Thursday, February 07, 2008

The case for Obama

Often times friends and colleagues ask me - why do I want Obama to win so badly. I think to myself, how can I not want Obama to win? For me, the choice is clear.

1. Clinton is far more guarded than Obama - She comes across as a tactical politican who have learned how to survive in politics. On the contrary, Obama is more comfortable taking seemingly unpopular positions.

2. Clinton's experience comes from the republican dominated era of past 20 years or so. The times, when democrats were not comfortable challenging the republican majority - every word was run under the popularity lense before ever spoken out - the legacy of popular positions over-riding the inner convictions. Obama belongs to the more liberal wing of democratic politics - it is not an accident that he was endorsed by Ted Kennedy.

3. Obama stands on his own feet while Hillary's power and experience come from being in the shadow of Bill Clinton.

At the end, I am only hoping that the bitter struggle for presidency does not split the party and the opportunity of a landslide win in 2008.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Obama or Hillary

As I write this, Hillary is leading the super tuesday primary. I am still hoping the race isn't settled and Obama will emerge as the winner. I, truly, for once, believed that the victory belonged to Obama. Looking at these two candidates, it was clear for me, what kind of a leader America deserved - but I have been completely wrong in assuming that the other people would think the same way. For me, the two candidates presented a stark contrast and I thought Obama's life and presidency would serve as an inspiration for the generations to come. The message of hope, the possibility of a new era, an african american president in the white house - all that resonated with me a great deal, it felt like we were turning a new page in history. But, with the final results yet to come, I am truly disappointed. My fingers are still crossed...

This is what CNN reports as of now -

Clinton
Pledged: 496
Superdelegates: 193
Total: 689
Obama
Pledged: 476
Superdelegates: 106
Total: 582