Ugh, whatever

The way this entire Democratic primary has been working out is making me frustrated, at both Clinton's and Obama's campaigns, and at the media.

The way the whole process has played out has been disappointing. Both sides have said things about the other that make me cringe. Some things that candidates have said have made me wish that campaign aides had said them rather than the candidates themselves, and some things campaign aides have said make me wish they never said them at all. That holds for both sides. These only obscure the issues at hand, the very crucial issues upon which voters ought to be basing their decisions at polls.

Moreover, I feel like the Democratic party is extremely divided right now (as in, Obama supporters wouldn't rally behind Hillary, and Hillary supporters wouldn't rally behind Obama), and that is really troubling. And these allegiances, these stubborn loyalties, are becoming more than ever a matter of personal pride. Nevermind that the two candidates have essentially the same political platform, that they're both centered liberals. Again, this applies to supporters of both candidates. It makes me so incredibly frustrated to hear people say that they'd vote for McCain over Hillary, or even to hear Hillary people say they'd vote for McCain over Obama. The differences between McCain and Clinton/Obama are so ideologically fundamental, that I don't understand how people can support either Clinton OR Obama (only one or the other) as their first choice and place McCain as second in front of whoever the other Democratic candidate may be, without feeling like a total hypocrite. It's clear that in these cases, such supporters on both sides don't care about anything beyond personal pride and hero-worship. Obviously they don't care about the actual issues that distinguish the two Democratic candidates from John McCain. And this is something I find really threatening, come the general election.

In spite of all this, I still support the candidate I've supported all along. I've endorsed Hillary Clinton ever since the very first few debates aired, when I started researching the candidates. And that's when the knowledge gap that exists between Clinton and Obama became apparent to me. For me, those first debates really left an impression. Hillary would routinely sweep the floor with her command of the issues, with explanations of her policies and a texture of knowledge and substantive detail that Obama's explanations simply lacked. Granted, Obama has been getting better about this in recent debates and rallies, and he's an inspirational speaker. But at the end of the day, being president isn't about empty rhetoric and talking about change all the time. It's about having the personal knowledge to make your own decisions and act with sound judgment, rooted in that knowledge, consulting with advisers as necessary (but not completely relying on them because you have no experience yourself (a la George W)). And for me, picking the nominee should be based on those kinds of qualities, and on the very slight differences in policy and platform between the two, which when I look at, Hillary clearly comes out on top. These are important to me. Not the way they've conducted their campaign, not who is more "likeable," not how the media has portrayed them, not based on whatever crap their aides or loudmouth fundraisers throw at each other, as stupid and unwarranted as some of their statements may be (Geraldine Ferraro should have known way better than say something super idiotic like that).

Of course, it never works out that way, and this is where I differ from most people who find those things all important to them.

And so, Obama will be the Democratic nominee, I'm almost positive. And that's ok, because I don't believe in sacrificing the ideologies that I believe in for hero-worship or personal pride. But until Hillary claims defeat, I am completely behind her.

Ugh, how many days 'til April 22nd?