Losing Jesusland, 2008

On RealClearPolitics.com's Electoral Map with no toss-up states McCain just took the lead 274 to 264. That would give Obama all the Kerry/Edwards states plus Iowa and New Mexico. Sadly, that scenario seems likely to me (minus IA and NM, maybe). I just can't imagine the country that re-elected W voting for "a Black man whose whose middle name is Hussein and whose father was a Muslim." Based on lessons learned in 2004, policy differences and debates don't matter--image does. In the case of Bush, people voted for him because he reminded them of themselves or the people they wished they were: tough patriots of WWII or an industrial golden age, or cowboys even. The undecideds that Obama and McCain are fighting over right now? They're idiots. Policies don't matter, qualifications don't matter, Georgia sure as hell doesn't matter--they're going to vote for the guy who reminds them of themselves while the God formed in their own image smiles down on them from his harem in the sky.

And the media coverage is classic. Hagel or Luger as Obama's VP? How hard is it to check a Senator's voting record? They could hardly be more opposite.

The Obama campaign seems to go for the sensational stuff, so Ralph Nader might be right about Obama tipping Hillary for VP. All the scandals the news media would cook up about friction between Obama and the Clintons could be a good way to keep attention from McCain. That might give Obama a shot. The other person who might give Obama a chance is Al Gore. Gore has said he's staying out of politics to spend more time promoting public awareness and policy changes to address climate change. From a supposedly logical guy that's a pretty illogical stance. It's hard to imagine a more powerful base for a campaign against climate change than the White House. Also, Gore is a career politician from a political family. Surely he feels cheated by the disorganization and scandals of the Clinton administration and all the wasted potential. Perhaps he'd like a second chance? I hope so, but Gore is probably tired of playing for the losing team.

After giving it some more thought, I'd say Obama doesn't have a choice and has to go with Hillary--his only realistic option for a woman VP. If Obama goes with a man, McCain has a couple excellent choices for a female VP--former eBay CEO Meg Whitman or former HP CEO Carly Fiorina--game over for Obama without Hillary.