Campaign 2008 Fatigue

I officially have campaign hangover. Months of an up and down campaign battle between Obama and Clinton has left me numb. I know it’s been good theatre and I feel that Jenny and I are on first name basis with the dozen or so CNN analysts but I feel somewhat burned out by what has turned into a lengthy process. And I realize that I should be excited now that Indiana will be in the spotlight and that my vote is going to have a lot meaning. There’s no question of the importance of Indiana. Weeks ago conventional wisdom said that Indiana was a Clinton state (with her support of the Democratic leadership) but now it’s being played out as a toss up. It’s safe to say that an Obama victory in Indiana would be a big coup and would significantly slow the Clinton momentum from her win in Pennsylvania. I think it’s also safe to say that he does have a legitimate shot at winning Indiana.

But back to my hangover. I am just so completely frustrated with Hillary Clinton and her campaign. I can’t stand to look at her. I can’t stand to hear her talk. She’s obviously gone negative and while voters claim they don’t like negative attacks the fact remains that they work. Unfortunately…and I’ve said this before…this puts Obama in a Catch-22 because going negative against her is counter to his message (of rising above this kind of politics) but he also has to show that he can deliver some punches and not be seen as weak.

Also adding to my frustration is the realization that this isn’t going to be decided until the convention. While both candidates have made some in roads into each other’s bases the fact remains that the Democratic party is divided. The same thing just keeps happening (to varying degrees) in state after state (that’s why Indiana is such a wild card). Clinton wins the Latino, working class white, elderly and single women vote while Obama wins with Blacks, college-educated people, the young and independents. I don’t believe that this divide is healthy with the party. Whoever the nominee is going to be is going to need both coalitions to defeat McCain. If they don’t unite the party he or she is not going to win. One can’t assume (and some polls are showing this) that whoever is the nominee is not going to automatically receive the full support of the loser’s base. A large portion of the Democratic party is going to be disenfranchised. That’s not good. I fully believe that Obama can bring the party together better than Hillary but whoever the nominee is…is going to have a difficult time healing the battle scars.

What is also bothering me is the Hillary Clinton argument that she’s giving to the Super-Delegates. That’s the argument that she should be the nominee because she wins the big states…and the big states that are swing states (Ohio). Of course the Obama camp counters that some of those big states (California and New York) are going to go Democratic anyway—and that’s probably true. But Clinton’s argument does have a lot of merit. She has won almost all the big states (not Illinois) and more than likely would have also won Florida and Michigan. The fact that she has repeatedly outperformed him in these big states is an argument worth listening too. What prevents me from completely buying into it is the fallacy that recent Democratic nominees (Gore and Kerry) have fallen into—that of just campaigning in certain states. It doesn’t leave room for any error and adds greater significance to the swing states. Obama has performed excellent in red states and I think there’s no reason to assume that he couldn’t turn some of those red states into blue states. But it does concern me that he hasn’t done better and some places like Ohio and Pennsylvania because he’s going to need those states (or one or the other).

Yet another item that’s bringing me down…and this is probably the one that I’m having the hardest time dealing with is…that I’m not sure if I can handle an Obama nomination while living in Greensburg. This isn’t a racial thing. It’s mainly a combination of Greensburg being conservative and people being…I’m trying to be nice here…misinformed (or brainwashed by Fox News) about Obama. Not to put anybody down…and I come across a lot of people…but I have heard some ridiculous, misinformed and boarder-line offensive comments about Obama. Yes I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some good things I’ve heard from some citizens but the vast majority of statements just make me cringe. But the reality is that there are a lot of Greensburg residents who would never vote for a Democrat (and I realize that this is true elsewhere)—and while I think that is silly—I do understand the reality of it. These notions are killing me. At times I just want to argue with these people…even yell at them…and yes maybe even punch them in the face. But I just ignore it and bottle it up (mainly because the work place isn’t a good place to have an argument about politics—because you have to see your co-workers everyday and you don’t want to piss off your customers). If Obama is the nominee I know it’s just going to get worse.

At this point I just need to channel my frustration into something constructive. I think I’ll start and place my extra Obama yard sign on the corner of Main and Lincoln. I think Jenny and I are going to go vote on Saturday…I know that’s kind of dorky…but I’m eager to vote. I should probably look into doing something more as well.

Well I feel better after this rant. It’s time to get work and help Obama to an Indiana victory.