Super Tuesday

Self-Portrait
Originally uploaded by The Marmot

This morning’s LA Times had a column by Steve Lopez talking about next Tuesday’s primary election. It was titled “Figuring out who's the better candidate.” Its theme was much the same as mine last Monday – how should a black person choose between Hilary Clinton and Barak Obama. It should be easy - vote for the candidate who will make the better president. But, that is hard to figure out and there is a lot of pressure to vote for the candidate’s gender or ethnicity.

It never made a difference to me in past primaries who was on the Democratic ballot as I have always been registered in a minor party (anybody remember the Peace and Freedom Party of the 60s) or as an independent. However, this year the Democrats are allowing “Non Partisans” to vote with them if we choose to do so. I am inclined to take them up on their offer.

I am inclined to vote for Obama. Now this might worry his supporters somewhat as in the forty years that I have been a registered voter – I have only voted for one presidential winner, Bill Clinton. Does this prove that I am a man who sticks to his principles or just totally out of touch with America, I am not sure.

There was a time when I felt that it did not really matter who was elected president. There is an old joke that goes something like – ‘they told me if I voted for (Senator Barry) Goldwater for President we would become involved in a land war in Asia. Well I did and we are.’ I thought that this was pretty much on the mark until the incumbent used September 11 as an excuse to involve us in a war that has proved to have no justification at all, continence torture, and throw billions of dollars to his cronies. (I will save his domestic policies for another screed.)

But, as long as Huckabee does not make to the White House, I am not too worried that things can get much worse in our country. So I am willing to cast my lot with another long shot. I say this because while conventional wisdom says that the Democratic nominee is likely to become the next president, in my heart I am not convinced. I think that when the chips are down, Americans are not yet ready for a woman or a person of color to be the national leader. I hope to be proven wrong, but only time will tell.