And the Winner Is...

By Joe Sims
Interesting undercurrents are crisscrossing the Democratic race. I first noticed it when watching an interview with John McCain on Meet the Press. McCain who is competing with Obama for independent votes in New Hampshire seemed to glow with glee in anticipation of a possible match-up with Obama in November. Later he declared he would beat the African American candidate in a head-to-head, a claim that made national headlines. Then, I happened upon a CNN story that reported allegedly favorable coverage Obama was receiving from the extreme right, quoting several pundits and publications who have recently said favorable things about him. The story’s rather neutral reporting tone seemed to leave it to the viewer to ponder why. Finally a news item this evening quoted a rather caustic Bill Clinton, castigating the media for giving Senator Obama a free ride, calling it a “fairytale.”

It’s probably all coincidence and circumstance, but the convergence of these missives might suggest conflicting agenda’s that various parties might attempt to parlay into tactical advantage. It would not at all be surprising that the racist-minded extreme right might secretly yearn for a defeat of Senator Clinton who in their view might be a more difficult candidate to challenge in the general election. Indeed, McCain in the interview chucked with delight stating that voters would have a very clear choice between himself and the Illinois senator. This might also account for the momentary attitude of the right-wing press, who earlier claimed Obama had attended an extremist Islamic training school and at least one of them calling him a “communist.” Here the support might, to use Lenin’s phrase, the kind a rope gives a hanging man.

The Clinton’s too might for very different reasons share similar concepts, believing that there is concerted drive by certain forces to defeat Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. Press fascination with the Obama success story in their view might unwittingly play into certain scenarios.

However be that as it may, a real story behind the explosion of Mr. Obama’s campaign, is the combination of message, movement and man that have combined to produce a powerful anti-right-wing, anti-racist surge the likes of which this country and perhaps the world have not seen before. What is capturing the imagination of the people is that in small town USA, on hill tops and in hamlets, white voters in large numbers are making a pretty clear statement they’ve found hope in the hands of young senator from Illinois and those hands are grasping and voting all across America.

We still don’t know who the winner is in New Hampshire at 9:45 with one-quarter of the precints reporting, but it’s closer than expected. Let’s see what the happens.