As he usually does, Paul Loeb has focused on a fundamental truth: A substantial majority of Democratic caucus and primary voters thus far are rejecting the traditional politics of the Washington power game, represented by Hillary Clinton, in favor of two candidates -- Barack Obama and John Edwards -- who champion the power of the people to accomplish decisive change in our corrupt and broken political system.
As Obama has explicitly said, this change will not occur unless the equivalent of a massive popular movement embraces a candidate who is determined to change the way that we are governed at the national level, giving that candidate a clear mandate to do so. And as Edwards has said, we will have to fight for that change -- not cross our fingers and hope that another anointed favorite of the party establishment will manage to win an election and then govern differently.
The only Democratic party presidential victories in the past 40 years were achieved by two candidates who were underdogs with no Washington experience when they first ran, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. What gives anyone any reason to believe that Hillary Clinton is more interested or able to serve this explosive, popular demand for fundamental change in the way Washington works, than her rivals? Has she said anything that would convince us that this would be her passion? She desperately wants the job, but does she just as desperately want to change the system? There is no evidence of that. Consequently, as an admirer thus far of John Edwards, I won't hesitate to vote for Barack Obama if I believe that, of the two of them, he has the best chance of being nominated, by the time the schedule of primary elections reaches my state.
[Update: I did vote for Barack Obama, on February 12.]
posted 01/10/2008 at 21:22:05
As Obama has explicitly said, this change will not occur unless the equivalent of a massive popular movement embraces a candidate who is determined to change the way that we are governed at the national level, giving that candidate a clear mandate to do so. And as Edwards has said, we will have to fight for that change -- not cross our fingers and hope that another anointed favorite of the party establishment will manage to win an election and then govern differently.
The only Democratic party presidential victories in the past 40 years were achieved by two candidates who were underdogs with no Washington experience when they first ran, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. What gives anyone any reason to believe that Hillary Clinton is more interested or able to serve this explosive, popular demand for fundamental change in the way Washington works, than her rivals? Has she said anything that would convince us that this would be her passion? She desperately wants the job, but does she just as desperately want to change the system? There is no evidence of that. Consequently, as an admirer thus far of John Edwards, I won't hesitate to vote for Barack Obama if I believe that, of the two of them, he has the best chance of being nominated, by the time the schedule of primary elections reaches my state.
[Update: I did vote for Barack Obama, on February 12.]
posted 01/10/2008 at 21:22:05
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