The Red Sea

Looking at the electoral map theses days is the feeling of Moses and the Exodus, the Red Sea looms like a great obstacle and there are long knives at our backs, thundering hooves, armies and minions of...Yikes !! I scared myself!!!

Republicans, not much use to themselves these days, crumbling economy, wall street collapses, failing confidence in the Son of a Bush Administration, he seems to be in hiding considering how many urgent things need his attention: Housing Mortgage crisis, housing mortgage crisis part 2[Fannie Mae], banking crisis Midwest bank failures, Bigger financial institution crises... it rained in Houston and gasoline doubled... If only we had a government to look after at least a few of these.

Now to the elections and Republicans in a punt/give up year put McCain out there, the sense was that Obama/Clinton would be undeniable, and in four years blame the whole mess on them...and win then...McCain names Governor What's -her-Name...and suddenly all those people who wanted a way to avoid voting for a Democrat, a progressive, a brilliant and able man, A GOOD DANCER, a family man whose family actually seems to love him...and a Black candidate now they have an excuse...elect the first woman, Vice President. Some ideas sound good until you look at them, Rosa Parks, Fannie Hamer, Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Jordan, Barbara Boxer, Eleanor Holmes Norton...so many strong worthy women...but Governor "I promise I will learn about the Bush doctrine/Iraq war" ... no, not the woman we had in mind, more like the Mother Teresa story played by Betty Boop.

November Rising...

Election campaigns take on the aspect of a race, where speed to a finish line determines the winner, this looks like a race between a thoroughbred and a plow horse. It is hard to remember such polarity, Reagan was an older man who took on the role of youth and hope, Humphrey and Nixon was a contrast of old smile and old frown; Gore and Bush offered a contrast but people seemed not to notice how limited and un-leaderlike was Bush, nor the patient strength of Al Gore...the fog of Clinton was the perfect cover for Bush.

Perceptions matter so much-
McCain seems blurred and ill-defined while Obama has the benefit of a sharp focus, the public has a firm idea of the man as calm in crisis- a leader. Clinton may wind up being part of the Obama success, for there has been no real suspense for months but the press was able to use the daunting Clinton reputation to sell papers and kept Obama in the role of the man who needed to show something, to answer a call...and clearly, in historic proportions, he has answered every call.

And Now...
A nation now begins the process of turning its trust and confidence to Mr. Obama, and many Republicans may stay home by November, facing reality, but also the acceptance that the fundamentally more able candidate...the swifter horse...will win the race.