Since Oregon's primary is still months away, I've enjoyed not taking sides in the Clinton or Obama nomination race. I figured the race will be decided by the time I vote, so there is no point in adding to the political blog noise. However, I have to admit that I'm leaning toward Obama now.
Initially, I thought Hillary would make a better candidate. She does have much more experience than Obama and the allure of bringing back the Clinton 90s. However, I've had some reservations as well:
- The Bill Clinton years were better than the Bush Jr years, but they weren't that great. The first Clinton presidency was awfully cozy with corporations and he made several regrettable compromises (Don't Ask Don't Tell, Telecomm Act, NAFTA, DoMA, etc.)
- Inexperience and optimistic speeches is what got her husband into office. Sixteen years ago, Bill Clinton was the young outsider who was going against an experienced Washington insider. It's ironic that now she is arguing against those attributes.
- Even with experienced advisers, Clinton's campaign is making major missteps and her disgruntled staff is leaking information just as her husband's administration was famous for.
Inspiration is what Democratic voters have wanted during the long and disastrous Bush Jr years. Unlike Gore in '00 and Kerry in '04, Obama is able to inspire voters. Meanwhile, Hillary seems to have fallen back on negative scare tactics as seen in her desperate and archaic telephone ad:
Obama's well-organized campaign had a quick, smart response:
Ultimately, Bill Clinton's comments about politicians who use fear have come back to haunt Hillary's campaign:
(Hat Tip: BlueOregon.com, which also has some of the other old scare tactic ads.)
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