A rare thing from me these days, a Forum thread. So make the most of it lol.

As you know I have been following the Primaries closely and what a fascinating race it has been. I can imagine my American sisters may be a little tired of what is probably wall-to-wall coverage but the politics has a rawness that is lacking here. In Britain you cannot run for the highest political office. In America you have been nominating candidates to run for President, here we have a Prime Minister who wasn't even elected by his own party. There you have political adverts, here they are banned; there you have televised debates between candidates, here it is unknown. So the whole process has an interactive feel to it that is sadly lacking in Britain.

It appears that Barack Obama has at last secured the Democratic nomination. But he has done so on a losing streak when all the momentum seemed to be with Hillary Clinton. Now I'm no particular fan of hers but I have to admit a grudging admiration for her fighting qualities. She didn't quit ( and at this time still hasn't ) and when I think of all those cut and fold Republicans who gave up the ghost at the first sign of a setback, I respect her for that. If you truly and sincerely believe you can be President then you should be willing to fight for it. Of course, other's may say it was just blind ambition. Those Republicans may have thought that victory in the next election was beyond them. That doesn't appear to be the case now. Because what we have is an intriguing scenario. We have the possibility of the first black President and we have two candidates on the fringes of their own party. Obama is a newcomer unknown to many before the race started; McCain is considered a liberal by many in his party. It has been reported here that as many as 30% of those polled who voted for Clinton have declared that they will definitely not vote for Obama and may well vote for McCain. On the other hand many Republicans will vote for McCain holding their nose and some may not bother to vote at all. Obama has failed to show he can win over the white working class; McCain cannot depend on the support of the religious right. So it really is in the balance. Now it is possible that Obama's youth, energy, rhetoric and the desire for change might just blow the aged McCain away. Then again the steadying hand of experience might just win the day. So nothing is certain. But there is a lot there for the Republicans to attack.

Personally I struggle to understand the fascination with Obama outside of his colour, and the novelty of his being relatively fresh on the scene. He has a seductive voice but actually seems to say very little. He appears to lack substance but that may change now the shackles of internal party politics have been removed. McCain can look very tired at times but he has a gravitas that Obama lacks.

I believe Obama will win in November, and will do so fairly comfortably. But he didn't do so well when Hillary went on the attack ( had she done so earlier the result may have been different ) and he will come under attack as never before. He also doesn't think too quickly on his feet and may not come over as well in debates as one might imagine. Where McCain has the unfortunate habit of saying things that do not upset his opponents as much as they anger his supporters. The truth is neither of them has a natural natural base of support. What a fascinating race indeed and the contrast between the two will be intruiging. Personally, I wouldn't vote for either of them.

You are so astute Porscha. Why is it you can see it and it seems like nobody over here can. Most people tend to be middle of the road in politics. The only thing I would add to what you said is that Obama is an ultra libereral. I am not a Clinton fan but I to admire her for her courage to continue.

As I see it now, it is McCains election to lose. Thing is, he is an idiot also, so you cannot rule it out. Can we toss them all out and start over?

Hugs,
Marsha

**humph**

You ask me, we'd be better off without politicians and bureaucrats. They take your money, give you nothing but heartburn, and generally get in one's way.

However, in order to have some semblance of order, someone's got to be in charge. I therefore nominate Porscha for voted Queen, Marsha for Leading Woman, Katie for Governess of news and information, and we can have an all-trans government. Just add more transfolk to round out what's really needed.

Think about this: with an all trans leadership, there would be no war. (Hard to shoot in stilettos.) No poverty. (Money would be exchanged for some other medium; we would then stimulate the heck out of the economy by buying clothes, makeup, shoes, etc.) We'd all get along, because an all trans governing body allows everyone to get in touch with their inner woman (or man, as the case may well be). This in turn reduces the anger levels.

Anyone wanna modify this?

Luv 'n hugs,

Mina Sakura