The Never Ending Story

Without their very own “Luck Dragon”, the Democrats are fucked.

Last night the NC and IN primaries came to a close and with it, the chances that Hillary Clinton could be elected President went to zero. Well… maybe. You see I, like so many others, still think that she is so focused on this, and has committed so much of her self-esteem into the race that she can’t see that it’s over and may therefore fail to release her pesky little tallons on this thing and come up with some extraordinary methods of snatching it away from Barack Obama. I envision some sort of closed, smoke-filled room where they hatch a plan to re-introduce FL and MI into the mix and hold instant runoff, winner take-all primaries in those states, giving Hillary the closing lead in the required delegates. This will of course, fulfill the mission of the Democratic Party, which is to torpedo itself into a loss in November. They can do it… I have faith.

I am not a big fan of Obama. I mean, yeah he’d be a fine President. We could do worse, but there just seems to be something about him that smells like form over function... style over substance. But I decided to do my own digging. If you look at energy policy I think it is demonstrative of my concern. According to the Washington Post:

Clinton voted to oppose the federal boost for grain-based ethanol (read corn growers in IA) while Obama supported it. For my money that’s one good point for her. As we’ve seen, corn-based ethanol is not the answer to the energy crisis. It is however one of the causes of the global food shortage. The vote in question was an effort to block a proposed amendment to the 2005 energy bill that would have established an ethanol mandate for refineries. Obama voted for the ethanol mandate. Hmmm. Go figure, a Senator from a corn growing state in favor of this one. Also, Clinton supported a bill to expand oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, while Obama voted against it. Until my car runs on hydrogen, I think we need to do what we can to exploit home-grown oil resources. The bottom line is that he may be trying to do the right thing, but's leading to an energy crisis and starvation.

You see, it’s those unintended consequences of well meaning politicians that always fuck us over. Like that tool in Duluth MN and his damn cel. phone legislation. He wants to save lives, but all he’d really end up doing is driving people on the edge of the lower middle class into poverty. He means no harm. In fact he means well. You see that’s the problem with idealists, they tend to try to fix things... to make change happen. Frankly, the less they do, really the better off we all are and I think the American public believes that. Any guesses on which of the three candidates will actually try to do the least? I just get the sense that this is a contest between optimism and pragmatism. I think we all know where I fit on that spectrum.

All of this is, of course, irrelevant because barring the previous scenario involving FL and MI there’s no way she can win. Unless of course, Obama is found to be a “Secret Muslim”, something that Jeremiah Wright has firmly eliminated as a possibility.

So there you have it, Obama is going to be the nominee. I can deal with that. Fine. But there’s something troubling me. As I have stated before, Democrats can’t win in 2008. The reason is two-fold.

First, in case you haven’t noticed the racial lines are being drawn more distinctly as the campaigns move forward. Clinton was getting 20% of the black vote at one time, now it’s down to 6%. Obama is getting virtually all the black vote now (over 90%) and though maintaining a certain percentage of upscale white voters, it’s still around 40% in many cases. As this thing moves to the general election, the divide will become more polarized not less. The Republicans will make this about race. They have to, and 30% of the white vote is not enough to win the Presidency. It’s pathetic and sad, but as I’ve said previously, we’re just not ready for that. I hope I eat my words come November, but something tells me McCain will win this thing. Worse than that, the country will be much more racially divided than we were at the start of this thing. If the demographics in the voting continue to trend the way they have (increasingly divisive), I think it’s safe to say, we’re screwed.

The other reason Democrats stand to lose is the way they elect their nominee. You see, Clinton has this right. If the States were winner-take-all like the Republican system (for the most part), then she’d be the nominee. Maybe the Democrats should nominate their candidates using the same sort of method that, you know, the Country does when they elect a President. I mean, we have this little thing called the Electoral College (delegates) and this winner-take-all system per state. Maybe, just maybe, Democrats should apply that system to their selection process. Howard Dean, are you listening?

World's Greatest Dad

I have an announcement to make. I’ve decided that I have children. Not that I am going to have children, but that I already have. Molly, age six and little Spence, age four, sure are a handful. But it’s rewarding. I mean just the other day they were playing in the living room and Molly said the cutest thing: “Daddy, why do birds and bees have sex?” Adorable. Needless to say, it was also a bit awkward. Ha ha ha. They’re just so honest about everything it reminds me of what’s important in life. I have a big picture of the two of them as my desk-top image, my background photo on my phone and a little one of the three of us as my instant messenger icon. That way they are with me every day, wherever I am. And more importantly, everyone else can see them too and realize how much I love them and how they are the priority in my life. It’s tough being a single father.

So you’ll have to forgive me if I talk about them all the time to exclusion of anything in which you may be interested. I’m going to need some extra time off this summer because I’m taking Molly and her friend to summer camp. I will miss her for a week, but we’ll be on the road for 3 days each way. Imagine the memories we’ll forge together. Because you know what’s most special about being a father? The memories. Not the bad ones mind you, just the good ones. There must be like a dozen of them by now. I can’t recall off the top of my head, but I know they are there. Like the time, Spencer fell down the steps and we had to go the ER on a Monday morning. I was so concerned about him I totally forgot to call in to work to let them know I wouldn’t make that client meeting. But hey, it’s my kid! They HAVE to understand.

Okay, I can’t keep that up without vomiting in my mouth. I get it. Really I do. We love our kids. But I get the sense that the real benefit here is all the memories. The first words, the first steps blah blah blah. “They say the darndest things!” Well, that’s because they have no sense of responsibility or accountability for what they say. You know what, I can do that too. In fact, I often do. As far as the memories go… hell, I can make those up and have them be just as real. So there we are. I’m a great dad! In fact, according to my coffee mug, I’m "The World's Greatest Dad!"

The point is, from now on, I have kids too. Deal with it.

You must now feel sorry for me raising two children on my own. Cut me some slack when I get short tempered. Understand that I can’t do you that favor or loan you that tool because I need it to take care the home I am keeping for my children. Yes, you have to listen to all my stories about them (really about me). So give me an extra tax credit or two and understand that I have to leave work early today, my daycare provider is leaving early and I have to pick up the kids. I can’t wait to see what the little rascals do tomorrow. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it.