Barack W. Reagan

I was going to post something about the presidential race a few days ago, but I got distracted. I'm sure you don't mind. I certainly don't.

So the DC/VA/MD area had their elections this past Tuesday with McCain and Obama winning by a hefty margin. Good for them. I've been giving considerable thought to Obama over the past couple of weeks and this is what I've concluded about him: he could be the Democrats' Reagan. Reagan was a conservative, no question. However, he had the ability to attract voters from both sides of the spectrum and everyone in between, and in record numbers at that. Obama is a liberal, no question. What I'm seeing thus far is that he also has the ability to attract voters from both sides, despite his left-leanings. Compare that with Hillary, who is by her very nature a divisive personality. Many Democrats love her, or at least think she would be effective. On the other hand, Republicans DESPISE her. While she is partly to blame, her husband is in many ways to blame for this as well. Now, he wasn't the worst president we've ever had; that honor still belongs to the Republicans as far as I can tell. At least when Bill was president he had slightly more tact and a diplomatic enough way about him. Lately, he's just turned into a complete hoser. We've all known that he was capable of whopper-sized lies, but he's really outdone himself in his efforts to "help" his wife. The lies aren't even well-veiled anymore, they are out-and-out BALD-FACED LIES. And they are so obvious that he isn't fooling a single person on this earth except himself. All supposedly for the benefit of his spouse. She continues to assert that we are voting for her, not him, but how stupid does she think the voting public is? We are putting Bill back in the White House, period. His presidency had been far enough removed so that most of us remembered that we perhaps weren't fond of him, but we couldn't exactly recall why; it was all kinda hazy and we began to think that perhaps we had judged him too harshly. His coming out for Hillary's campaign has vividly sparked our memories ("Oh yeah, now I remember. He's a douchebag.") and made us hate her by association. If Hillary wins the nomination, Republicans will come out in DROVES to keep her and Bill from being elected. Whether they like McCain or not, they will vote for him just to keep her/them out.

Obama is another story. As liberal as he is, there is something about him that seems to attract conservatives. When I can put a decisive finger on it, I'll let you know. Almost every conservative Republican I've spoken with about this very issue has ranted to the point of frothing at the mouth by the very mention of Hillary. But when a McCain/Obama race is put before them, they indicate that they wouldn't cry themselves to sleep if Obama won over McCain. As in, they'd still be OK with the situation, even though their party's candidate lost. There are exceptions to this naturally (*coughryanncough*), as everyone is different and sees something they like in different candidates. But I still get the feeling that overall, Obama appeals to just about every different kind of group out there. He has a very inclusive personality, possibly leading voters to believe that he will work for them--not just the people who voted for him--even if they don't agree on all the issues. They seem to believe that he will work out issues of difference rather than fight against those who disagree with him. Reagan had that effect on people. Democrats voted for him over their own candidate. And many Republicans, disenchanted or not, will vote for Obama over McCain. If the Democrats really want to win the White House at all costs, they would do well to get Obama in the spot vs. Hillary, because it will ultimately be conservatives who ensure he gets there.

The Husband made a good point about Hillary. She would make a kick-ass Secretary of State. She's nobody's yes-man and no one would be stupid enough to screw with her for fear of losing a vital organ. The president needs people who disagree with him in order to make the best possible decisions--a concept that escaped Bush completely. Hillary would tell the president exactly what he needed to hear, not just what he wanted to hear. She is no pushover. Her powers just need to be guided in the right direction for maximum benefit. Do I think she'd actually take the job? Probably not. I think she'd think it was beneath her. But she'd be excellent, no doubt about that.