the political buzz

It's all the buzz -- the Iowa caucus, the New Hampshire primary, it's all over the news and the radio and the blogs. Up to this point, I've been a somewhat disinterested observer -- let's face it, I've been busy mourning the fact that Al Gore, my personal Super Hero, isn't running. But it seems that I've finally caught Presidential Campaign Fever. The realization came last night when I practically jumped up and down on the bed as they announced Hillary Clinton's unexpected win in NH. And this morning, as I sit down to sip my hot chocolate and check in on some blogs, I see that my friend Kyra over at This Mom has written about the primary frenzy, too. As I was typing out a comment to her post, I realized that I had more to say on the topic than I thought, and decided to post it here instead. And then I get to be included in the buzz, too. Wheee!! I love to feel included!!

Those of you that know me, or have been reading my blogs for any amount of time, know that I'm a liberal. A fairly strong, towards the left end of the spectrum liberal. Not as liberal as The Map Man mind you, but still, I've been referred to as a "flaming liberal" on more than one occasion. It's a label I can't argue with, and that I wear proudly.

Yet, despite freely proclaiming myself to be a liberal, I will carefully point out that I am NOT a Democrat. Oh, I vote for the Dems most times (and have made a vow never to cast a vote for a Republican again for as long as I live), although sometimes I get a "wild hair" and choose an unaffiliated Independent, or someone off the Green Party, or (gasp!) a Libertarian. But for the most part, I vote a straight Democratic line, because I feel that any vote I give to someone else, regardless of how totally rockin' they might be, is a vote not being used effectively against the Republicans. But I am a severe disliker (hate may be too strong a word, but maybe not...) of the power of the two major political parties in this country. All that money, and power, in the backing of their candidates makes it absolutely impossible for the vast majority of GOOD candidates to have even a snowball's chance in Hades to make a run at office. So I remain staunchly Independent and Politically Unaffiliated, but I seek my representation from amongst the Democratic party.

That being said, I really WANT to like Obama. Really, I do. I like the way he looks, I like the way he presents himself, and I totally agree with Kyra when she says that he LOOKS (and sounds) Presidential standing at the podium. If I was casting the roll of President in a movie, he'd no doubt be my guy. And if the Dems put him on the ticket, by golly, I'll vote for him with a smile on my face. But, as much as my heart yearns for this country to be ready for this sort of thing, I can't just vote for him BECAUSE of his race (the same way it would be wrong for anyone not to vote for him because of it). And when it comes right down to it, the man is just too conservative for me.

Hillary's stance on the issues falls closer in line with what I want for our future. And beyond that, I feel like the trust factor is stronger with her -- I'm more apt to think that what she's saying is what she means. I find her more approachable -- I mean, just look how I (and most of the public, for that matter) refer to her -- by her familiar first name instead of her surname. I find her more REAL, which to me is a very important "it" factor in selecting the leader of our country (and representative to the world). I'd like to think that it's not JUST because she's a woman that I feel this way about her, that I trust her more than the male candidates, but if I was to be truly honest with myself, I think that definitely plays into it.

But clearly, voting for or against Hillary because of her gender is as lame as voting for or against Obama because of his race. Hypocrisy is a dicey thing!

Given that truly, I think Hillary meets my "needs" better, I'll be pulling for her in the upcoming primaries. I don't get to vote -- they don't allow Independents to vote in CT primaries, and I refuse to register for a political party -- so ultimately my vote will go towards whoever winds up on the Dem ticket anyway.

But I can hope the right woman -- um, er, person! -- winds up there.