POLITICS AND NATURE

I awoke this morning peering out at the mountain over a fresh blanket of snow which had been falling for a good portion of the day yesterday and through the evening. NPR's Maura Liason covered the most recent polling data available comparing both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to the erstwhile Republican candidate, Arizona Senator John McCain. I can't even remember who was winning but it was within 5 points on each and all I could think of was .... who cares. These polls mean nothing except to make the pollsters fairly wealthy. They provide about as much information and substance as a picture of my slobbering dog in the woods.

No, the polls don't share important aspects of the social order or the divergent possibilities depending upon the election of one of these three individuals. And it discounts the man from Mass and potential McCain VPs Mike Huckabee and Joe Lieberman. McCain-Lieberman would be interesting, promising endless warfare and no effort to ever work for peace again.

From everything I've learned, people on the Democratic side are really torn over Hillary and Barack. I too am undecided and I've written about their different strengths and weaknesses in the past. I think, if the election continues beyond tomorrow, it will be good for the Democratic Party because the remaining people in the twenty or so states left will continue to be motivated to stay involved. Otherwise, it becomes an academic exercise in coronation, something I personally don't find healthy for democracy or republican forms of government.

Whatever vote anyone makes tomorrow on the Democratic side, the electorate should be proud of who they cast their ballot for. Hillary's negatives are high but she is so intelligent and thoughtful and well-spoken and she has proved she will work with the other side of the aisle to arrive at the best policy prescriptions for the country as a whole.

There's a lot of hate out there arrayed against her. People think she will return to the White House bringing business as usual but I don't believe this is true. I believe she understands Washington and the complex, multifaceted world comprising our government. Conservative pundits like Bill Bennett and Tucker Carlson hold a grudge against her and Tucker even blamed her for hating the right and praising Barack for showing them respect. However, he demurred when it was pointed out that the right wing attacked her relentlessly for the past fifteen years. I've met a lot of people in this time and have heard so many denunciations of her and every time I ask whoever the Hillary hater, I get no concrete answers about their spite.

There are vague, absurd accusations of criminal activity, socialist tendencies, and outrageous insinuations regarding her hair, her looks, her laugh, her dress, and how these physical aspects show one terrible thing or another. The terror raised at the mention of her name is astonishing at best. If she wins the nomination, she will be a formidable opponent and I honestly believe she would make a great president. Every criminal accusation has been pursued endlessly to no avail, she is not a socialist but someone who understands the importance of managing effectively, she looks great and her wonkishness is important.

I still don't know who I will fill out the little oval for tomorrow but whatever the outcome, she is a great American and those who despise her have no ground to stand on.

Barack's positive message and ability to bring folks together are his strengths and they are good ones .... very powerful and uplifting and the country could use his form of optimism at this point in time. He just doesn't have the baggage Hillary brings and the Republican attack machine will be silenced with wonder if he wins, they've been ramping up to throw everything at Hillary for two years now. It is very difficult.

I don't doubt Hillary's ability to bring the country together were she not the former first lady demonized by the radical right wing. I have doubts because I don't think the hateful right wing will let her heal the wounds which they created and the current president opened further. This is the problem. It will be interesting.