From the Coffee Front - My Perfect Candidate

Observing the primaries from the side (because I am not an active participant) allows me to come up with thoughts and ideas that are unbound neither to reality nor to the typical political views of this country. Since I can’t vote and affect the future, I can at least play some mind games about who would be my chosen candidate for the election.

Now, as a liberal person, I cannot choose for a republican candidate (and please excuse me all my fellow republicans – but some of their major beliefs are beyond my capability to accept), and since an independent candidate has a zero chance of actually winning the sought title, I am left with the democratic candidates.

Having a woman candidate against a black one already makes this election interesting. Although I have doubts about the country’s readiness to accept either as a worthy future president within the history of a white male president past, it is about time that a country that is based on diversity would allow diversity within its leaders. It is about time to get rid of those old habits and embrace the idea that the gender of a candidate nor his skin color does not affect his/her abilities and capabilities.

Watching this duo closely, I got the feeling that the political ideas and agenda of both are almost indistinct and can probably become one solid policy after a day or two of negotiating, which leaves us with the different approach for the presidential role in these two candidates (as was written in the recent New Yorker).

It seems that the real difference between the two has to do with their view of the position which both seek. An organized, well experienced bureaucracy manager as opposed to a young and fresh soul who believes in affecting the future by entering a fresh and positive vision into the system, over the pompous old bureaucracy spirit.

The choice is not easy. It is very tempting to choose the young blood that calls up to shake the old foundation and create an emotional positive wave around everything that he says (Barack) over the much less likable personality of the woman who has mastered the old foundation and might know how to run them but have a very little thrilling energy to offer (Hillary). But then, the memory of another Barack comes to my mind, the one who ran for the prime minister position in Israel with the same positive spiritual energy over any experience in politics. I admit that I was swept by his model and celebrated his victory just to see him falling in every little trap that the political world is very good in putting in front of you, and making the biggest mistakes possible over his (very good) intentions.

Suddenly it hit me, my perfect candidate is someone in between the two options, which is very rare to find in one person, but as a combination….

If I could vote, I would vote for the first of these two candidates that would go up publicly and invite the other one to co-operate together (as a vice president), a perfect combination of vision and experience. The first person to realize that as much as he lacks qualities which his opponent has and that acknowledging together they can offer a better future for everyone, is my Perfect Candidate.

Clyburn to Back Obama?

Interesting piece in the New York Times:

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), "the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, said he was rethinking his neutral stance in his state’s presidential primary out of disappointment at comments by Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton that he saw as diminishing the historic role of civil rights activists," the New York Times reports."

Clyburn, a veteran of the civil rights movement and a power in state Democratic politics, put himself on the sidelines more than a year ago to help secure an early primary for South Carolina, saying he wanted to encourage all candidates to take part. But he said recent remarks by the Clintons that he saw as distorting civil rights history could change his mind."

This is troubling. And this is precisely why this race can quickly devolve into a race about race and gender. Clearly, both candidates are suffering from both the presented sexism and racism so intransigent in the politics of our day (see karl rove yesterday). However, the Clintons are being accused of this and I have noticed a jarring tone playing the race card with them. After Iowa, Clinton clearly was playing up this point when saying Barack isn't tough on crime, etc. The African-American community will notice and it seems they are beginning to notice.

To Obama's credit he has not done so (although Jesse Jackson, jr. came close when describing Clinton's tears), but John Edwards seemed to misstep when he pounced on Clinton.

Iraqi women: An Unreported Story

Violence is certainly down in Iraq, but it is most likely temporary. And the report that the "political solution" in Iraq is now not being pursued (the entire reason for the surge) highlights the still deteriorating situation. See below though a report of the consequences of this war for Iraqi women. It is not surprising that the Bush administration is not reporting on it; or that it is not on the American agenda at all. Judging by its lack of condemnation for the Saudi governments prosecution of a woman who has been gang raped the Bush administration can not go much lower. Iraqi women were the most western in the Arab world before the war.

Who Has the Whitest Campaign Staff?

Madga Flores sent this to me from the website feministing. Who has the whitest campaign staff? Giuliani, the Ex-Mayor of New York City (thank god) has the whitest campaign staff. He also has the dudeliest campaign staff.

Miss New Jersey Claims Extortion Attempt For Her Internet Photos

jeez, women still want to wear this crown & expect to live in the 21st century???

A Girl Like Me-- a powerful documentary on race and gender, created by teen Kiri Davis