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Momentum, Momentum, Momentum!!!!

March 5th 2008 15:10

As I sit here soaking in the aftermath of what turned out to be an all nighter of political coverage I have one word I can't get out of my head....Momentum, Momentum Momentum

Much like a brainy school boy it lead me to my dictionary to go to the true meaning of the word and this was the reply I received from dictionary.com:

mo·men·tum /mo?--m?nt?m/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[moh-men-tuhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun, plural -ta /-t?/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[-tuh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation, -tums. .. minmax_bound="true"> ..> 1. force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events: The car gained momentum going downhill. Her career lost momentum after two unsuccessful films.

If my powers of analysis are still correct, momentum is based on something beyond one night or one event. The electoral events last night resulted in tight contests in the states of Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island. When the dust settled Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton left with a 3-1 advantage in states won.

This however means nothing because she still may end up earning less delegates then her opponent for the night. Carrying the states of Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island....

Victories were splashed across TV screens and computer monitors everywhere as news barons everywhere looked for their headlines.

Looking at this, the media was quick to declare that she now has the momentum of this political race. In a sense I agree and disagree with this notion on several points. I agree that she rescued her campaign and has the right to fight another day.

I also agree that all the major states have been played in New York, California and Texas and the voters in these states have all chosen Hillary Clinton but have split delegates evenly with Barack Obama.

This should be a done deal right? Fortunately our nation is a well crafted network of states and territories and looking at the big picture her opponent Barack Obama is carrying the majority of these delegates as well as the popular votes.

In my eyes winning 12 coast to coast races in a row would count as strong momentum not winning 3 states in one night after this feat. These races included strong community networks that have devoured polls that put Obama as much as 20 points behind. Overcoming this kind of diversity is really saying something.

Coming into a political race as the "chosen one" with a strong name brand recognition, false experience and cross the board double digit leads is something most canidates would fall over themselves for and could easily craft into victory.

These are the things that carried our current President into the White House and should of paved Hillary Clintons streets of gold to the oval office. It was the people who organized against business as usual who prevented this from happening.

The republicans like myself who said enough is enough. The college students getting involved in the political proscess for the first time and the adults who are tired of political games who are driving this campaign. It was also the people who are looking for a leader who can see things are not right in Washington and has the courage to challenege the instituational brass for change .

It was the people who came out in mass during that 12 state win streak to post up margins of 60-30 to give Obama the lead he enjoys today. Hillary Clinton has yet to claim margins of victory to this degree in any states as Obama has kept every race he has lost close.

Clinton's base has kept her strong holds but has had the inability to lay a knock out punch to the will of the people. Name recognition and fear mongering alone will not punch her ticket to the White House but it will give her wins in in big states like Ohio, Texas and California.

In this year the American people will finally punch their ticket to the White House through the only canidate that is willing to listen to their needs, is ready to reach across the aisle to pass much needed legislation, is willing to not fall into the traps of special interests and lobbyists and will not do it for personal gain or pettiness, participate in devisiveness, party line politics, racial divisions, fear mongering or dirty politics.

This man is Obama and as this race gets more and more mired along racial lines, dirt digging and false allegations my hope is that the American people ready for change don't fall for the call of false momentum out of fear mongering but rather will look at the one person who will instill hope back into the political proscess. My one fear is that this will be the last chance in my lifetime to put someone in the oval office that will actually make moves for much needed changes in Washington.

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