Watch it, Democrats. You could still slip up.
By Paul Starr | Sunday, January 20, 2008 | The Washington Post
“…It was never going to be easy to elect a woman or an African American president of the United States. And it is a cruel historical twist that the republic has its first serious female candidate for president at the same time that it has its first serious black candidate, forcing the two to fight each other for the Democratic nomination. Neither Obama nor Clinton is running on their identity, but because the substantive policy differences between them are so small, identity has become central to their showdown. Even with the best of intentions, this kind of competition can easily take an ugly turn as incidental remarks or minor episodes get turned into symbols of seeming disrespect or become viewed as forms of strategic insinuation….”…BS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011802870_pf.html
This entry was posted on Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 8:25 AM and filed under Elections/Voting, Media, Politics. Follow comments here with the RSS 2.0 feed. Skip to the end and leave a response. Trackbacks are closed.
One Response to “Watch it, Democrats. You could still slip up.”
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I disagree. Three facts undermine the writer’s position.
First, 70% of the country is against the war and wants out. This is DESPITE the surge, and includes Reps as well as Dems and Inds. In addition, January is shaping up to be among the most violent months in Iraq in some time. If this continues, it will further undercut any pro-war candidate, including McCain.
Second, the economy is now first among issues for most people. And the Reps are offering nothing more than minimally tweaked continuations of current policies. All of them would make the Bush tax cuts permanent, which most people are against. And although the Dems have only slightly more articulated positions on the economy, they all move away from the policies that have created the current recession.
Finally, if McCain is the nominee, he will have to face a grueling campaign in which his many flip-flops re supporting Bush (among other things) are certain to be front and center in the Dem campaign. As well, people really do want “change,†even if that means simply giving the Dems a chance to undo some of what Bush has done. As well, a lot of people, including many independents (who are the largest voting block), really are caught up in the idea of having either the first woman or the first black president. Another old, white man? People are beginning to tire of it.
Thus, unless the Dem nominee truly shoots him/herself in the foot in some way, it is a virtual certainty that the Dem nominee will win the general election.
Peace.
Posted on 20-Jan-08 at 10:02 am | Permalink