Just Change the Image

So I didn't want this to become a political blog. But the stuff is just so interesting. Like the story I heard on NPR on Friday. After the last week's Super Tuesday and the momentum that Barack Obama seemed to have, especially in relation to fund raising, the Clinton campaign made a shape-shift. They are now the underdog and Obama is the "establishment" candidate.

Politics makes for strange logic. As I understood the gist of the story because Obama has not gotten some high-profile endorsements (i.e. Teddy and Caroline Kennedy) as well as success at raising money, he has become "establishment." Hillary, on the other hand has had some financial difficulties and has had to "lend" the campaign $5 million from her own money.

Somewhere in that is logic-- the logic of politics.

Of course part of Hillary's problem is that her money came in big chunks from people who have given their maximum. They can't give more. Obama has done it through the innovative move of Internet giving, which Hillary is now trying to do. It also overlooks the issue that both of these candidates do have some Democratic-Establishment support. They both are in the lead- not as outsiders but as different-types of insiders of different parts of the party. Hillary has been at it longer and has more "chips" she can cash in.

And there's nothing wrong with that for either of them. Outsiders don't get much done- look at the Presidency of Jimmy Carter. You have to have some street-cred within the party to get anything done. And both of these will have it.

Note: This was the headline on an AP exclusive story Monday:

AP Exclusive: Clinton leads with party insiders, Obama racks up primary, caucus delegates

I guess talk doesn't change reality.

By the way, McCain may have more problem than Hillary or Barack. The social conservatives don't like him much more than they like Hillary. Just look at his non-support in the primaries/caucuses over the past weeekend.

As to the nature of this blog- Thomas, a reader, commented last week that he is interested in what we are doing here in the US since he is from Australia. I gather from what I am hearing on BBC Radio and other sources that our American elections are often an of intriguing international interest. I guess it is interesting that a country as diverse as ours - not to mention as big and spread out - can accomplish what we do without killing each other over it.

Our system is unique and offers countless opportunities for questions and study

and just plain entertainment.