P Diddy, I only disagree in that I think you underestimate the degree to which the GOP is factioned (& fractioned), relative to the Dems. Great post!

P Diddy, you are absolutely correct. Being a Republican myself, I'm looking forward to our own divide in the near future. Although I will continue to support Sen. McCain, I can definitely why people are drawn to Sen. Obama. My hope is that the McCain campaign will let McCain be McCain. Here's hoping for a new era of moderate, pragmatic Republicanism who can and will be willing to work with Democrats for the benefit of the whole nation.

P Diddy, you are absolutely correct. Being a Republican myself, I'm looking forward to our own divide in the near future. Although I will continue to support Sen. McCain, I can definitely why people are drawn to Sen. Obama. My hope is that the McCain campaign will let McCain be McCain. Here's hoping for a new era of moderate, pragmatic Republicanism who can and will be willing to work with Democrats for the benefit of the whole nation.

So just do like Nancy told us,"Just Say No!" NO OBAMA! I will vote for anybody but
Barack Hussein Obama! No Way Obama!

So just do like Nancy told us,"Just Say No!" NO OBAMA! I will vote for anybody but
Barack Hussein Obama! No Way Obama!

So just do like Nancy told us,"Just Say No!" NO OBAMA! I will vote for anybody but
Barack Hussein Obama! No Way Obama!

This campaign is only superficially about race. Under the covers, the inner circles of both campaigns represent a far more nuanced schism than one about black vs. white.

In the Clinton camp, you have the old Blue Dog/Centrist/DLC camp. They've run the party for a little over 3 decades, they got Bill Clinton in office, and they have championed many liberal causes. They feel as if they built the party; as JakeD wrote, "it's not our first rodeo."

This group of Democrats has made a living off fighting the Republicans, using divisive rhetorical arguments to split groups into factions (pro choice vs. pro life, gun control vs. no gun control, etc) and then raising money off the fear, uncertainty, and doubt caused by the split ("Oh no! They're going to overturn Roe v. Wade!", "Oh no! Someone with a gun might shoot me, so let's ban all guns!", "White people vote for me, I'm the only one who can win")

It's easy to get caught up in that rhetoric, but everyone with an ounce of sense knows that in the current political climate, it's the lobbyists and special interests that need the politicians. They NEED the fear, uncertainty, and doubt. For, if it were absent, they would have nothing with which to raise money. Roe v. Wade will not be overturned. Handguns will not be banned. All will be fine with the Republic.

In the Obama camp, you have a new generation of Democrats. These Democrats are much less politically divisive, though no less ambitious. Their rhetoric is more nuanced, more conciliatory to the other side. It's hard to tell if it's a political ploy or if they really do believe in political reconciliation as their track record is non-existent: they are a new faction in the truest sense. Nevertheless, they believe in "power to the people", raising "hopes", and appealing to "our better angels". Their hope is that in bringing people together with a more positive message, they can raise an equivalent amount of money and wield even more power.

I'm not saying they're right, or that what they claim is true, or even that they are "better". I can't even say if their approach will work. Yes, I'm an Obama supporter. Yes, I've fallen for their rhetoric like a schoolboy for his first crush. Yes, I believe they've tapped into an undercurrent of sentiment in this country, one which is tired of the old political game and faces, and wants to try something different--anything different.

You see, these Obama supporters mostly agree: no politician is going to help me, no gas tax will save me, no government program is going to give me what I need. I need to help myself. If the Republicans had ANY SENSE in this election, they would have let John McCain be the John McCain of old instead of saddling him with the albatross of yesterday's politics. Because this "I need to help myself" message is a Goldwater Republican (a true conservative) message.

And all the Republicans sitting around and laughing at the Democrats: beware, this same schism is going to happen to our party (I'm a Republican) in 2010 or 2012. The evangelical right, aging and having sold their last bottle of snake oil, will fall prey to the same skepticism. The neocons, having been proven as intellectually bankrupt, will be ushered out of positions of influence.

You can call the United States many things, but one thing is always true: it may take some time, but her people always make the right decision. The era of politicians playing us like fiddles is coming to a close. The people will re-take this country. It begins with sweeping out the vestiges of the Democratic Party, it will conclude with an overhaul of the Republicans soon thereafter. Oh sure, some of the old guard will be around raising a ruckus, but their influence will be minimal.

Or, at least, I hope this is the case :-)

Bye bye Hillary,
Bye bye mud,
Bye bye Bubba too,
We're not sorry to see you go,
No, no, no, no, no, no.
(Sung to the tune of The Everly Brothers, "Bye Bye Love"

Buh-bye now.....there's serious work and issues to attend too.

Will the DNC dare to discipline? This guy thinks they should get out a big paddle and give Michigan and Florida a spanking...

http://thepoliticalstory.com/

hillary says she represents "the hard working white Americans". Now that's a line out of a 1964 George Wallace speech.

West Virginia Primary

Who do you predict will win the West Virginia Democratic Presidential Primary?

http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=2366

.

Errr... I paste my original prediction below from 10:42AM on the prediction blog... T-Shirt sir? I want to be the coolest looking guy in Sydney, Australia.

Indiana:
Clinton 51
Obama 49

North Carolina:
Obama 55.5
Clinton 44.5

Headline: Gas tax proves Taxing to Clinton's campaign. With huge NC victory and tight race in Indiana, Obama bounces back from Wright. Supers predicted to flood his way in coming days.

Posted by: Boutan | May 6, 2008 10:42 AM

Clinton's interview with USA Today, where she claimed that the only hard-working Americans were white without college degrees just insulted millions, including her husband and her daughter.

Someone needs to explain that you can appeal to the working class without insulting the middle and upper class. Oops, too late.

McCain's problem might turn out to be the fact that Obama is the Democrats' Reagan. Obama's rhetorical cotton candy lacks Reagan's ideological nourishment, but he is Reaganesque in two important senses: People like listening to him, and his manner lulls his adversaries into underestimating his sheer toughness -- the tempered steel beneath the sleek suits.George Will

The REAL winner is America!

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