What a Great Time to Be a Democrat!

I have to admit I didn’t even pay attention to the Republican debate Saturday night. It was on in the background as I caught up on some reading, tho I did raise my head now and then to garner a few superficial impressions. For instance, while Fred Thompson may give great gravitas on “Law & Order,” the glaring lights of live TV are not his friends (especially in HD). John McCain is funny on "The Daily Show" and late-night TV, but he worries me in these “debates.” He’s like your uncle at Christmas dinner – funny and charming until he asks you when you’re going to lose a few pounds. And honestly, is there some way that we as a State can disown Mitt Romney? Ick.

Leading into the Democratic debate, George Stephanopolous pointed out that Clinton needs to “show some passion about the economy.” Unfortunately, ABC moderator Charlie Gibson didn’t give ANY of the candidates an opening on this topic. Come on Charlie, 20 minutes on nuclear terrorism? In New Hampshire?

For Once, Three Great–and Smart–Candidates

Like many women in my demographic, I’ve been struggling with my feelings for Hillary Clinton. The other night, a friend asked me “would you want to have a beer with her?” Well, to be honest, no. But the bigger issue is that, country-wide, she’s just too polarizing. Yes, Democrats are just pissed off enough that we could probably get her into office. But, then what?

At least a couple times a day, friends/acquaintances who should know better drop cheap-shot, political joke emails into my inbox. And Hillary Clinton is the butt of the majority of them. Some of them are out-right sexist, which of course makes me fume. But many have to do with her record, and her husband’s past. A commentator on “Meet the Press” this morning said that Clinton represents old-school politics. For non-Democrats who also want change, there’s just too much baggage in the Clinton camp, and that’s not what our country needs.

To quote The Daily Kos “the fact is, people want change, and there's really nothing she (Clinton) can do to present herself as a greater representative or symbol of change than either Barack Obama or John Edwards.” I couldn't agree more, and let me tell you, I love the message of change and the pure charisma of Barack Obama. I saw him in a restaurant in Washington DC last summer, and he was like a rock star. His victory speech after the Iowa caucus was a thing of beauty to behold. If I can’t in good conscience cast my ballot for the first female chief executive, I’d love to vote for the first African American president. So, if a year from now we’re referring to President-Elect Obama, you could count me a happy camper.

But…

John Edwards Understands "It's the Economy"

We all know charisma doesn’t necessarily equal substance. I’ve spent a bit of time noodling around the candidates’ websites, and John Edwards (and presumably his campaign manager David Bonior) has done his homework. Edwards’ plans have actual budget figures and deadlines. I’m not savvy enough to know if they are realistic, but heck, at least they tried to include hard numbers.

It’s not particularly sexy, but I like Edwards’ ideas for dealing with predatory mortgages and credit card companies, and for helping people build their savings and get low-cost emergency loans. And in particular, his health care plan, with its “Health Care Markets” concept, is innovative and makes sense (see Susan Blumenthal on The Huffington Post for a great comparison of the Democratic candidates’ health care plans). Make healthcare insurance REQUIRED, make it competitive, and make it standardized across the country.

Pundits call it his appeal populist, but I like that Edwards isn’t afraid to use the word “poverty,” and that he has a plan to cut it by one-third in 10 years. What does “populist” mean, anyway? Is populist the woman who skips getting her teeth cleaned this year because she lost her dental coverage? Is populist the guy who took a buyout, but isn’t sure what he’ll do when that money runs out? Is populist the family that’s paying two mortgages because they can’t sell their first house? When so many are just one life-changing event away from being unable to pay their bills, the term “populist” seems to apply to more people than it did even five years ago.

So run, John, run. I can’t vote for you on January 15 (thank you very much, Michigan Democratic Party and Democratic National Committee), but I’ll be “uncommitted” for ya.