Thoughts on Presidential Campaigns

I was just listening to an NPR report on spending in the upcoming presidential campaigns. That got me to thinking about the likely party nominees. I think it's a given that Hillary Clinton will get the Democratic nod, whatever reservations some Democrats have about her electability. Barack Obama will be the Vice Presidential nominee. I really can't see another combination. Both Clinton and Obama are rock stars in the Democratic party and are miles ahead of every other candidate.

Personally, I'd like to see Obama get the presidential nomination with, perhaps, John Edwards as VP. I don't think Clinton can be elected. She will bring too much baggage from her husband's administration (which is one of the things that sank Al Gore), and will mobilize the Religious Right against her. Obama's only targetable issue, his “inexperience”, would be hard to make stick. All he has to do is compare his experience to President Bush's going into the 2000 election. Obama also is intelligent and charismatic enough to counter most of these specious arguments (although I'm sure Fox News and the Right-Wing propaganda meisters such as Bill O'Reilly will be chanting “inexperience, inexperience” with with their eyes rolled back into their heads. Well, at least those who aren't still trying to say he's a muslim or, more simply, that “the United States ain't ready for no nigger president.” And if you don't think his race will be an issue, you're a fool.

But all this conjecture is pointless. Hillary Clinton will get the nomination. She's a direct link back to Bill's glory days and will get it for that reason more than distinguishing herself as a senator (which she really hasn't done). She'll get the nomination for the same reason Al Gore did. She's the ascendant star. They had doubts about Gore's electability, too, and gave him the nod anyway.

As for the Republicans, I can't fathom who will get their nomination. John McCain has bucked Bush, the Religious Right's lord and savior, too often to get the confidence of hard Right Conservatives, but he's kissed Evangelical ass too much of late to appeal to moderate Republicans (there are a few left standing, believe it or not). The rest of the pack is filled with gray, faceless people. A lot of their names will be recognizable to the general public, but we'll be hard pressed to tell one bland, white, male face from another. About the only real qualifications any of them can present to the people is that they've been most excellent at kissing Bush's ass and feeding from the Neo-Con buffet of lies, misdirection, corruption and the dogged determination to trump reality with fantasy.

I'm not saying that I think a Democrat will necessarily win. If Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic nomination, she could be defeated by the Right-Wing drones who would mobilize to the rallying cry “Anyone but Hillary!” Barack Obama is the most electable, but his star power is trumped by Hillary's. Besides, giving Obama the nomination would rob the Democrats of their favorite past-time of shooting themselves in the foot.