Oh Happy Day!
Declan and I were out to dinner last night and found out about Barack Obama finally getting the nomination through the explosion on Twitter. Of course, if you remember, Declan already thinks Obama is our president, so it was fun trying to explain to him that he has one more big hurdle in November before we can call him that.
But finally, finally, THIS hurdle is over.
And before I move on to celebration, I would like to whine and gripe for a few minutes. Because that is what I do.
I am so disappointed in Hillary Clinton.
So so so SO disappointed. I was disappointed when she entered the race because I thought it was selfish. I was disappointed when she started mud-slinging because I thought it was beneath her. I was disappointed when she started acting desperate and grasping at straws. But, by far, I am incredibly disappointed that she didn’t know when to say when.
I know she promised her supporters she would stay in it till the end, but that end was clearly 3 months ago. Three months are an eternity in an election year. Those three months could have been spent uniting the Democratic Party against John McCain, who is the real concern, if we could remember that for a minute. Wil Wheaton said it best. Hillary Clinton turned herself in the Psycho Ex-Girlfriend of the Democratic Party.
I am through taking her calls.
And Obama better not be answering the phone either. Word is, not only is Clinton making mewling sounds about being the veep, but she also thinks maybe Obama should help her out with her campaign debt. Debt that would not have been encumbered had she been rational about her campaign? I THINK NOT.
Our election process is wasteful, bloated, flawed and I sure would hate to start off being disappointed in the first candidate that I adore in years. Please Obama, stand tall.
OK, enough bitter. More celebration.
BECAUSE, OH HAPPY DAY!
YES WE CAN!
I am thrilled we have a candidate who is ready to fight, yet still ready to compromise. Smart. Has good plans. Understands people. And he’s well-spoken to boot!
And one good thing about this tough nomination process, he’s shown he can weather the storm with grace and dignity.
I am ready for a little dignity in the White House.
Now! It’s time to start thinking about Veeps and going after McCain. CNN has a list of potential running mates.
Who is your pick?
Not sure on the VP – but HALLELUHAH!
Dignity. What an excellent choice of words. And something this country could use a big heaping scoop of.
i’d even take bill clinton over hillary.
ugh.
Since Bill Adama is out of the picture, let’s just get this over quickly and save lots of money: John McCain for VP!!!! 😉
No, seriously, I would go for Edwards or Kucinic.
-Jeff
Evan Bayh.
Ditto on the Edwards front.
My first choice is John Edwards. Since I have always LURVED him.
Second choice is Bill Richardson.
Third choice, I am thinking the Edwards kids looks pretty damn good.
Is it ok to say that I don’t really care? He already has my vote.
The whole hillary thing? S. A. D. Sad.
After the assassination comments from Hillary (covered best by Keith O.) I really don’t think Obama should even go near her as VP – just because there is an obvious disrespect in the way she has carried herself in the past few months. I think he will win with out her just fine – in fact I think he will do better with out her.
I think Edwards is a good and safe choice, and seems to appeal to the moderates. I’d like to see someone more progressive, but he may need to balance his ticket a little more for the moderate/undecided voters.
Yeah, I was thinking of you MB when I was writing this, knowing you were such a strong supporter and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings or other friends who liked Clinton… but I can’t help feeling pretty strongly about her right now.
But I highly doubt the DNC is pulling her strings. If anything, they may be putting high pressure on Obama to add her as a running mate since, yes, the vote was close.
But I think that would be a huge catastrophe in the end. Yes, that might make it easier for them to win, but he would have Hillary always wanting to do the President’s job and not the Vice President’s job. Not to mention Bill in the wings.
Still considering on the VP, as long as it is NOT Clinton.
If it is Clinton, I may move to Canada, if someone can guarantee I won’t run into Susan Sarandon. (just kidding)
Peace
I’m hoping for John Edwards. Hillary is a big fat baby, that is all I have to say about that.
As someone who was undecided until fairly late in the game, I have to say my dream ticket is Obama/Clinton. I’m hoping that happens and it is as uniting as I feel it would be. My gut tells me Barack/Hill is an unbeatable force. We’ll see. Edwards would rock too, or her husband;)
Bill Richardson
Edwards! Edwards! Edwards!
ABC
Anybody But Clinton
John Edwards. I like them both.
AMEN, sista! : ) I would like to see him pick Richardson…and if he doesn’t I’d like to Richardson as Secretary of State. And John Edwards as Attorney General. I hopehopehope he doesn’t pick Clinton; she is not what we need right now. He needs someone who will be every bit as much of an honest person as he is. It’s sooo time for a change; she is anything but.
Yes! Where is Edwards on that list?! In his absence, I think Richardson, Clark, Sebelius, and Rendell all have potential.
I’m hoping for either John Edwards or Kathleen Sebelius (Governor of Kansas).
The contrast between last night’s speeches by McCain and Obama was amazing. Even the Republican pundits were dissing McCain’s speaking style. The contrast in substance was also huge as was the size of audience (a few hundred vs. almost 20,000 for Obama).
I always kind of thought Bill Richardson was very progressive but I think Hillary will end up his running mate.
Elizabeth Edwards. Second choice: John Edwards. Third choice: … Where do the Edwards kids stand on the issues?
Since John Edwards was my original choice for dem candidate, I’d love to see him as the VP.
Great post! I couldn’t agree with you more!
And even now Hillary is saying “I want to unite the party. But I’m not leaving yet!” YOU DON’T HAVE A CHOICE Nut job! You are done! Bill turned sort of crazy too.
Anyway, on to happy thoughts. Check out my Wordless Wednesday. I’m so tickled!
That Reddit article’s title (the one referenced by Will Wheaton) is horribly sexist. Seriously? It’s cool to call Hillary a ‘psycho ex-girlfriend’?! That’s disgusting behaviour. And they talk about Hillary not having dignity…
I don’t want to see Hillary as VP because I think she’d be better in a more legal role or as an advocate for women’s issues, particularly health, and also because it would not be good for Obama’s campaign, I believe. So many of his supporters have shown their utter disdain for her so I think it might hurt him to appear to be in bed with ‘the old guard’. I am/was a Hillary supporter but am perfectly happy with Obama as the Democratic candidate too. I want him to kick John McCain’s ancient white ass.
I just hope Obama chooses his running mate wisely. And please, for the love of all that is good and holy, DO NOT PICK JOHN EDWARDS! That guy skeeves me out. He’s a slimy, smarmy corporate suit who would sell his grandmother down the river if he thought it would get him somewhere. And the ‘good ol’ Southern boy’ routine? Yuck. He’s as elitist as they come.
A big well done to Obama though, he ran a pretty good campaign. I hope he does well in November.
I just cannot wrap my head around the idea that she is asking him to pay off her debt.
That’s like buying a house you can’t afford and asking the Jones to pitch in on your mortgage, because it was ALL THEIR FAULT in the first place.
I wouldn’t call the Will Wheaton piece sexist, I’d call it FUNNY.
I have to believe that there’s a bigger political strategy in play…one that we don’t know about. I think that HRC’s life has been very orchestrated to put her in the best position to do the things she wants/needs to do. She is a solid lawmaker and while I do wonder why she stayed in the game so long, I can’t help but think it’s because she promised so many people that she wouldn’t give up. I like that about her. Just my two cents…
Bill Adama is out? When did that happen?
Much as I was disappointed in her at times (and yes, I have been won over to Obama wholeheartedly), I still think Clinton brings more grit, strength, support and vote-ability to the table than anyone else. And I think she could do things (in terms of healthcare and other programs) that would allow Obama to focus on other issues. So, I’m with MB. I think both of these candidates have proved (more so than any others) that they can garner different blocks of support and that they can stay the course. Faults and miss-steps aside, they are the dream ticket.
Great post, Aimee! I listened to Obama’s speech last night, driving home and was so thrilled at the prospect that the US could have an articulate, honorable president again.
Wouldn’t it be fun if we could have a separate election for VP? Or even better, everyone votes once for who they think should be president, and the person that comes in second gets the VP job. Third place would get an honorary senate seat, and 4th place would become the official White House caterer.
Bill Richardson, puh-leeze. New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona are supposed to be key swing states this election, and Richardson stands squarely in the middle of all that. Or Ken Salazar…
No worries, silly. My feelings couldn’t be hurt – it’s such an important conversation and I’m glad we’re having it! Isn’t that what the process should be about?
I’m a little distracted by Bill today, anyway. Gina Gershon? Ooooh-la-la!
Meant to add, DANG! I wish I could VOTE!!!
Noble Savage – I totally agree with you about the sexism part. I’m probably going to get a lot of grief for saying this (hence my anonymous post) but I truly believe this country is more sexist than racist. I think it’s so sad that a strong, intelligent, driven woman like Hillary can be so bullied and have her words so twisted by the media. I think half of the people who dislike Hillary are simply misinformed and have an extremely skewed perception of her. Don’t get me wrong, I love Obama and will happily vote for him in November, but I can’t help but wonder if he’d be in the same position had he been a woman? Hope is wonderful, but it doesn’t exactly get the job done. We’ve been left such a ghastly mess from the current criminal administration, that I believe it’s going to take a lot more than the audacity of hope to fix it. Obviously I’m crossing my fingers for an Obama/Clinton ticket. I think the combination of vision, experience, strength and unity could literally change the world. Here’s hoping that we can ALL put down our defenses, come together and make a change for the better!!
Gotta Canadian here and I’m not too sure about VPs but I have to tell you I’m a little sour about Hillary too. A little humility is way overdue. SSSOOOO happy for Obama! So excited for the future. First time in a long time.
You know — I used to support her (not that I had anything against him, I just liked her — keyword: liked) and it has been sad to see how she has handled everything (just in a disappointing way, you know?).
I hope she hasn’t damaged the party too much. And really hope Edwards is his running mate. Unstoppable.
You know, I am not really sure that I see how the Psycho Ex Girlfriend thing is sexist. It has nothing to do with gender and everything to to do with a humorous take on a hanger-on. If Hillary were a man, the post would be “He’s the Psycho Ex-Boyfriend…”
Either way, thanks for all the great conversation. You all always are great for interesting points of view.
Definitely another vote for Edwards for veep. I can not express how deeply I hope Obama doesn’t pick Hillary.
I’m very glad it’s over.
I have this vision of Hilary, Like Monica Lewinski, beating on the White House Gate and saying “Let me in-there’s been a mistake-you don’t know who I am!!! And the secret service having to drag her away.
My top choice
Jim Webb Senator from Virginia
Kathleen Sebelius Governor from Kansas
Bill Richardson-Governor of New Mexico
Janet Napalitano-Governor of Arizona
Cheers
Peter Andersen.sdsu.edu
peterand@mail
I am OVERJOYED! When he entered the race all that time ago, I thought he would be too green. And now, I am EXCITED about a candidate for probably the first time ever. It’s a great day!
OMG! Did you hit the nail on the head. And the fact that she hasn’t conceded yet is just petty and wrong. As if there is something that she might actually owe to her followers is absolute crap. What did Gore’s followers get in 2000? And what did Kerry’s followers get in 2004? It just isn’t the way an election system works.
I like Bill Richardson for VP, but I could be very happy with a couple of people on this list. But I agree, I am done with Hilary.
PS: Going to see Obama in person tomorrow. I Can hardly stand it.
I just read this headline this morning: Edwards rules out vice president slot.
SOOOOOO disappointed.
i agree wholeheartedly with you here. Obama has been so gracious through this all, and Clinton has been a spoiled little mud-slinging brat, frankly, and Tuesday night even her supporters were saying she was behaving badly. I wish she had dropped out sooner, but staying to the end, OK. but on the end? when it’s OBVIOUS you’ve lost. Congratulate the candidate. And get behind him.
because this whole doing it several days later thing? just makes her look even more stupid.
I have no idea, but your post really made me laugh.
Bill Richardson. Diplomatic, moderate, can deliver the West and non-white moderates. Or Wil Wheaton. Just because he’s right.
I thought she had a “right” to run– but it was over in February, and her stalker conduct since then has tarnished her forever.