges facing our nation. I am hoping that policies and ideas will be fully discussed, instead of the usual sound bite politics as usual. We are in for a long hard battle, one that I hope is not spoiled by negative campaigning, but serious and frank discussion. Love to you red, hope you receive good news concerning your father today.
I just hope we can finally have a campaign of substance instead of personality. That said, it does tickle me to no end that finally a woman is really being taken seriously as a candidate.
Thanks for the Dad update- hope all is going well with him! Keep me posted.
I'm happy to see this race is going to be interesting. The media really pisses me off with their knee-jerk "OMG Hillary is over" predictions when six months ago they said she was "unstoppable". I'd be happy with either one for a candidate, but I'm exhausted with the primaries as it is. Super Tuesday can't get here soon enough.
Very happy to hear about your dad. Please keep us up to date.
Sageweb: YES! The best thing about last night wasn't even that "my girl" won, but that the media got it so, so WRONG. I hope I hope I hope that this encourages voters to vote the way they truly want to, not the way the media tells them to. It's insidious, and I'd love for it to stop.
Elizabeth: Thanks for the e-mail! And thanks for the note about dear ol' Dad. Received word this morning from my sister that all is going according to plan and he's nicely on the mend. About Hillary, I'm so, so happy (see above) -- and yes, I hope that the lack of a presumptive nominee creates a race driven by more than sound bytes.
Doralong: Isn't it amazing that her competitors have labeled her the "status quo" candidate, completely ignoring how radical it would be to say "Madame President" for the first time in our history?
Antonio: As happy as I am with both Clinton and Obama, I'm sorta hoping for a nailbiter. The inner political nerd would be so thrilled.
First, the good reports about your dad -- yay!!
I was very glad as well to see the media taken down a notch. Hillary's not my first choice, but it pissed me off (particularly as a woman) how they went after her so quickly, how her "tearing up" became international news (WTF?!), and how they insist on bringing her friggin' OUTFITS into it during every debate. GRRR!
I want it to be very close all the way, because it forces the candidates to stay on point and work for it, and forces them to address the issues and where they stand. Also, it shows how they react under pressure, which is a good thing for the voters to see. I'm still undecided, but am closing in toward a choice, so I'm liking how things are going as far as the closeness. Personally, I had a few problems with how Hillary (w/ Bill's help) went after Obama after his Iowa win. Not that she did, of course she had to, just something about the way she did it. But hey, it's a tough race, and let's not pretend that she's doesn't have to fight harder and smarter than the boys to get the same respect/results, and she walks a thin line with that.
Agreed agreed agreed on who gives a flying fuck if the Repubs "like" her or not -- good for 'em if they don't. I'd personally love to see them all seething for the next 8 years. AFTER the election that is. Their hatred of her only worries me beforehand. If she is the nominee and the right's weirdness about her causes a Repub to get in there again ... Noooooo! That's my only issue with that. I think more moderate Repubs would be more likely to go w/ Obama than the others, but, as we've seen lately, who knows??
I really could feel OK about any of the top 3. There are things I really like about each, and problems I have with each, but I think they would all be good in the position, especially with one of the others as VP.
"if Hillary Clinton is elected along with a strong Democratic majority in Congress and starts reversing the destruction of our Constitution, kicking ass, and taking names, and the die-hard conservatives don't like it -- good."
LOVE. IT!
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Great news about your dad!
And I was the biggest nerd, flipping between CNN and MSN last night. Of course, I watched CNN last night more cause, to quote Kathy Griffin they had "that yummy Anderson Cooper".
When I saw that Hillary was in the lead, I was not surprised at all. New Hampshire loves the Clintons, and I figured she could still pull out a victory.
So now, this race is going to be very, very interesting.
What about a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket? Could be very interesting!
I don't have any strong feels for or against her...but I was hoping for much more of a peacemaker right now. We've been through a ton of non-peace-related BS with this last dweeb. And even though she is on "my side," I still am not sure if I can stomach any more messes in our nation. keeping my fingers crossed.
I'm not strongly opposed to any of the 3 dem. front runners, but I do wish I had more of a preference. So far I'm just sitting back and seeing how the chips fall.
Cowbell: So, just curious, who's your personal front-runner these days? Truth be told, I didn't care for Bill's "fairy tale" comment either, but I still heart him and I chalk it up to exhaustion and disappointment.
Buck: It was a fun sentence to write. It'll be even more fun if it comes true.
John Z.: I can't see Hillary willing to play second fiddle, and I'm pretty sure that if she gets the nomination, will choose Gov. Vilsack or another close ally to be her running mate. However, if Obama gets the nomination, I think an Obama/Edwards ticket would be remarkable.
Lewis: I think Clinton wants peace, and certainly takes a stand against needless wars. She's also a realist and understands the complexities of the world landscape in a way that I don't think many others, on either side, do.
JP: Y'know, after being so disappointed after Howard Dean's campaign imploded, I tried to stop myself from picking a favorite, but I think I gave my heart to Hillary on the night of the "Visible Vote" Forum on LOGO, and she's been "my girl" ever since. And (I repeat this more for myself than for you), I will be an enthusiastic supporter of either Edwards or Obama if they get the nod. Honest and truly, I will.
Well, I am one of those who thinks we need to "heal" and I still think so. This country is more divided than it was at the height of Viet Nam and I'm old enough to remember what that was like.
Healing isn't going to take the form of "hands across America" (and should definately not involve singing "Kum ba ya".
We need, collectively, to feel better about being Americans. We need to not be constantly thrashed into a state of upset over "terrorists". Etc. etc. etc.
And you know what? Any of the top 3 Dems will be able to do that for the simple reason that Democrats don't talk like Republicans. They aren't going to get in office by questioning the patriotism/morality/agenda/whathaveyou of those who disagree with them. They aren't going to take office and try to marginalize entire segments of our population. And that's part of the reason I am a proud Democrat.
My biggest concern about Hillary isn't what sort of President she'll make (a fine one) but what it will cost to get her in office. We're fools to underestimate the right's Clinton hatred. Not that that should stop her from being the candidate, but we'd better be prepared. Because it'll happen. And it won't be about the issues. It'll be a challenge, in that eventuality, for her campaign to keep things focused on the issues and I just hope there is a strategy.
That is all.
Oh, and continued prayers for your dad. He's going to be fine. Kisses.
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