Bill Clinton used his personal charm to win re-election in 1996, but by that time, the Republican Party was well on its way to overwhelming domination of Democrats all across the country, from Congress to State Legislatures to governorships. In spite of all of Bill's charm, he did almost nothing to help the Democratic Party during his tenure in Washington.
Bill Clinton used his charisma---and his knack for taking issues away from the Republicans at just the right time by simply agreeing with their positions---to win at the polls, but with all of his communication skills, he was not able to do what Ronald Reagan had done for the Republicans. Ronald Reagan put a smiling, amiable face on the Republican agenda (an agenda that is actually very cruel). He used his likability to make the Republican agenda seem likable. Bill had no such courage of his convictions. Instead of stalwartly professing the moral superiority of the Democratic Vision, Bill was all to happy to abandon those causes in order to take 'weapons' away from his political adversaries.
Now I fear much the same thing from Barack Obama. I listen to him give a speech and I am very, very impressed. But when I think about what he has actually said, it is very little. I think it's his delivery, and his 'presence' on the stage. He seems to have an extraordinarily large ego, one that able to accept with quiet aplomb the adulation of his many ardent personality-cult followers. I guess it is the force of his personality that is supposed to bring the Republicans and their Corporate Sponsors humbly to the negotiations table in good faith (hahahahahaha).
So when it comes to the point of decision, I'm sure I will vote for Obama if it is needed in order to knock the DLC down a few pegs within the Democratic Party. But even then it is a close call between HC and BO. In the meantime, I am already depressed over the [apparently] lost opportunity we once had to fix our party with the leadership of John Edwards. I am quite confident that John Edwards [will][would] be able to define us Democrats as a group of morally virtuous people who are taking a stand against...well, evil. We are a group of people that the swing voters will want to identify with. I'm not really sure what Obama expects to do beyond kumbaya.
I know that some of you can't quite get your heads around the idea, but I actually find John Edwards to be more authentic than Barack Obama. Peace.
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