Obama Fever?

Well, tonight it looks like Obama will win North Carolina, Hillary Indiana. The ballots haven't all been counted, but most of the votes are in. Will Clinton pull out of the race? Unlikely. Will her funding plummet? Will her backers hesitate? Will she remain short of delegates? Likely.

At the beginning of this democratic primary race, I found myself torn between candidates. But after doing some research and reading many (too many) articles on each contender, I was able to settle my sights on Obama. He's smart and flexible, if slightly unexperienced as an actual leader. He strikes me as the candidate most able to think on his feet, the most diplomatic, the most articulate, and the most able to inspire large groups (and young people, finally!). His skills are not necessarily better than Hillary's, but then, I don't think it's a matter here of good or ill. They're both skilled politicians, both capable human beings. Obama's skill set is simply more suited to the needs of the United States at this particular moment in time. We fear the recession, the war, the rising prices of food and oil. We have suffered terrible government and been wounded by the current administration. We have regrets. We are irrate and tired. We desire change. We are a people who need someone to cheer and unite us, to make us feel strong and to put a bright, caring face on our international endeavors. The right leader will be able to smooth the way for our efforts to pick ourselves up off the asphalt of the international playing field and get back into the game. I think Obama is that leader.

But the longer the primary becomes, and the more the elective process reverts to the familiar slog of vapid "controversies," yapping pundits, and endlessly-discussed exit polls, the more I become disillusioned. I was naive in 2004; I thought John Kerry had a real shot at victory, even as the depressing election returns flooded my television. I don't want to be naive in 2008, and I fear that the campaign I envisioned--a race between democrat and republican that made cultural history while concerning itself with the kinds of tangible political and economic issues that currently worry real Americans--is becoming a pipe dream.

Don't do it, Obama. Hillary, hold back. Let me, like so many young people, people who have never been moved to vote before this historic election, retain some shred of my old, dewy outlook. For one, just one, election cycle, let me believe democracy can do more than the Bush administration has demonstrated is possible. Let the race be smart, let it have a little dignity, let it have a strong democratic candidate to stand up for and shed light on the issues that concern folks like me.