Barack Obama’s Fable of the Tortoise and the Hare

Or The Clinton Campaign That Went Down-Hill

By Candace Runaas (Editorial published in the Tomball-Spring Times www.tomballspringtimesonline.com)

Divisive.  Inspiring.  Long.  Historical.  These words and many others have been used to describe the Democratic nomination process that the country has observed (or endured) for the last 16 months.  Illinois Senator Barack Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton have captivated us with a ‘stranger than fiction’ political run to become the presidential candidate that goes head to head with John McCain, the 72-year-old Republican senator from Arizona.  How did Obama finally capture that coveted position when Clinton, his ‘rival,’ had not only eight years of experience in the White House, but also many more years than he on the Senate floor?   Change. 

‘Change’ is another word that we have heard repeated over and over during the 16 month campaign.  Obama’s theme of change was a welcome one, so much so that even young adults, the most difficult demographic to engage in the political process, were echoing the hopeful mantra “Yes We Can.”  No one can really know what that change might ultimately be, regardless of our projections, but many of us are at the ‘anything is better than here’ stage and the thought of change is definitely one that we embrace.  Obama, his campaign managers and his advisors understood that and clearly spoke what we wanted and needed to hear.  He slowly and methodically repeated his message and we listened.

            Hillary, on the other hand, showed us her resume of accomplishments and experience.  Advocates for her campaign told us that the current economic and global conditions require someone who has had extensive experience with world leaders and it doesn’t hurt that she’s been privy to confidential and classified information that only the wife of the nation’s highest political office can know.   There seemed to be a sense of entitlement radiating from her.  Does it surprise anyone since she has heard for almost eight years supporters chant ‘Hillary for President in 2008?’  However, Clinton’s people took her frontrunner status for granted and forgot that American people are quite fickle.  She miscalculated her standing against the other candidates in the race, especially Obama, and did not prepare for the long haul.  She assumed that she had all the necessary credentials to win the nomination so she sprinted to Iowa as if it were the finish line.  Little did she know that the race was going to be much longer, engaging every state in the union, and traveling along more twists and turns than she originally anticipated.  In the end, when she finally arrived at the finish line, she lost by a hare… I mean, a hair.

            What is the moral to this campaign tale?  There really is more than one. Here are some possible choices:  ‘Success is the result of good planning.’  ‘Feelings of entitlement are quite unattractive to most people.’  And lastly and most importantly, ‘Never underestimate your opponent.’

            All the dust has settled and yet one more race is yet to come.  We are all waiting expectantly to be involved in the voting process that will deliver the final results in the November election.  Without fail, the next five months promise to be an extension of the political drama as Obama and McCain fight for the votes to become the next President of the United States.   Will either man take their candidacy for granted?  Have they learned from Clinton’s missteps?  Their race to the finish will not only reveal the answers but ultimately the next Commander-in-Chief of America.