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December 05, 2007

Comments

S.G.E.W.

That actually sums it up quite nicely, in many ways. And it makes me want to support Sen. Obama very, very badly. So badly I want to weep.

But it also pulls at the deep cynicism that has been embedded in me over the years. To wit: there is a part of me that believes that it is that bad, and ever was. Look at the evidence! Maybe the best that we can hope for is mere damage control, and, therefore, Sen. Clinton is the reasonable choice.

I recall many conversations I have had about Sen. Obama recently, which can be summarized thusly: Well, of course he'd be a fantastic president, and hands-down the best choice (he's a Con Law professor, fer cryin' out loud!), but I mean, get real! He's a black man with the middle name "Hussein" whose father was an atheist goat farmer and whose last name rhymes with "Osama." And did I mention he's black? And his middle name is Hussein? He'll never win the general, and if he does he'll be assassinated. And, well, Hillary's not that bad. I guess. You know, compared to Rudy.

It really does come down to cynicism vs. hope. And maybe I read too many newspapers (and have read too much history) to have very much hope left anymore. Which makes me want to weep, as I mentioned earlier.

So to hell with it! Better to go with an ideal than swallowing my convictions and settling for the lesser evil (Again! I'm a New Yorker, and I've been repeatedly forced to vote for her and Sen. Schumer, whom I loathe, rather than risk the Republican contenders). Obama '08 or nothing! I am so desperately tired of pessimism.

Of course, he'll never win the general. And if he does, he'll just get assassinated. But maybe my cynical predictions will be wrong, this one single time.

(BTW: great blog! Glad I found it)

vanyali

If you want someone who's going to tell you how it is, then really Giuliani's the guy.

He went in front of the Christian conservatives the other day and said (I paraphrase, but not much):

"Yeah, all my positions are pretty much exactly the opposite of what you want them to be, but at least I'm telling it to you straight (unlike that Romney guy)."

Of course, that didn't get him anywhere with the Christians, but can you think of any other candidate, from any party, ever, who has said anything like that to an important (or even an unimportant) constituency -- especially to their faces?

Giuliani is a little weird, and a Republican (though, really, in name only) and probably a real jerk personally, but I think he might be my favorite politician.

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