The Iowa Caucus: Bye Bye Hillary
The Iowa Caucus had some surprising results.
Out of the three top candidates, Obama, Edwards, and Clinton, Hillary came in last place and gee, I don't think she was expecting that! While watching the Caucus, I was just picturing her in a room somewhere, just tearing it apart, throwing chairs and stuff, then doing a couple shots of Jack to calm down before her speech (she did seem to be slurring her words slightly...maybe it's just my imagination, but it did seem like it). I'm happy with the results so far, but it's not over yet. I would rather see Obama as President over Clinton. As expressed in the caucus, the Clinton and Bush eras are over and it's time for change. But, I have to say that Edwards' speech was the most passionate and compelling out of all of them. I felt like he was speaking to me, the average American middle-class peasant. He talked about all the issues that I'm most interested in. Corporation greed, poor and homeless people (Iraq war veterans are now the fastest growing number of homeless people), and the healthcare crisis. I wondered why Edwards didn't say much about the Iraq war though.
I'm stuck between Obama and Edwards (but not literally, like I would like to be --haha, political sex joke there). But seriously, if Obama is our next President, it will be one of the most important historical moments in history. To be alive on the day our first Black President takes the Presidential oath will be a turning point in America where there will simply be no going back. If Obama becomes President, it won't just be about Obama anymore, it will be symbolic of a new direction and actual progression. I want to see that more than anything, but more than that, right now, I just want a President who understands the people who really need help in our society. I wanted Obama to address those things, to reach out to people as passionately (and liberally) the way Edwards did, but I didn't get that feeling from him.
It's interesting that more women voted for Obama than Hillary, isn't it? Not really. Hillary's strategy to come across as a strong woman ended up coming across as aggression. Yes, we want a strong President, but not one who is arrogant and cold. She also either has a problem showing emotion or has a very blunted affect. In the end, the tough bitch image backfired on her.
The reporters mentioned briefly that Obama's support from Oprah had helped put him in the lead. You know, I think if Oprah ran for Congress, she'd win by a landslide. It doesn't matter who she would run against, she'd win because people genuinely love and trust Oprah. She sold Obama like he was in her book-of-the-month club and sent him straight to #1. That is, if the reporters are right about that. I don't think there's any concrete evidence on the Oprah factor, but if it's true, she is a very powerful woman.
And Dennis. Well, the Kooch may be gone, but not forgotten, and hopefully he'll have his turn again. If I had to predict who he'd back, I would have bet on Edwards, but he's supporting Obama, so maybe that's a good sign that Obama is more liberal/socialist than he lets on.
I just hope with the new decade, real change does occur. And maybe we can start fixing the damage caused by the Bush Administration and then finally put behind us the worst decade in history (or at least since I've been alive).
I don't have anything to say about the Republicans.
