The Simple Wife

Okay, just one more quick political thought. It seems that if Hillary is going to win this thing she is going to have to do some major restructuring. My personal opinion is that if she really wants to slow down the Obama momentum and get people to grace her with a second look, she needs to get him talking about policy a lot more, because, get this…Obama actually has a more liberal voting record then Hillary (bet most of you Republicans reading this didn’t know that). Listening to them talk–especially Hillary’s degrading comments about the GOP, and Obama’s call for unity–most people wouldn’t guess it and are too lazy/disinterested to find that out on their own. However, with the gravitation towards the candidates that appear (key word being “appear”) to be middle of the roaders/unifiers in this election (Obama and McCain), it seems that the majority of Americans really want someone who will take the middle road, not the high road, low road, not be a flaming liberal or radical conservative, but just a good old-fashioned, regular, willing-to-reach-across-the-aisle-and-shake-everyone’s-hand, not against a small compromise here or there to get the job done, type of president. That is exactly the way the two front-runners are coming across. So my conspiricist theory-oriented mind is wondering, if Obama were to become the nominee and win the general, would he be the “real deal”? Is his more-liberal-than-Hillary’s voting record somehow explainable, and once he’s in the Oval Office will it be partisan all the way? Or is he just a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Has he figured out that all his rallying cries for change have caused independents and moderates to overlook his record and it will only be a matter of time before the (revolting?) truth comes out? Yes, if I were Hillary’s campaign manager I would definitely be trying to draw attention to Obama’s voting record and show that he’s toeing the Democratic hard-line, just like she is. It would definitely scare the moderates. Unfortunately for the Dems, Hillary comes across as such a flaming a liberal herself (mainly because she is) that the frightened independents would probably just run right into McCain’s waiting arms instead. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t called yet to offer me a position on her staff. Still, I’ll hold out hope…that she’ll call, begging me to jump on board and bail out her drowning campaign…so that I can thank her for the kind offer and say a polite NO WAY!

P.S. Next time I blog, I promise it won’t be about politics…I do do other things than follow politics. For example, as soon as I post this I will get on with the thrilling task of finishing cleaning my bathrooms (what joy!), then on to the kitchen to make dinner for my wonderful hubby who promised he would come home early if I blogged.

Today the Democrats are duking it out in Wisconsin…the Republicans are too, but since their race is basically decided, and therefore becoming stale, I’ll turn my attention to the one that has also captured the attention of the media. You have to wonder, though, would the media still be this interested in the race if it were between a black Republican man, and a white Republican woman, while on the Democratic side their so-so candidate busied himself preparing for general election and trying to brush off the last hangers-on? I would like to think they would…but it is hard to say. The media already has such a strong attraction to the Democratic party, that the fact that they have the more interesting candidates in this race is only helping drive the free publicity their way.

This brings up another interesting thought. If either Hillary or Obama does end up prevailing in the primaries, will half of the attention that had been focused on the cutthroat Democratic contest be given to the GOP, or will it merely be transferred to the loser, how they’re taking the loss, and what injustices they feel they’ve suffered? I tend to think it will be the latter. Although, if Hillary does triumph, I can see Obama taking the loss fairly well. He’s young, so he will simply bide his time, hang on to his donor list, and try again in four to eight years. Hillary on the other will most likely cry “foul!” and continue crying about it for as long as anyone will listen. If she doesn’t make it this time, I believe the chance of her ever having as legitimate a shot at the presidency as this time is slim, and she knows it. Her unapproval ratings are just too high, and it would be even more difficult to overcome all the Clinton weariness/hate, that she is already facing in this campaign. Plus, if she were to ever try again to hearken back to the “wonderful” Clinton years in a future election it would seem more and more of a moot point. Many voters would have difficulty either remembering them, or feeling that that is still a relevant case in light of how the world has changed (if you could call that a legitimate case to begin with). In order to make herself viable, she would have to work great wonders in the Senate, which I personally don’t think she has the ability to do. While she can appeal to hard-core Dems, she is much to devisive and taunting of the GOP to ever be able to get any sort of partisian deal made. The failure to do that, would give her less and less appeal all the time in a general election. In spite of the fact that everyone prefers their own party to win, and their extreme causes championed, most people would likewise prefer them to be the type that the other party can at least swallow, however begrudgingly.

So, how do I hope the races go today? I’m wondering if all this focus on the Dems could actually be helpful for the GOP in the fall. As long as this race stays close, tempers and passions will stay high, making it hard for either candidates’ supporters to finally accept the nominee. Some of the bitter, old die-hards may actually refuse to vote because of the ill done to their favorite, while middle-of-the-roaders may become bored with the rhetoric the media trumpeted to them all summer and take a renewed interest in what the GOP is saying (which is a bit iffy–we’ll have to see how adept McCain will be at holding the Bush administration at length in order to keep his mainstream appeal, while still figuring out a way to attract the moral and social conservatives). The feelings of both their supporters run deep. It seems like the worst name a Democratic candidate can be called is a Republican (Hillary gets it more often then Obama…that’s a laugh!), and both of their supporters believe that if the other were elected it would be a continuation of the Bush administration (also quite humorous). Since I sense the GOP will have a tough enough time on its own in the general, I’m hoping this Democratic fight will go on as long as possible–if only for entertainment purposes.

Okay, so maybe it’s not Miss America, but it is me, Noelle Jillian Reed (who at the tender age of 23 is not only married, but on her way to being “great with child” and would now qualify for Mrs. America–where did my youth go? -sigh-). Yes, I am finally making a not-so-grand entrance into the world of blogging. This should bring great joy to many people in my life who I would like to acknowledge: my wonderful husband who made me promise to blog once a month; my little sister who complained that she keeps checking and checking my blog and I never have anything on it; and last but not least, my dear parents who will be thrilled to hear snippets of my life sometime other than when I am cleaning the toilet or walking the dog while talking on the cell phone. I am going to try my very best to not become one of those people who have a fabulous blog page, cool font, and funky backdrop and only update every six months or so (and that’s in a good year). At the same time, be patient with me…at this time of my life I’m very distracted/obssessed with the upcoming presidential elections, my baby growing inside of me, and life in general. So to all those who have taken the time to read my first blog entry ever, ta-ta-for-now, and I shall write again later.