Wednesday, January 09, 2008

WE WANT CHANGE!!


New Hampshire voters:

Democrats: 221,217 (26%)
Republicans: 255,251 (30%)
Independents: 374,368 (44%)
TOTAL: 850,836

Of the possible voters above, about 533,000 voted, 63% and probably the highest turnout ever. Listing the candidates vote totals:

Hillary Clinton: 116,000
Barack Obama: 108,000

John McCain: 91,000
Mitt Romney: 77,000

John Edwards: 50,000
Mike Huckabee: 27,000

The country is screaming for change
. Change from what? The corporate whore corrupt Eggplant White House, its lies, its wars, its torture, its appointment of incompetent yes men, its suppression of scientific research, its politically motivated firing of competent attorneys, its outing of CIA agents, its windfall tax giveaway to the super rich, its onslaught against the separation of church and state, its brazen contempt for the global community and utter rape of the constitution.

If there is any good news, it's that we are unlikely to elect a president worse than the current disaster, although Romney has credentials rivaling Eggplant for producing the worst presidency in the history of the country.

Hillary had a good night, and her emotional moment may indeed prove to be a breakthrough in establishing a connection with the public, not a breakdown. I think McCain's momentum will continue and lead to the nomination. The race between Hillary and Obama is now razor thin and entirely too close to call.

Yes, we can.

11 Comments:

Blogger Dustin said...

It's not that I dislike hillary, I just really don't want her to win. I don't think she would change anything. I probably would have voted for mccain in 2000, but I was not paying attention quite as closely then as I am now. What happened in SC was shameful.

1/09/2008 7:29 AM  
Blogger Liza said...

I agree, Dustin. For just a brief moment after Iowa, there was a spark of hope. Now Hillary has sat on it with her Size 14 ass.

More later.

I am going to talk about race and why I am not optimistic. Right now its just too early.

1/09/2008 8:20 AM  
Blogger Liza said...

Early in the AM, that is.

1/09/2008 8:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What slays me is that there are fewer people living in all of New Hampster than in Pima County! Iowa and NH, by virtue of having early boxing matches, get hyped up. Their political clout is way greater than it should be.

1/09/2008 2:04 PM  
Blogger Framer said...

x4mr,

You seem to have left out the extra 40,000 or so votes split between Giuliani and Paul. That makes it quite a bit more even.

Additionally, it appears that New Hampshire went with the Republican they elected in 2000, but by a smaller margin. Not much "change" there.

And if you truly believe that Hillary is a "change" candidate, and represents a break with corruption and cronyism, there is not much that can be done for you. I'll leave it to Liza to educate you about that.

1/09/2008 2:10 PM  
Blogger Liza said...

Haha, Framer. I've been everywhere spreading message, haven't I?

1/09/2008 3:02 PM  
Blogger Liza said...

Barack Obama has been exceedingly careful to make his campaign about unity and never about race simply because race is a divisive issue that is not part of his message. To some degree, it seems to be working. That is largely attributable to the fact that the Democrats can easily focus their campaigns on any number of non-race related issues that have been brought to the forefront of national politics. And the mainstream media has played along, at least so far. They have plenty to work with.

However, the race issue exists in the undercurrent of these primary elections and I believe that it has to emerge sooner or later. I do not see how it can’t. I am not talking about Oprah’s support for Obama or Colin Powell’s positive statements that were just short of an endorsement.

My husband, an Obama supporter, told me that several times this week he has been asked why he does not have concerns about a black man being the president. One person asked, “Are you sure we are ready for that?”

Prior to Obama’s Iowa win, I would not even allow myself to be cautiously optimistic about his chances despite my personal feelings. He is charismatic, bright, young, energetic, and his public speaking skills are exceptional. The question is, is this really his moment in history?

The references that Obama supporters make to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King are really about just that, contrary to what Mrs. Clinton wants you to believe. Both men were charismatic, visionary leaders with exceptional oratory skills. Most importantly, both of them understood their exact moment in history, and both men changed America for the better because of that.

My parents and relatives in the south were racists, to be sure. They were not terribly overt about it, but racial slurs were okay and they had no problem with segregation. This wasn’t unusual. My generation grew up in the civil rights era and had varying degrees of exposure to overt racism. But with the civil rights legislation and desegregation of the 60’s, things had to change. The earliest change that I recall is just simply that people had to engage the filter between their brains and their mouths, and the racial slurs diminished. That was a nice change.

I think what happened is that my generation became the “politically correct” generation and we learned never to speak openly about race. Nor do we wish to believe that we could be racist even though so many of us grew up in homes and environments that were passively (and not so passively) complicit with segregation.

The question I have, and have always had, is how deep does this really go? My life experience tells me that it is very deep especially with my generation and perhaps somewhat beyond that. This is not about whether or not we believe in equality. This is about the private decisions that are being made about who we trust to lead us. This is about standing in a voting booth and being able to make a decision that is not influenced by race.

Lastly, there is one thing that is true and is already part of history. A barrier has come down. Whether or not Barack Obama has correctly identified his moment in history, another barrier has fallen, and I am humbled by his ability to do that.

1/09/2008 3:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anybody know where I can get an Edwards sign for the front yard?

1/09/2008 3:09 PM  
Blogger Liza said...

scarlett,
So much of this depends on whether or not the young (under 30) and youngish (under 40) turn out to vote. We need to pass the torch, I am convinced of that. I just wish they were there to take it.

Try Pima Democratic headquarters for an Edwards sign if you really want one.

1/09/2008 3:37 PM  
Blogger x4mr said...

Framer,

I just listed the top three for each party. Your observation about overall count (of course) is accurate. Too early to say, but I think Independents have shifted blue and dramatically so. NH is consistent but not conclusive with the idea.

I am well aware that Hillary is not a change agent and I read what Liza writes. While I would not have to be waterboarded to vote for Clinton, I would have to hold my nose. I am not a Hillary fan and have never wanted her to get the nod.

If she does, the Limbaugh Fox Noise crowd will foam at the mouth. If she wins the presidency, I think Bill O'Reilly would fry synapses and require sedation.

1/09/2008 3:52 PM  
Blogger Craig said...

"...the Limbaugh Fox Noise crowd will foam at the mouth. If she wins the presidency, I think Bill O'Reilly would fry synapses and require sedation."

I'm not a fan of Hillary Clinton, but that image alone might make it worth voting for her. :)

1/10/2008 2:48 AM  

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