Go Big or Go Home

Today was the last day Democratic Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had to persuade “Keystone state” voters to support them. What has seemed like months of personal attacks, the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary will finally take place tomorrow and will put an end to this bitter saga, at least in this state. Speaking of bitter, what has been the deal with the backlash Obama has received from rivals Clinton and McCain? In my opinion, his remarks have been extremely overblown and demonstrate the type of desperation one candidate is facing. After watching the ABC debate last week and keeping up with media monitoring, the sport of politics has certainly brought out the worst of Senator Clinton.

First, let me address the issue of Obama’s bitter remarks. The comments that the Illinois Senator made, which he himself has admitted may not have been the best choice of words, certainly echoes what many Americans feel across the country. Obama’s statement, like it or not, did represent what many people are feeling right now. Jobs continue to be outsourced, the economy is in shambles, gas prices are at an all time high and politicians continue to make empty promises to change the face of politics. Is it any wonder that many Americans are simply fed up with this system? They are of course bitter and they have a good right to be.

Hillary Clinton and John McCain classified Obama’s comment as being “elitist” and “out of touch with reality.” I find this statement particularly interesting considering that Hillary and Bill have earned roughly $109 million since leaving the oval office. McCain, whose wife is the heiress to a large brewery, is speculated to be worth over $100 million. And Obama, who made just a little over $4 million last year, continues to be cited as an elitist…I just don’t get it.

Another argument from the Clinton campaign has been that Obama is inexperienced and not ready to handle the challenges of the presidency, such as resolving issues such as a potential economic recession. Today, I read a story on CNN that stated that Hillary’s campaign was roughly $10 million in debt. What kind of fiscal responsibility is this? How can we expect a Senator to reinvigorate the economy if she cannot even balance her own campaign? And in response to this story, Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson stated “The money continues to come in strongly. We had a very good month last month of fundraising…we are continuing to have a good month this month." Well of course the money has come in strongly, what do you expect when Elton John hosts a concert to benefit the campaign and raises $2.5 million? Is that her economic stimulus plan? Have upper class Americans, or middle class families who can’t afford it, purchase Elton John tickets? I sure hope Clinton’s previous track record, which ironically she has prided herself on, isn’t an indicator of how she plans to boost our economy.

Clinton also released a new ad in Pennsylvania today which depicts images of Pearl Harbor, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Osama Bin Laden. The narrator in this ad states that:

"You need to be ready for anything – especially now, with two wars, oil prices skyrocketing, and an economy in crisis…Harry Truman said it best – if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Who do you think has what it takes?"

Isn’t this a Republican tactic? Scare people into supporting a war, or in this case a campaign? I just don’t understand how someone can exercise this type of desperation and yet call themselves the strongest candidate for office.

Well, I’m certainly looking forward to tomorrow’s Democratic primary results. Let’s just hope that Obama pulls out a decisive win. It will serve as another reminder that Hillary simply does not have the support for office. Although based on her previous actions, I doubt she’ll pay much attention to it.

-Brett