MUDGE’s Musings
Stop me if you’ve heard this one.
A funny thing happened on the way to Barack Obama’s coronation as the Democratic presidential candidate.
That’s if you consider Hillary Clinton funny.
She just keeps winning large elections in important states, the latest, Pennsylvania, the other day. It’s Hillaryus, to borrow an oft-coined a phrase.
Gail Collins in today’s NYTimes has the correctly humorous perspective:
Hillary’s Smackdown
By GAIL COLLINS | Published: April 24, 2008
The clamor for Hillary Clinton to drop out of the presidential race has reached new levels of intensity since the Pennsylvania primary. Of all the things Hillary has done, Obama supporters find her tendency to win large elections in swing states as by far the most irritating. If she beats him in Indiana, they’ll be surrounding her house with torches.
“Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is back!” cried Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter to the cheering crowd at the victory bash on Tuesday.
The smoothly oiled money-raising high-momentum phenomenon that has been the Obama campaign for the past several months keeps running into reality. Her name is Hillary.
Despite organizational dysfunction, in spite of difficulties raising funds, in spite of the prospective First Gentleman, Senator Clinton seems to be more electable in the large population states than her charismatic opponent.
How absolutely galling for Senator Obama and his idealistic supporters!
[Please click the link below for the complete article — but then please come on back!]
Hillary’s Smackdown – New York Times
Technically, Obama has more delegates pledged, but this stubborn issue of electability is likely to keep the pot boiling until the convention. Ms. Clinton has every right to keep jabbing away, and it’s probably an excellent character revealing exercise for those who’ve been starry-eyed when viewing the junior Senator from Illinois.
It is this observer’s prediction that the superdelegates will realize their collective dreams to become, for the first time in more than –what?– 75 years, the sovereign-makers in their (politically correctly smokeless) smoke-filled rooms in Denver this summer.
All this while elderly (and showing it in some unexpected ways) Senator McCain can sit on the sidelines basking in the glow of a once insurmountable Democratic lead brought down to earth. And both of his potential foes are providing him his general election ammunition, free of charge.
But, it’s okay. If the Democratic Party finds a way to lose a historically can’t-lose election to a morally bankrupt Republican party that has chewed up our nation’s present and endangered the globe’s future, then that should be the wake up call that those of us of the liberal persuasion need to finally make the changes that need to be made.
As the Federalists and Whigs could tell us if they were still with us, political parties can look around and suddenly find themselves obsolete. This may be that time for the Democrats, if friendly fire causes the party to lose this can’t lose election.
In the meantime, Barry, if I may be so bold as to call you Barry, please remember a hoary (political) adage, originally uttered by Friedrich Nietzsche:
That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
Here’s some no-charge (and worth every penny) advice for all three candidates.
Probably the most critical personal requirement any potential leader of the free world (as opposed to this era’s two pernicious attributes: to raise $zillions by promising everything to every Daddy Warbucks; and look marvelous on television):
Show us some grace under fire.
Rise above the mud-wrestling. Be a visionary leader. Win this election on merit, rather than simply being the least worst choice.
Right about now, yr (justifiably) humble svt can’t see who would exactly be that least worse choice, much less the most meritorious one. And that’s a most unexpected place to be on April 24th in this confounding election season.
It’s it for now. Thanks,
–MUDGE
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Left-handed Complement 