Obama still has a lot to overcome - Bumps in the road to the White House

I was hoping Hillary Clinton would lose the Pennsylvania primary, be forced to recognize the reality of her situation, and drop out graciously. But she didn’t. She got about 1.2 million people to vote for her and she won. Let’s not forget that she was the inevitable candidate, so she was supposed to get a lot more votes than that. Her problem was that with a positive, thoughtful campaign, Barack Obama earned the votes of over one million Pennsylvanians who had never heard of him this time last year – and that’s the real story. But she won, so it’s not over. Even if she hadn’t won, it still wouldn’t be over. No matter how low she sinks in her desperate attempt to make him seem unelectable, she’s not the opponent who matters; John McCain is. This thing will be over when John McCain concedes on November 4th and not one day sooner. Hillary, her joke of a husband, and their gutter campaign are just bumps in Barack Obama’s road to the White House.

The first Tuesday in November is also the day we can start to forget about the Clintons. I hate them, but I have to give them credit. Bubba and Hil from Little Rock to President and Senator Clinton of Chappaqua in one generation is impressive social climbing. They are the epitome of new money and Bill is the quintessential “caddie turned pro”, but when he dies, he will have legitimized his gambling alcoholic stepfather’s family name and will be leaving his only daughter a quarter-billion-dollar fortune. If she can ever get over what must be a mountain of daddy issues, Chelsea’s wedding should be quite a spectacle; attended by the crème-de-la-crème of international politics, business, and philanthropy who will come to pay their respects after having paid off her parents.

Another bump in the road is Barack’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. I have to respect his life’s work because he has helped a lot of people in Chicago, but it pains me to even type his name because in national politics, he couldn’t be more of a nobody. If Barack Obama had joined a different church when he moved to Chicago, we wouldn’t even know this man exists. I’m not going to call him crazy because that’s dismissive, but I will say he’s short on loyalty and long on stupid. This past weekend, he was literally singing and dancing at the podium as he mocked his critics in speeches before the National Press Club and the NAACP, with every minute broadcast on cable news and even on C-SPAN. A loyal man would have rewarded Barack’s not pushing him under the bus by keeping a low profile until at least November 5th, but not this guy – he’s got a book coming out. Now that most Americans see him as the Christian Louis Farrakhan, he’s put himself in a position where President Obama won’t be able to invite him to the White House. Trading access to the future President for book sales is just plain stupid. Congratulations, Reverend Wright, you just pulled a George W. Bush: you “surged” when you should have toned it down, and now you’re screwed.

The last potential hurdle for Barack is what is politely called the “demographics” of voters he hasn’t managed to win over: Working class white people over the age of forty-five. Let’s just face facts. There are some white people, especially those who were born before the Civil Rights Movement and never went to college, who will not vote for a black man for President. Not Barack Obama, not Colin Powell, not even Morgan Freeman – and he drove Miss Daisy. The talking heads on the cable news shows and the Sunday talk shows keep talking about these people as if they’re the Holy Grail of presidential politics; like Barack must find a way to win these people over if he’s going to win in November. I won’t say they’re being suckered into believing another Clinton campaign talking point, but I will say that their assumption is dead wrong. The only way a candidate can get to these people is by pandering promises of a magic box where their Social Security money will stay locked away.

I forgive these people, for they know not how clueless they are. They come from a time when black people couldn’t vote, a woman’s place was in the kitchen, children were to be seen and not heard, and bachelor parties happened the night before the wedding. Need I say more? This “demographic” is the most out of touch with the way the world is today and if they want to forsake America’s future for one more day above ground, I say let ‘em vote for the Republican geezer. Good riddance to bad voters.