Pocket Universe

Unlike most Washingtonians, who are behind Obama or Ron Paul in Seattle and John McCain in the rest of this very conservative state, I'm voting for Hillary Clinton. As she so pithily stated it in the last debate, it took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and it will take a Clinton to clean up after this one. For me it really comes down to experience -her experience as a senator generally, as a member of the White House specifically: she has seen how things work in the executive.
Even so, what is so interesting this year is the splintering effect we are seeing in the major parties. Mitt Romney is a fine example. He is a classic Republican candidate, the closest thing to Bush we're seeing in the field -yet he is not proving to be a unifying force for the party. Why is that?
I suppose we could blame the diversifying engine that is the Web, or fingers could be pointed at the way the current administration squandered the conservative movement engendered by Reagan (Obama cannily invokes Reagan, trying to foment a movement mentality among progressives). I don't follow politics closely enough to really know just what the primary dividing cause is, but it is undeniable nevertheless that Republicans and Democrats alike are more likely to vote independently this year.

I think there are many factors that contributed to Romney’s lack of momentum. The Mormon factor can’t be discounted, and certainly Huckabee has split the evangelical vote with Romney, allowing McCain to gain traction with independents and moderates. But personally, I think the main reason he hasn’t gained traction is that he’s a Washington insider who (according to his record) doesn’t play the game, and for that reason (and maybe other reasons), the other candidates just don’t like him. As a result, you get things like Huckabee focusing on Romney, instead of on McCain. I also think he got some bad breaks with the Super Tuesday results, which probably hurt him as things progressed westward.

Many of the reasons that I like Romney are reasons why I dislike Hillary. For me, her experience with the Washington game is part of the problem. I would like to see someone in the White House who doesn’t follow the strict D.C. mentality of what can or can’t be done. More and more lately, the political process seems to hinder progress.

I agree completely that Bush has squandered the conservative movement, although I’m not sure that our reasons completely mesh. I do know that if you plan on cutting taxes to stimulate growth, you can’t also generate new programs that recklessly increase the budget. There has to be some fiscal restraint, and I think that Bush tries to play both sides too often, and ends up alienating both instead.