February 6, 2008
I am not disheartened. A little discouraged, but not disheartened.
Barack Obama and his troops did well against almost impossible odds. Ten days ago nobody would have predicted a tie on Super Tuesday. What we got was a tie.
A tie at this point means this fight is going to go on, and it is clear the Clinton organization has all the cards. For years it has been assumed that they had the Democratic nomination locked up; but thanks to a minor miracle named Barack Obama who inspired Independents, young voters, blacks and mavericks (I suppose I fit into the latter category), it's still too close to tell who will pull off that victory.
I've got the talking heads doing their thing on my tv at the moment, analyzing this, analyzing that, and apparently enjoying the heck out of this neck-and-neck race. They have seen what I saw: A grueling, grinding, plot-filled drama enacted since Christmas -- at which point it looked as if Hillary Clinton would be declared the candidate by now -- coming to a head last night when the last-minute polls and predictions turned out to be right. The race is still a tie.
I can't help but wonder whose minds will have to change to break this deadlock. Women? Not on your life. Blacks? No way. How about the Independents and the mavericks? I think they've found the candidate they want. It's all up to the undecideds.
The political junkies relating the narrative as I write say there's still a good chance for Obama. So I am not resigned to his losing, even though I voted for him and the rest of my state pretty overwhelmingly didn't. I am not disheartened that they didn't do as I told them. Only about 15 of them read my blog anyway.
An interesting sidelight on all this is that I just moved here from Alabama. Down there, I was accustomed to being on the losing side. I have a friend in Alabama who is a passionate Hillary Clinton supporter. Now that I'm not there, my side wins there, and now that I'm in a locale that should be somewhat more in tune with my predilections, my guy loses here.
Lucky I'm used to that. I'm not disheartened.
3 comments:
"It matters not how strait the gate"
And also, as they say, "Keep hope alive."
I suppose you voted absentee in Alabama, so take heart that your vote won the state for our man. I'm certain that if you had been eligible to vote in NJ the tide there would have followed you. Perhaps by November you'll be permitted to vote in the state of your new residence. Thus we shall expect to see a different outcome.
Actually I voted in New Jersey, which went for Sen. Clinton. I don't know how much my one vote helps anybody. After all, Dick Gregory didn't go very far in the presidential race either.
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