It is clear by the results in Iowa that this country is desperate for change. We are screaming for it. The number of people that showed up to caucus was double that of 2004—DOUBLE! This is huge. The winners were anti-establishment candidates. Again, great news. Only there is one small problem...
Huckabee. The leaders of the religious right have said on television for months now that they will sit this election out unless the republicans give them an evangelical candidate. They have not shown up to elections in the past to prove a point—that they matter. They will not vote for Giuliani, McCain, or Romney. They will vote for Huckabee. If Huckabee wins the nomination, Democrats have a brand new problem. They have to figure out how to defeat this likable, evangelical.
Now let’s look at the field. First, Hillary. Even if Huckabee does not win the nomination, the religious right will vote in the general election just to vote against her. They will not like voting for Giuliani, McCain, or Romney, but they will do it because the absolutely hate Hillary. For this reason, I believe Huckabee will beat Hillary.
Next, Obama. I really like Obama. He has a positive message and he is definitely a change candidate. But I was shocked by some people’s perspective of Obama. On New Year’s Eve, in a house filled with Democrats, I was forcefully defending Obama. Why? Because someone out there has sent an email that states Obama is a Muslim. At one point I was shouting "HE IS NOT A MUSLIM." I could understand having to do this in a mixed crowd, but amongst my fellow registered Democrats, this was unexpected. I was told that the Muslim plan was to "gain control from within" and this is what Obama was trying to do. Ridiculous. The person that said this told me that if Obama wins the nomination, he will not vote for a Republican but he will not vote at all. With the religious right activated and ready to vote for Huckabee, it will only take a few commercials that make Obama (rhymes with Osama) look like a Muslim to lose the race. Let me emphasize that I do not want this to happen and that I would proudly work for Obama but this is a political reality.
Lastly, there is Edwards. Wake up Democrats, this is the powerball ticket. He is a southern Christian just like Huckabee. He is inspirational and shows clear leadership. They can’t even attack his wife the way they did Theresa Heinz Kerry. He would easily defeat any Republican—even Huckabee with the religious right activated. Why are we not going to nominate this guy?
Before I get the racist, anti-woman comments, let me state that I am a woman that voted for Jesse Jackson in the New York primary in 1988. I am a feminist that has fought for women’s issues since I was 18. I would love nothing more than to be responsible for electing the first woman or the first black candidate. But I am not stupid. The political reality is that Edwards can beat anyone easily and Hillary and Obama would have a huge battle on their hands. I’m not saying they can’t win, I’m just saying they could lose. I want to win so I think it is in our best interest to pick someone that will win.