The President has abysmal poll numbers, his opponents, Congress, are doing even worse. You might think this means that people hate Democrats more than the Republicans. And it might. However, there is a bigger-picture conclusion.
What people are hating most, it seems to me, is politicians. Congress has come in, promising change, and when it became clear that there weren't no change a-comin', the poll numbers dropped like King Kong. We, the people, are emitting a collective shout: "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!" Same president, same congress, same senate, all taking us in a different direction than they were elected to.
Ideally at this point, all the incumbents would be voted out in 2008, but we both know that ain't gonna happen. Everybody hates Congress except THEIR congressman, and they may even hate him but not as much as the guy running against him. But the President? He's up for retirement. And we're going to want the candidate who is most unlike him to take his place.
And at the very basic level, it would most likely be someone who looks different because we're afraid of real change, and we recognize if we put a genuine outsider in the position they would just be chewed up by the system. Therefore, either a white woman or a black man. Hillary or Obama. Fred Thompson won't make it, because he LOOKS like the status quo. That's how he's made his living. Guiliani? White guy. McCain: sorry, who?
Condaleeza Rice would certainly qualify if she was anti-war and if she was running.
Of course it's a long way to the elections. But let's face it - how likely is it that people will start to like politicians during a campaign season?
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