Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Who's got my vote?

I'm going to vote for the Democratic candidate for president, no matter who that is. And, as a Minnesotan, there won't be much I, with my one-woman, one-vote power, can do to decide.

I could send some money to my favorite, but that's a tough thing. I'm proud of all three candidates and I want what all three have to offer. I want Obama's inspiring rhetoric and vision for the high road. I want John Edwards' fiery domestic agenda. And I want Hillary's passion and skill at the subtle, sleazy, messy, soul-sucking game of politics, which is where the rubber meets the road.

I have to admit that I have a slight preference for Hillary as "my" candidate. I trust her intentions impeccably, even if I don't always like her methods. I think that she, like her husband, knows how to play the game, pit the powerful against the powerful to duke it out for the people, and take their campaign contributions with one hand while the other is busy moving the pieces on the board so that the advantage goes to pragmatism, balance and consensual forward progress.

But I doubt she's "electable" in this campaign. The pundits calling the horserace have decided. The talking points that label her every utterance as "cold and calculated" block the message and sap its energy. She's suffering "front-runner" and "thats-easy-for-you-to-say" syndromes. In primary season, people want archetypes that differentiate one candidate from another. But she's stuck as the consummate policy wonk, answering to pros and cons of issues that sound like waffling but are more about teachable moments and not making promises you can't keep.

Besides, there are the Hillary haters. Those people who still blame her for acting like a policy aide instead of First Lady. Or who have bought into that ball-busting myth. Or who think she should have dumped Bill. Or who can't understand how a woman who says that every abortion is a tragedy -- which it is -- can still support a woman's right to choose the tragic course, because nobody should be able to tell me that I must or must not bring a child into the world I live in.

So, I will vote for whomever becomes the next Democratic candidate for president. And I hope to God (yes I'm still a believer of sorts), that the winning candidate is just as good at the unpretty side of being a politician so that real, not just rhetorical progress is made in our climb out of this pit we're in.

Over and out.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like your idea of all 3 taking on the job! I'm just SO not fond of Hillary! Just can't feel comfortable with her. Partly because she's been in "the game" for so long, and partly just a gut feeling. If she is our Democratic nominee, I will vote for her though. In fact if Paris Hilton was the Dem. nominee I'd vote for her, for god's sake!

4:38 PM  

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