Some Good, Some Bad.
Heckuva night last night. On the one hand, I feel a little like I did when John Kerry won New Hampshire in 2004. “So much for meaningful change”. Of course that’s not entirely true - NH is one state and Obama isn’t out of it yet (I think Edwards may be). But the NH advantage kind of erases the Iowa one, and the establishment candidate has a lot of other advantages built in to her candidacy going forward.
On the other hand, it was a good night for Democrats - one of many this year that we can hope will repudiate the Bush doctrines of government. Clinton beat Obama by ~8000 votes, while Obama beat McCain - the GOP winner - by ~16,000 votes. That’s not too shabby!
One reason that I hoped for an Obama win is that his inclusiveness appeals to me strongly. I think Hillary, like Bush, will (if elected) try to win a shoestring majority, and then govern as though she had won a landslide. I would like to see someone try to build a real coalition in the election, then govern as though they are working for all of us. After 8 years of letting 30% of the electorate run roughshod over everything I hold sacred, the schadenfreude coming from a Clinton presidency just doesn’t do much for me. Even if I am in the 30% - I don’t want it to be that way.
Of course, Clinton has also shown herself to be untrustworthy on matters of foreign policy. She says she wouldn’t have started the war she voted for, but where was her judgment when Kyle-Lieberman came up for a vote? She has shown very poor judgment in this area.
On her domestic agenda… I don’t know yet. She talks a good game & has a good voting record, but I wonder what she can accomplish.
Lots of other problems and questions… Oh well… let’s see what happens in NV & SC.
Buddy, as someone who voted for Bush twice & wouldn’t ever do it again if he were eligible to be on the ballot, I can say comfortably that - assigning myself as spokesman for all Republicans…yeah, I can do that - 2001 wasn’t all that long ago & Bush did much the same thing. Lotsa folks forget that Bush reached across the aisle & signed Teddy Kennedy’s education bill. Lotsa folks forget that Bush reached across the aisle and signed McCain/Feingold. Lotsa folks forget that Bush gave us the Medicare prescription drug plan that we’re all going to pay for the rest of our lives.
Now, anyone can agree or disagree with the policies put in place (and I think you know where I stand on the ones listed) and they can abhor the war and think it’s the worst foreign policy put forth in the history of the Republic, but the facts are that Bush most certainly did NOT govern as a ‘conservative’ & aside from the tax cuts there’s precious little that could be said which would put him outside of the realm of “moderate Republican” (recall his amnesty bill support?). Yep, the war is costing billions & ain’t gonna argue that, but……go add up the cost of those policies that I listed, which one wouldn’t find on the Club For Growth wish list & tell me it wasn’t acquiescing to the Dems’ push on some items (emphasis on ’some’). Bush DID reach across the aisle. Clinton DID reach across the aisle (after the 1994 landslide). Bush 41 DID reach across the aisle (hello tax hikes). Perception isn’t always reality and if we really go back in history and look at the votes, the Democrats also supported the war when it came time to tally those, as well.
Go ask any conservative if Bush ignored the Democrats & I’m sure you’ll get a different POV. The guy (again, forgetting the war funding) has spent us in such a way that LBJ would’ve been jealous. No way Bill Clinton gets away with that education bill….