Is It Obama Time?

Have you run into any Hillary Clinton supporters lately? If so, you must've been the same person who regularly sees UFOs.

It isn't that Clinton supporters don't exist. They're just harder to find these days. And the junior Senator from New York has no one to blame for that but herself.

At this time last year, the Democratic nomination was Hillary's to lose. Sure, Barack Obama was looming, but he didn't possess the experience or political machinery to topple her. One of my first blog entries discussed why Hillary had a decisive advantage. She was leading Obama by double digits in all of the key primary states. Since the Republicans were in disarray and President Bush's popularity was dipping by the hour, it seemed almost certain that we'd have another Clinton headed to the White House in January, 2009.

But, the tables have turned. Why? Because Hillary panicked. And it all started during her famous breakdown in New Hampshire, when she began sobbing on national television.

Well, it wasn't exactly a breakdown but, for someone whose stoicism is legendary, it might as well have been. Obama had just scored a surprising victory in Iowa a few days prior and, while talking about the rigors of campaigning, Hillary just couldn't keep a straight face any longer and started crying. At the time, many pundits said the tears showed an emotional side of Hillary that most haven't seen and, thus, could help propel her to the nomination. And she did win New Hampshire.

I know some will say I'm a sexist, callous ass for getting on Hillary for her sob-fest. After all, she is human and there's nothing wrong being emotional. But, no matter what anyone says, no one really wants a president who seems human. They want someone who seems larger than life, a Superman or Superwoman. And, all of a sudden, Hillary no longer looked like a superhero. She all of a sudden looked...well, just like the rest of us.

Meanwhile, Obama seemed to be the complete opposite. The Illinois senator is a dynamic speaker who has drawn comparisons to JFK and, as he's gained momentum, has brought out the worst in Hillary. She's been acting like a spoiled child the last few months, like she's entitled to the Presidency. There was a great article in The Atlantic a couple of months ago about how Hillary felt betrayed by Obama when he decided to run for President, especially since he once looked to her as a mentor. It's almost as if you expect Hillary to scold Obama..."this wasn't the plan! You ruined everything! If you had just listened to me, I could've gotten my way and maybe, just maybe, I'd let you have a shot at the White House in 2016."

It's all added up to make the Democrats look like a disorganized and chaotic bunch. Obama holds a lead in overall delegates but, of course, it isn't a big enough lead to convince Hillary to pull out of the race. It doesn't help that two of the bigger states Hillary's won, Michigan and Florida, had their delegates invalidated by the Democrats. At this point, Hillary needs to win decisively in every state from here on out to have a chance. And, even then, she made need the superdelegates to swing the vote her way to get the nomination. That's not happening, though. I just can't see the superdelegates going against the popular vote.

Meanwhile, the Republicans' dysfunction actually worked to their advantage. Since that party's conservative wing has controlled things for the last decade-plus, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee seemed to be the favorites, but they wound up splitting the conservative vote. Rudy Giuliani made the dumb mistake of ignoring the early primaries where he could've built some momentum before getting thrashed in Florida (that was typical New York City hubris on Giuliani's part, by the way. Most New Yorkers aren't fully convinced that people really live in the states between New Jersey and California) and Ron Paul is a nut. That left John McCain, who most of the Republican rank-and-file detest (remember, this is the guy who has come close to leaving the party a few times, including in 2004, when John Kerry looked at him as a possible running mate). However, McCain is the guy who gives the GOP their best chance to keep the White House. Yes, McCain is a conservative but, because he's gone against his party so often, many think he's a moderate or even a liberal, giving him a chance with voters who are on the fence.

So, what initially looked like a ho-hum election season is shaping up to be rather spicy one. But, thanks to Hillary's self-destructive behavior, it looks like Obama will be the one raising his right hand come Inauguration Day...I think.