Lets take a look back at Obama's journey, to just assess how amazing his candidacy is.
* His name is Barack "Hussein" Obama.. not a particulary good name if you are running for political office.
* He is facing the most formidable family in Democratic politics. Bill Clinton is/was amazingly popular and his wife, Hillary, had the status of an incumbant democrat that no one could touch. In the early debates, she did not really even address her democratic opponents head-on. It was as if she was already the candidate and she was going up against the Republicans. Addressing her democratic opponents seemed beneath her.
* She is a formidable candidate, with superlative skills, and one that can change the tenor and tone of her campaign exceedingly quickly. For example, Bill was causing her damage, and poof, he disappears for a while. She does, wrongly in my opinion, inspire rage in the Republican party. (Nothing, but nothing can unite that party, except for Hillary).
* Hillary had raised an amazing amount of money to run the campaign, and had secured all of the best democratic pollsters, wonks, etc.. basically, she had resurrected the Bill Clinton machine. She had the best of staff, experienced, and ruthless.
* Obama is an African American. There as still, I suspect, a wide swath of this country who will not vote for an African American. They are definately in the minority of voters, but I am guessing they are not an insignificant number.
* His grandfather was Muslim. The religion is the least liked of all major religions in the U.S., and ranks lower than Mormonism with the U.S. electorate.
* Against all of these odds, and against a barrage of race-baiting comments by Clintonites, mostly (BAD COP) Bill Clinton, Obama managed to hold his own.
simply amazing.
I am giving Clinton the edge going forward, but just step back and be amazed at Obama. If we do not pick him, it is our shame. If we do not pick him, we deserve what we get.
He is giving it his all, though. And that is all you can ask of him.
