QotD: Iowa

The official Question of the Day from Vox is: What is your reaction to the Iowa caucus?

My reaction? I loved it. I didn't dare hope for Obama to do as well as he did. I would have been happy with him finishing in first place or a very close second.

Instead, he won pretty thoroughly. John Edwards (my second choice) was second, just ahead of Hillary Clinton.

When I visit my mom at the nursing home (remember, her mind is still in great shape), she occasionally tells me how much she hopes Hillary wins. My dad was a union worker in a union city (Milwaukee), and I inherited my Democratic roots honestly. Since I have a low-paid job, I have stayed a Democrat. (Not that I vote a straight ticket, because I don't.)

My only two votes for a winning presidential candidate were both for Bill Clinton in 1992 and '96. (Never regretted either.) Since I have voted since becoming old enough in 1971, that has meant a lot of election night disappointment. But I always vote for the better candidate, the one who (I think) can do more for the long-term betterment of this country.

The day after the 2004 election, I wore black. Don't think I will have to do that in 2008, because times have changed. I watched Obama's keynote speech closely during the 2004 Democratic convention and was highly impressed by what he said and how he said it. Didn't think he would get in the 2008 race, but he did. And I didn't expect him to win the nomination. But ... that's changing now.

I have been watching for Obama campaign appearances on C-SPAN and finally got a chance to see one last weekend. Again, I was highly impressed with his message and the passion of his delivery. A major part of his message is that America has to pull together--not "red states vs. blue states." And that's what this country needs. Like that classic Ben Franklin line--"We must all hang together, or else we will all hang separately."

My country is badly hurt now, and so are many people. The war in Iraq and the tax cut for the rich wrecked our economy. Health care and drug prices are a nightmare. Our moral standing in the world has never been lower. But I am living in hope that some major changes could be afoot if voters do what I hope they will--reject the status quo and support a unity government. That means legislators who are able to compromise and who have minds open enough to actually fix some problems that badly need fixing. Help for the struggling taxpayers who are the backbone of this nation and who have been shat upon for the last eight years. Help for the poor who have not had many advocates in places of power for way too long.

After last night, do I dare to hope it will actually happen? It's like someone who has been badly hurt in love: Do I dare to fall in love again?

I don't see Hillary Clinton changing that--if she is elected, it surely will be four more years of partisan division and gridlock. We've had enough of that, thank you very much. My country needs a 180-degree turn to get back on the right road. And that skinny man from Illinois--like another skinny man from Illinois, over a century ago--could be pointing us in the right direction.

So, in answer to the question how my reaction to the Iowa primary, I can say, "I was quite pleased."