Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Ike & Tina

I drank a can of Red Bull last night in hopes of being awake to watch B'rock clinch the Democratic Party's nomination. I apparently hadn't considered exactly how tired I was, because I promptly fell asleep, and didn't recover my wits until about 3 am. At which time I got to watch B'rock clinch the Democratic Party's nomination (which proves that everything does happen for a reason). Anyway, as soon as I saw that he had not only reached, but zoomed past the magic number of 2,118, I immediately sent texts to my Dad, my Mum, and Chxta.

Needless to say, I was utterly estatic. I had never given Senator Obama a chance initially, and I thought he'd be like Jesse Jackson, win a couple of states and then return to his Senate seat. Of course, as the race went on, I saw that my initial projections had been as accurate as a goal attempt from Emmanuel Adebayor, and I realised that I was watching history. I began staying up on primary nights until the last vote had been counted, and I said here that B'rock needed to hit Hilliar back for all the negative things she was saying about him. I was wrong again, proving I do not have a future as a political adviser (at least not in Yankee).

So, last night/this morning, when I watched his victory speech I got a little misty-eyed, and immediately prayed that God would erect a bullet-catching force field around the man posthaste. Then I settled down to watch Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN. There, several analysts discussed Hilliar's refusal to concede the nomination even now that it was clear that she had lost. Then one of them dubbed her and Bill "Itchy Willy" Clinton the "Ike and Tina Turner of American Politics." I rolled off the chair laughing, and I'm sure I disrupted the peaceful sleep of my neighbours. For I had never heard a more apt description of the pair, except that she's Ike and he's Tina. Now that the nomination is lost, I'm sure neighbours will have to deal with the sounds of lamps breaking as she berates him for costing her the nomination with his statements in South Carolina, and not bringing her the black votes he promised. No doubt Chelsea Clinton will come in for a broadside as well for not energising the young voters like she was supposed to.

As the nomination contest wore on, it became clear that Hilliar was far from being the benign former First Lady she often portrayed on television. In appearance after appearance, Hilliar showed the world that she was, in fact, a shrewish fishwife. From her "misspeaking" to her constant refusal to back down, to her statement that the nominating contest should have run until June because that was when Robert Kennedy got killed (while he was the frontrunner) she told us that Hilliar was in the race for Hilliar and not for the American people as she had always claimed. And watching her change her tone as often as she changed clothes was truly cringeworthy. At one point, Florida and Michigan didn't matter, then suddenly Florida and Michigan were the keys to the nomination. At first the popular vote didn't count, and now she claims that winning the popular vote is the key. And whether she liked it or not, the voters paid attention to her constant shifting.

For sure, Obama beat her, and beat her fair and square, but those punches she landed on her own nose did him worlds of good.

Now, it's on to the White House for the Obama Express.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, the express reaches it's destination then what? Are we in support of this guy because of his being part black? What has he done to earn the black vote other than capitalising on the fact that we(blacks) will give him the vote without questioning him. I think it's unfortunate that this man will likely win the presidency, voted out after his first term and a more deserving candidate that might be black will not be given a shot next time. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but the media's(read-CNN) been very biased. They have shielded this guy so much.The republicans dont play fair and Obama is about to have a Christopher Columbus experience- He's about to "discover" America(thanks for that line Tavis Smiley).
Let the mud slinging begin.

The Law said...

Jeez! And why are you so convinced he will be voted out after only one term? Or that he will be an unsuccessful President? Yes, he's probably earned the majority of the black vote mainly by the colour of his skin, but what would you say about his millions of white voters?

People voted for Obama because they believed in his message. And his message ultimately trumped Hillary's, and claims over and over that white voters were more comfortable with her.

And there is nothing new for the Republicans to bring up. Already they're going for the same lines Hillary used and failed.

Barack Obama has become a symbol of hope and change not just in America, but in the entire world. And I have no doubt that he will deliver.

Chxta said...

I'm still pissed off about that 0347 text. Destroyed what prospects I had of a good night's rest...

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