Wet Rag, Sorry
January 5, 2008
Being the wet rag is never fun. But here goes. The Iowa caucus aside, Hillary and Mitt will be the nominees. I know, you Obama heads are in the clouds with excitement and there is no doubt he’s quite a candidate. And I look forward to seeing him as President on the next go round. But like Fred Barnes, the political pundit, says (and I hate quoting Mr. Barnes), “Every election has a honeymoon candidate but we don’t marry them.”
These coming caucuses in New Hampshire and particularly South Carolina will be tough for both Hillary and Mitt. Chances are they will lose both and for Mitt South Carolina may be a big loss. But this is a marathon and the candidates with the deepest pockets will be the ones who make it. And there are only two candidates with pockets that deep; Hillary and Mitt. No one else has the money nor has access to that much money. And sadly, money is what determines the nomination in both Parties. I know, you say it’s different this time. And once again, those exact words are said every election. But in the end, someone’s hopes are dashed (think Howard Dean) and the conventional wisdom candidate wins out.
That said let me state one more mildly cynical fact. We American’s are so shallow in our politics (like in our consumption of products and services), that we desperately need the newest thing. We don’t value experience nor do we demand it. We don’t value depth in our candidates. We’re pop culture consumers of politics, social policy, civil discourse, and even history. I mean come on; most American’s sadly don’t even know the difference between being a Republic and a Democracy. Our great weakness is our demand for immediate gratification and our lack of respect for context and perspective. I’m happy I got that off my chest.
So all you Obama supporters get ready for a big let down. He’s new, he’s fresh, he’s overcome much to get to where he is, but he’s not qualified to be President yet. But he will be. See you all in 2012 when we face the Republican incumbent and this time we win. Now back to our mutual self delusion.
