The Trouble With the Pairing of Barack And Hillary

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are to begin campaigning together.  The question is will this be a good thing for each one of them and for us who have to watch the whole thing.  I am not sure it is the best thing for any of us.

First let’s look at how this is bad for Senator Obama.  Having Senator Clinton on his side probably will greatly help him gain some support with female voters and add a strong counterattacking voice that will counter the strong attacks of Senator McCain’s camp. 

The problem is that there is another part of the package that comes with a Hillary Clinton; former president Bill Clinton.  Each candidate has their strange sideline person that in trying to help them just makes him or her look bad.  There is a certain Mr. Wright for Senator Obama, Cindy McCain for Senator John McCain, and there is Bill Clinton for Senator Hillary Clinton.

Senator Obama has finally gotten past his and the memories are gradually dying and the effort by the McCain camp and particularly Senator McCain’s wife Cindy McCain to make Michelle Obama Mr. Wright’s replacement is failing. 

Is the Obama camp sure it is ready to take on the burden of Senator Clinton’s anchor and husband Bill Clinton.  After all they are married and he loves to get passionate about whatever he is supporting politically.  The problem that has surfaced over the past few months is that he gets passionately stupid.  Why would a candidate volunteer for more obstacles to overcome?

Next let’s look at how this is bad for Senator Clinton.  She spent months tearing down the credentials of Senator Obama and convincing the entire planet that he would be one of the worst choices for president of the United States there has ever been.  Her campaigning to the contrary confirms the suspicion that she is all rhetoric and she doesn’t mean half of what she says.

The fact is, that if an Obama presidency has half of the problems she stated it may have, it would be better for her political career to have distanced herself from him during the rest of this race and just announce that she is supporting her party’s candidate because she has to.  This means if he is elected and all evil breaks loose, she can run four years from now as the “I told you so” candidate and possibly be the better choice for her party.

Finally let’s look at how this is bad for us.  Clearly the campaign is going to get ugly.  The McCain camp is starting off with a similar campaign mindset that Senator Clinton had; if you keep attacking Senator Obama he will crack (although this seems like the obvious right direction to go with the slight leads Obama has in many polls, it just failed for Senator Clinton).  What is going to happen once the Clinton family are on the other side of this manner of campaign.  The mud slinging war to end all wars and we have to endure it all.  Smear tactics, attacks on family members, rude and often misleading adds, racial divisiveness from both sides, childishness, and on and on. 

The worst problem with all of this will be the lack of genuine conversation about real issues and solutions to compare.  We will be simply voting for who fights better, not who is the better candidate.

This is a two sided coin.  Good in some ways and bad in some grave other ways