$100 to Obama 

Fed up with lies from the Clintons, I gave $100 to the Obama campaign.

I was totally on the fence until they started saying he said things he didn't say. Maybe I could have ignored it if he hadn't been saying things we need him to say, imho. The reason people running for office don't try to express complicated ideas is because people like the Clintons will spin it with confusion, and try to convince us he said something idiotic, corrupt or naive.

And even that wouldn't be so bad, but the insult of the Clintons isn't that they're playing unfairly to defeat a good candidate, but they're insulting our intelligence or saying we're ignorant. The only way we could misunderstand what they're doing is if we didn't understand what Obama said, or if we didn't bother to listen. Speaking for myself only, neither are true.

To be clear, Obama said something that Pat Moynihan said first, a NY Democrat known for his intellect. He said that the Republicans had become the "party of ideas." Neither Moynihan or Obama said the ideas were good, or supportable, just that they had some.

The Democrats, Obama said, were not known for having ideas. I would agree with that. Further, the most effective Presidents have been those who could express simple important truths in ways that got people to listen and act. The greatest Presidents are the ones who did that, and who led us to a good place or a necessary one. The two outstanding Presidents in recent history are Roosevelt and Kennedy, both Democrats. That we have a candidate this year who aspires to be a Roosevelt or a Kennedy is something I support. If he doesn't win because the electorate prefers a technocrat and workhorse (Hillary Clinton) so be it. But I'll never forgive the Clintons if they win by dragging our aspirations down into the mud, which after all is what they did when they were in office.

Who knows how their marriage works, and after all this time, who wants to know? I sure don't. But that's becoming a central issue in the 2008 election, as it becomes more clear that the Clinton family is running for a third term, circumventing the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution. It's a bad idea.

If we want to do a great job of digging out of the Bush mess, we're going to need great leadership and we're going to have to rally behind and support our leader. Now that the primary campaign may well be entering its final phase, it's clear we're now at a fairly historic moment. My vote goes not just for change, but for hope. Obama might not be the most qualified at a technical level, but we can make up for that. We the people, this is our country, to make something of, or to give up on. A vote for the Clintons is giving up on our greatness. A vote for Obama says "Let's keep going."

Postscript: Ways we can help.

What woke me up about the Clintons 

A couple of weeks ago I didn't really think Bill Clinton would be a problem if HIllary was elected. I thought he might be a curmudgeonly joke of a First Lady. "There he goes again, he's so funny."

Yeah uh huh. Sure.

I didn't think it was an issue until Bill started throwing the mud so aggressively. Then I noticed that Hillary was talking about the first two terms as a plural accomplishment, as if she were in office then. The more he attacks and the more she takes credit for the first two terms, the more I think they're fucking with the Constitution.

Further, there are good reasons why the first lady (or first spouse) isn't actively involved in running the government, so we don't have to understand how good their marriage is, and they get a tiny bit of privacy. Then we remember how their marriage was in the middle of everything when they were in charge, and god damn we don't need that mess now. We've got so many other things to deal with.

I'm so opposed to them that depending on who the Republicans nominate I could actually see myself voting for a Republican if Hillary is nominated. I can't believe that after listening to her on Meet The Press a couple of weeks ago I was almost ready to vote for her. What a mistake that would have been.

Ways we can help 

I had two ideas of ways people can help the US, maybe there will be more.

1. When the President and Congress announce their stimulus package immediately give your share to the Obama campaign. Even if you haven't gotten the check yet. You can be sure that they'll spend the money immediately, and that will stimulate the economy. And maybe we can get the candidate in the mood again to give us some of those inspiring speeches he's so good at. I find that stimulating, I don't know about you.

2. This is a missed opportunity. John Edwards, in the debate on Monday, could have said to Hillary in his famous southern drawl. "I don't know how y'all up there in the north do it, but down here we try to quote people accurately Hill. We both know that Barack may not be the perfect candidate, god knows I'd be a better president, but sheeeeeyit, he didn't say what you said he said. How about sticking to the facts?" He might have got my vote then and there. He didn't do it. He should be kicking himself for it now.

3. Michelle Obama and Elizabeth Edwards should challenge Bill Clinton to a spouse's debate. Both women are eloquent and forceful advocates, as Hillary Clinton said so well. This would position Bill Clinton in a legally accurate manner, and would expose the farce of the Clinton candidacy. No time to waste here.