Gravitating Towards The Electable Candidate

It's funny how a big contest like Super Tuesday can change the reality of the presidential election! Prior to Feb. 5th, my thinking was that Sen. Clinton, who still leads Sen. Borack Obama in delegates, would somehow destroy him.

But as it turns out, Obama won more states, even though he still lags behind Clinton in delegates.

Even though Sen. Obama's health care plan is vague, if not, totally viable and even though his goal of getting troops out of Iraq is a little too optimistic, I got to thinking that over the past few months, he has matured on the campaign trail. Maybe it was the whipping Hillary's husband gave him in public, or maybe his campaign staff quietly worked on him, polishing him up a bit. But whatever the case, my wife and I agree that he has improved.

A recent CNN and Time Poll also confirmed his momentum. In both polls, Obama leads McCain by over 7 points! When asked about Sen. Clinton, the numbers point to a statistical dead heat.

I am not sure who I like. But I think I know who the public likes.

One thing for sure, it is quite embarassing when you have to lend money to your campaign, although it is not unheard of. And it is even more troubling, as a candidate, when the voters - most of whom are lower and middle class Americans - find out that you are worth upwards of $50 million dollars! The problem is not the wealth. The problem is the appearance of Republican characteristics.

My wife says that everyone has a right to earn a living, and if it happens that someone earns millions then so what. True, but when a candidate argues about tax issues and suggests that the richest Americans are not paying their fair share, it implies (depending how the speech is crafted) that she is not one of them, although her networth dwarfs many of the GOP candidates!

The fact remains, according to one WSJ columinist, that Sen. Clinton's quest for president has been undermined lately by financial problems which include reports that senior staff members have agreed to go without pay. Meanwhile, Sen. Obama continues to raise records sums of money. The establisment and the electorate is gravitating towards an electable candidate.

It is possible, yes, that we will have either a female or black president. But the momentum building with the possibility - the sheer unprecedented nature of it all - of a black president is refreshing and exciting to a lot of people. While I do not believe Sen. Obama is "the more qualified" candidate, I also didn't believe President George Bush was the more qualified candidate. But "qualified" is a relative turn, and voters come out when they see that their vote has meaning; and that their vote can really - this time! - effect change.