A quandry for sure...

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, Barack Obama is considering a run for the presidency in '08. I've been saying for a while that I didn't think that he was going to run this next election. He's fairly young. His foreign policy experience is pretty much nil. And Hillary is widely accepted as a given for this next election race. Apparently I was wrong.

If Obama does indeed decide to make a run for office, I really think that it's going to throw the Democratic party, and the nation in general, into a huge quandry. Democrats would have two minorities on their ticket, competing against each other. The race between a black man and a woman I think could become highly politicized.

I honestly think, to get a minority elected to office, that this is the way to go, actually. I think a woman running against a bunch of white, protestant males, or a black man running against a bunch of white, protestant males, would be a really difficult win. But, to have two minorities on the same ticket gives some hope. I've heard some people (ahem, you know who you are) claim that if a woman is running for office, they would vote for her no matter what. I think that's the wrong way to go, for women or for a racial minority. I think we, as a nation, are at a point in our social consciousness where we don't need crutches for minorities to gain the same access to politics and jobs and everything else as white males have. I think it would be a shame to see a minority elected to office merely on his or her minority status. I think that would cheapen the victory, and give doubters an "in" to point to any failure as an inherent flaw in that minority group.

It does seem like the Democrats have a number of rising stars that they might be able to rely on for this next election. Hillary has long been assumed to be a major contender. I've heard whispers and rumors of Russ Feingold running (hooray!). Now they have Obama as well. My only fear with all of these heavyweights possibly all on the Democratic ticket, is it might polarize the party (yet again).

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't want to seem like I'm a staunch Democrat. I really do think, though, that after 8 years of this current crap, a change of pace is greatly needed. And, as far as policies and behaviors that I like and agree with, Democrats such as Feingold and Obama have stood out to me. The thing about those two, is they vote their conscious, rather than running constantly down party lines. Obama is definately a uniting force for the country, with support from both sides of the fence. What about a Feingold/Obama ticket?? Hmmm.....