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01/03/2008: "Candidates - Start Your Engines!"

Today the 2008 Election Season starts in earnest with the Iowa caucuses, the first event that will select delegates for the national political conventions. The next few weeks will see an avalanche of primary elections, as the states all try to elbow each other out of the way in an attempt to gain a larger influence on the eventual candidate selection.

Frankly, I've never had much enthusiasm for the political process. Back in my college days, I was a campus representative for Howard Baker's 1980 campaign, but beyond that I've had no real desire to do anything other than vote. Certainly politics over the last few decades has done nothing to make itself any more attractive, as the dirty tricks and mudslinging happens earlier with each campaign.

For a centrist such as myself, I find the whole election process to be disappointing. Seldom does a candidate arise who actually represents the center, since none of the national parties embrace the values the center represents. So inevitably I see politicians who are far to my right or left, and whose only forays towards the center are usually just an attempt to kiss my ass in return for my vote. Certainly it's no different in 2008, and I see no one who really attracts my attention.

There is one good thing that I see in this election. We have as diverse a group of candidates as we've ever seen run for president, but after a few early gaffes there's really no attention paid to the things that make those candidates diverse. People complain that Hilary Clinton is bitter and angry, but not that she's a woman. Others bemoan Barack Obama's lack of experience, but no one talks about his color. And that's just how it should be. If we hold any real dream of equality among our people, we have to focus on the important points like opinion and character and ignore color and gender.

By morning, the picture will be much clearer, and the initial leaders in the two races will have emerged. Should be interesting ...

Replies: 2 Comments

On Friday, January 4th, Ravelling T said:

well Barack has won the Democratic caucus in Iowa and already some commentators are saying "Hilary shouldn't have taken this first event lightly - sometimes a leader (countrywide) can suddenly go to being a loser; when the wheels come off a candidate's campaign, they don't do it by halves"

Which puts 2 questions to me :-
did she take Iowa "lightly" ?

and

can the wheels come off that suddenly?
Lose just one primary and you don't get some of the ones you were expecting (and counting on) ?

On Friday, January 4th, MarlinNut said:

I don't think she took it lightly - she spent a lot of time and $ there. I think she just got beat.

Losing the first one doesn't mean the end of the road, but it's definitely a wake up call. Howard Dean learned the hard way that people watch the results - and especially the speeches the candidates make - and he was never the same. We'll learn a lot more next Tuesday in NH - if Hillary loses again there, it could be serious for her.