Shane Life

I had a meeting until about 10 p.m. last night so I got to catch the results as they came in. I heard Obama and McCain’s speeches last night on the way home and was somewhat surprised when I turned on the TV and Obama had not won California. Here are my thoughts on both races:

Republican

As a registered Republican, my caucus in Kansas is not until this weekend. Since it’s looking more and more like Mitt Romney is going to drop out of the race, I’m not sure I’m going to participate any more. Romney has been my favorite Republican, particularly since the Florida debates, but unfortunately, he has not resonated with Republicans, who are not voting for him for two reasons I can think of:

1. They want to say they voted for a winner. As McCain gains momentum, it is difficult to stop him.
2. He’s Mormon.

The second part is the one thing that no one is talking about, but I think that we are ignorant to think that it isn’t a factor, particularly in a lot of these close races. McCain has been portrayed as temperamental, the anti-conservative, and frankly, as of late, a little smug.

Mitt Romney looks presidential. Is that why people don’t like him? Is this the year of the atypical candidate? I felt like the back-room deal that was brokered in West Virginia was a dirty trick by the McCain camp, one that the Straight Talk Express used to be above. Apparently, it’s politics as usual with John McCain. I don’t trust Mike Huckabee as far as I can throw him. If those two run on the same ticket, I’ll be hard-pressed not to vote for a Democrat, unless of course that Democrat is Hillary Clinton.

Democratic

Barack Obama won 13 states last night (as of writing this, the New Mexico results still had yet to be determined, but Obama is ahead), while Billary won 8 states. However, she won the massive states of California and New York, which was what she was aiming for.

The interesting thing about this race is we’re now looking at a very interesting situation. The Republican party has somewhat congealed behind one candidate (despite the desires of ultra-conservatives who don’t like McCain), while the Democratic race may not be decided for a couple more months.

The discrepancy between Obama and Clinton is one that was very easy to see. Clinton won the coastal states, which solidified her as a typical Democrat – one who doesn’t care deeply about the flyover states in the Midwest. Obama, however, managed to get great turnout in states like Kansas, because he is a man that people can believe in. He inspires young voters and non-voters to believe that their vote actually matters. That is a good thing.

This is a defining moment for the election. This is where the Democratic party can either screw it up badly or become the party of the people. Barack Obama is a man of the people; at least he seems that way. He inspires folks like me, lifelong Republicans to reconsider who he’ll vote for in November. America needs the inspiring message that he can bring. They certainly don’t need 8 more years of a Clinton in the White House and politics as usual.

If the Democratic party wants to win in November, they should do their best to stay above the fray of dirty politics that have clouded the Republican side as of late. The longer it stays close like this, though, the more I expect Billary’s claws to come out. As many saw in South Carolina, that doesn’t bode well for the Clintons. We’ll see in the upcoming weeks what happens, but it is certainly shaping up to be another exciting election year.