Americans are seething. Not just the poor ones, but the wealthy ones and the ones in the middle. Everyone.
The current administration has done little for this country, destroyed another, and has made all the wrong moves. I could go on but suffice to say: George W. Bush is one of the worst – if not the worst – president we have ever had.
Race, gender and age, on the whole, have proven insignificant in this race. Hispanics aren’t voting for Clinton because Obama is black. They’re voting for what they know. And blacks aren’t voting for Obama because he’s black. They’re voting for him because he’s a brilliant leader. Women aren't voting for Clinton because she's a woman. Women appreciate her work on behalf of women and think she raised a good kid.
The republicans, who didn't care that McCain's the oldest of the bunch, went for McCain because he has on several occasions questioned Bush’s "wisdom." McCain is a change from the evangelical extreme. He's like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a moderate with conservative values. Many people are still fearful, and waging war is seen as one of his strengths.
For the rest of us, it’s a matter of how much change do we want. Do we want some change? Or do we want an overhaul and new thinking?
For those who are looking for change, Clinton is a good candidate. She's been there, done that. She’ll be a contrast to Bush. Anyone is an improvement, except perhaps, Romney. He scares me. All this talk about running a business. Millions of Americans run a business. But can they all be a leader? How about his return on investment, as Obama pointed out? He's spent oodles of money with no return.
For those who are looking for something that reeks of brand new--a new direction, a new mindset, enlightened thinking, they’re going to go for Obama.
So just how change tolerant are we?
Looking at how many Obama backers came out at the last minute shows us that there is some trepidation. Can we really be hopeful in the world of politics? Will our vote ever matter?
If Obama is the kind of leader that I think he is, he will be able to mobilize people in the upcoming primaries and prove that our vote will make a difference.
By Alec MacGillis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 6, 2008; A23
CHICAGO, Feb. 5 -- The crowds boggle the mind, and the fervor verges on the religious: "We believe!" the 17,000 people jamming Hartford's civic center started chanting Monday. There were 13,000 in Boise, lining up in the cold at daybreak in a state where only 5,000 voted in the Democratic caucuses four years ago. And 20,000 converging on a downtown square in Wilmington, Del., on Super Bowl Sunday, like nothing that small city had seen in years.
There is, without doubt, a nationwide wave building behind Sen. Barack Obama, one given new life by his win in South Carolina 10 days ago, his forceful victory speech and the Kennedy family endorsements that followed, and his campaign's record-shattering fundraising last month. But the Super Tuesday primaries offered a reminder of the distance Obama must yet travel and the time he needs -- but might not have -- to translate the euphoria of packed basketball arenas into hard numbers at the voting booth.
Obama fared better in the 22-state crush than appeared possible a couple weeks ago, when he was coming off two straight losses in Nevada and New Hampshire and facing the prospect of having to compete in a slew of states against a better-known candidate with widespread establishment backing.
The Illinois senator won his home state, as well as Georgia, Alabama, Delaware, Minnesota, Connecticut, Kansas, North Dakota, Colorado, Alaska, Missouri, Utah and Idaho.
Yet he fell well short of the clear win that some of his supporters could not help but fantasize about as he shot up in the polls in the past week. He lost in New Jersey and Massachusetts after appearing to threaten upsets in the two states, where Clinton maintained solid leads until recently.
The campaign seems aware of the challenge facing it. No longer does it allow itself to be lulled into complacency by the sight of big crowds, as it might have been in the closing days before the New Hampshire primary.
Trying to limit expectations in recent days, campaign officials and Obama himself said they were encouraged by the enthusiasm they were finding on the trail. But they also acknowledged that millions of other voters either had no interest in Obama or would not be able to see him, given the constraints of the compressed schedule of 22 states to cover in 10 days.
Obama directly acknowledged the need to broaden the campaign's reach in his speech to supporters here tonight, addressing "all those Americans who have yet to join this movement and yet still hunger for change.
"They know in their gut that we can do better than we're doing," he said. But "they are afraid, they've been taught to be cynical. They're doubtful it can be done. I'm here to say tonight to all those who harbor those doubts: We need you. We need you to help us through." read the rest.
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