So you all know I’m in the tank for Obama so I’ll spare the feigned objectivity here. I am, however, finding ways to enjoy this protracted race for the Democratic nomination even though it hasn’t been very good for my guy.
Have you ever been to an Iron Range bar? At night? Sometimes, around 11 or so, a fight breaks out. Maybe between guys, maybe between girls. Doesn’t matter because everyone’s drunk. Every once in a while you have this dude or lady who, by points, is losing the fight. They’re bleeding out their nose and eyes. Their t-shirt is all messed up. But they don’t think they’re losing. They take a punch and pretend like that was all part of their fight plan, to weaken their opponents fist with their face and neck. And for some reason, even though it’s hard to watch and that everyone in the joint knows that the night will end with this person in the hospital, it invokes sympathy if not outright admiration from those watching. “Woah, she’s up. She got up again! Damn!” That’s kind of how I feel about Hillary Clinton in this whole deal. By the numbers, this is pretty much over. She had a clear path to victory before Iowa and then blew it by not having a Super Tuesday plan and by choosing an incumbency message in a change year. The only path to the nomination for her now involves both a complete collapse of Obama and a coup at the DNC. That could happen, but it probably won’t. Still, in a strange way my view of Hillary Clinton is higher now that it has been in months.
I’ll still be pulling for Obama tonight. Come on, Indiana and North Carolina. He’s telling the truth about the ridiculous gas tax holiday (even Bill Hanna agrees with me) and he’s survived the worst month of sustained negative TV coverage of any candidate in the race so far. Obama has been tested and he’s ready. He’s still basically even with McCain and poised to pull ahead when the Democrats unify. And they will. One way or the other.
But oh, what a fight! I’m betting that Clinton will still be standing in the corner of the bar, motioning for more tomorrow morning. The regulars are going to be talking about this fight for a long, long time.
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