Z Politics

After a brief break race and gender have once again become issues in the Democratic Presidential primary race.

This is no surprise to me but all over the place people are acting shocked. Democrats are so naïve. With Americans approval rating of Bush in the basement and many Republicans reluctant to vote for John McCain the White House was basically on a platter for the party. But as Randi Rhodes says only Democrats can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Democrats were so caught up in the idea of making history that they failed to look at what I consider the most important factor…electability. Poll after poll showed the most electable Democratic candidate was  John Edwards yet he was never able to finish higher than third after Iowa.

So many people I know said a variation of the following statement, “It would be so cool to have a woman president.” Or , “It would be so cool to have a black president.”

Call me square but all I thought was “Wouldn’t’ it be cool to have a democratic president. So we could actually get things done.”

I find it mildly amusing that while people said it would be cool to have an African-American President or a woman president there was never much of a push to elect this countries first Latino president. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was all but ignored.

Another thing I find amusing is that both Obama and Clinton have resorted to a scorched earth approach when it comes to pointing out the international diplomacy history of the other one. Once again one need only look at Bill Richardson to see real international experience.

But that doesn’t matter. Democrats wanted to make history. I just hope that the history that is ultimately made isn’t that John McCain becomes the oldest elected President in American History.

None of this means anything if the old white guy beat the woman or the black guy.