Waxing Politic

Alright everyone, here's my take on the 2008 presidential election. Those of you who know me either in real life or through reading this blog are probably aware of the fact that I am very liberal Democrat. Since Dodd and Biden are already out, and Richardson is likely next to fall, I'll opine about the top three.

Edwards- Didn't like him when he was running for VP (when he wasn't going on about the Two Americas, his speeches were a little rah-rah-get-the-terrorists! for my tastes), don't like him now. Besides, he made his fortune as a medical malpractice attorney, and I am of the opinion that American society is far too litigious and have trouble supporting someone who made a career of suing doctors. But that's a rant for another day.

Barack Obama- He's new blood, a liberal like me, and a damn fine orator (watch Iowa victory speech here) to boot. I think he'd make a good President. However, I am not voting for him in the primary.

Divine Comedy of Errors endorses......

Hillary Clinton! She's far more conservative than I, and both her campaign tactics and association with Wal-Mart are a tad shady. And a lot of people hate her. So, why am I voting for her? I'll give you three reasons, two of which are admittedly superficial.

1. She's a woman. Seriously, America, are you planning to be the last country in the world to elect a female leader? Even Bangladesh has elected a female Prime Minister. Some people claim to oppose Clinton because they dislike the notion of a Bush Clinton Clinton Bush Bush Clinton dynasty. Well, how about mixing up the ongoing dynasty of white male Presidents...we're currently at 42 for 42. (Yes, Obama would also break that streak, so there's another plus for him.) Let's just go ahead and get it over with, so I never again have to listen to or read another inane "Is America ready for a female President?" discussion.

2. Bill. He's awesome. He's been the best President of my lifetime, and I would love to have him around the White House again. And if anyone could be the country's first First Gentleman with grace, style, and aplomb, it's Bill Clinton.

3. When it comes down to it, Congress does a majority of the lawmaking and overall running of the country. One of the most important roles of the President is to serve as a figurehead and a representative for our country in the global arena. I think Hillary would great at this. She's poised, intelligent, able to negotiate, an experienced politician, and a strong leader.

And just for fun, here's my take on the Republicans:

Mitt Romney- Can't stand him. Once a throwback fiscal conservative, he has since adopted the anti-immigrant, anti-gay stance that helped to elect Bush a second time. I don't think he has a chance of winning- he wouldn't even carry the state he governed, and he's a Mormon, which like it or not, is generally considered a weird religion. I won't, however, call him a Flip-Flopper, because I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing for a politician to change his or her mind. As Colbert poignantly said of Bush, "He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday."

Rudy Giuliani- Sort of crazy, talks about September 11 a lot. Somehow, I doubt that Middle America would vote for a thrice divorced New Yorker.

Mike Huckabee- Sort of has the "Politicians, they're just like us!" average-guy thing going for him, just like Bush. And yes, the Chuck Norris ads were pretty funny. But he's stupid (um, the man does not believe in evolution! WTF???) and bigoted (once advocated confining HIV positive Americans in quarantine camps). The prospect of him leading our country terrifies me.

John McCain- If the Republicans were smart, they'd nominate McCain, because he'd win. He'd probably make a good President, too.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the next few primaries turn out. Just do me a favor, Red States. No Huckabee. Please?