The Game IS Afoot
It was a good day for Obama, and a bad day for Hillary Clinton in the shiny bandwagon state of Iowa. Yes, the game is afoot. The next 33 days are going to be what some people call white-knuckle days, or something like that.
I got back from the library to see the results coming out of Iowa and felt a strange mix of great pride and a little sadness. I am proud that finally, my generation has seen an African American double the amount of caucusers to create such a sparkly image of “hope” for people who haven’t felt it since the Kennedy days. So that wonderful indeed. Obama is a fantastic orator. He’s like a cross between Winston Churchill and Dr. Martin Luther King. Too bad he doesn’t have a fraction of their experience. But with that kind of eloquence, it’s hard to fathom that he could be just a well spoken Empty Suit. Oprah says he’s not an Empty Suit. And the people of Iowa don’t think he’s an Empty Suit. So either way, it was a good day for the Democrats. Obama will get some huge bucks for this win, which will make him more likely to win New Hampshire, from what I hear. But, you never know.
I’m totally lost without Hunter tonight, and don’t know how I’m going to handle the next 33 days without him. But, he taught us well via his 14 published books, interviews, and, yes, the memories. So, all I have to help me tonight are his words and wisdom and acceptance that it’s normal: American’s rarely elect the best candidate.
I was thinking about all this as I unloaded the dishwasher tonight (yep, with an eerie sense that I might be doing that for another century), while listening to the TV, I have to admit that I was a little sad that the young women of Iowa betrayed Hillary, knowing that an annual female medical exam costs $600-$1000 (without insurance). And if we nominate a man who can’t possibly win against Karl Rove’s machine (Curtis pointed out that Rove is no doubt sharpening his fangs with a grin right now), then you don’t even want to know what the cost of an illegal abortion will be in a few years. It’s sad. Sojourner Truth was right.
Anyway, no point in going to bed in a bad mood. Plus I do love the sound of Obama’s voice just as much as he does. So, if he ends up with the nomination, it will actually be a lovely thing to hear his musical, ministerial speeches from now until a new Republican takes office.
On that note, as I’m sure I’ll get many hissing emails by morning, today’s HST wisdom comes from a college campus lecture in 1978:
“If everyone agreed with me or liked me, I’d be very worried.”
— Hunter S. Thompson, Richmond Virginia, 1978
Until next time, your friend, still in the kitchen,
Anita Thompson
p.s. check out Jerri Merritt’s take on this at www.talkleft.com
