I make no secret that I’m pretty liberal, which means I don’t generally support the Democrats (especially after spending 8 years as a NC/VA resident, since they ain’t always that liberal in those parts). This year I find myself musing over what would be best for the Dems; currently, with about 1/3 of precincts reporting in, the Edwards/Hillary/Obama trio are all receiving about the same support, with the former two around 31% and Obama with a slight edge at 34% or so.
Edwards has always impressed me. I like his populist progressive message after the last 8 years, and I do think it would be in the country’s best interests. Not to mention that something could conceivably actually be accomplished with a Dem Congress (although not likely). Next to Kucinich, though, he’s clearly the most progressive of the bunch and given that Kucinich is a bit, well, “odd” is being polite, he’s my candidate of choice. But part of me wonders if merely having a woman and an African-American running for, and winning, the two top offices in the land wouldn’t have a greater, long-term effect on the political process. That’s a clear signal that America is finally ready to start ditching the not-quite-vestiges of racism and sexism, and although I’m neither a woman nor a minority, if I were I’d personally feel a sense of validation after the steady parade of Old White Rich Men. Maybe that’s naive of me, but I think that much of the Dem’s base would be highly energized for many years to come following the Hillary/Obama combination, even though they do tend to be rather centrist and may not be the best choice for the Dems in the short term.
Regardless, the next few hours are going to shape an interesting year.