POLITICS AND NATURE

"It cannot be pretended that the principles of moral and political knowledge have, in general, the same degree of certainty with those of the mathematics" Federalist #31, Alexander Hamilton

I received a comment from someone asking if I was voting for Clinton. Earlier I endorsed Joe Biden who, as expected, dropped out of the race after a dismal showing in the heartland. That being said, I am a Democrat and will support either Hillary or Barack when they win the nomination. In Arizona our primary is Super Tuesday, which happens to be my birthday, February 5. I have defended Hillary repeatedly in this journal because I think she is smart, politically savvy, and I believe the visceral response stemming from deep seated hatred of her by certain elements in American society is mis-guided. She has proven to be strong, willing to work hard, and able to build bridges between disparate ideologies. Barack is a welcome change in the current political climate. His speech last night shows why he motivates people.

A long race is ahead and by the time I step into the voting booth I will likely pull the lever for Obama. I haven't decided whether I will endorse him here or not. Not that it makes any sort of difference with such a small audience. Be that as it may, the endorsement is on hold for the moment. I like both candidates. As a political scientist it is more important to me to see the candidates engaging people and generating healthy public discourse than who has the better health care plan.

Every single one of them provides unambiguous, detailed plans on everything. It's important for them to do this because it shows they have taken issues seriously and they have a plan of action. But rhetorical devices and public desire forces candidates to proclaim what they will do on January 20, 2009 to change the system. This is not the way things work. They need to be able to work and to bring politically powerful forces together. There is a thing called compromise which is a requirement of the American political system. What I look for is who will roll up their sleeves and get to work. 

Barack Obama demonstrates an awesome ability to motivate people and his speaking powers arouse the "better angels of our nature." He promotes a vision of a new politics similar to the way Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan were able to provide to this country. The United States is an evolutionary society and the job of governance is never done. It is the electorate's job to decide who is the best person for the job of the time. What Hillary does over the next few days is critical. It will show how she handles tremendous pressure and how people perceive her leadership abilities. Obama would certainly take the Republican Party by surprise and leave them scratching their heads.