Hermione Rodham Clinton

Bush-rubber stamp Representative Heather Wilson (R-NM) wrote a letter to the New York Times.

She writes:

The Democratic nominating system favors the most liberal candidate — in this case, Barack Obama.

But there is a second reason Hillary Clinton lost that some are reluctant to openly acknowledge: a latent and lamentable sexism. She lost because the superdelegates — the Democratic establishment — went against her.

She became a caricature: too smart, too strong, too assertive, too rational, too competent. Think how the young Harry Potter and his male friends initially reacted to Hermione Granger and you get the idea.

I don't agree with her main point. Sure sexism was at play during the entire election, but I don't think it is the reason Hillary lost. Plus, if Ms. Wilson were correct we'd all be chanting Kucinich 2008...

But the Hermione comparison is quite astute, perhaps even better than the Tracy Flick analogy:

This scenario makes Barack Obama the electoral Harry Potter (fits), John Edwards into Ron Weasley (okay), and Bill Richardson into....Hagrid.

And of course all of this makes John McCain....Voldemort.

I think I'll start referring to McCain as He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.

Shameless Self-Promotion

I have been fairly disappointed with how long it has taken The Crimson to reinstate the comment system on the website.  So I am posting links to my column (which is now over for the semester) here to solicit responses.  I attempted to approach the 2008 elections from a novel and less cliche way.

What's So New About Obama?: the phenonmenon of "post-racial" political leaders

Senator Evasive for President: about straight talk from candidates not being valued

On Ideologues and Weathervanes: about Ron Paul and Mitt Romney

The Politics of Xenophobia: about the anti-immigrant sentiment throughout America

Enough with Electability: about the lack of consensus regarding who is most electable

Mike and the Chocolate Factory: about Mike Huckabee and the GOP field using Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Meet Our Oregon Senate Candidate

After a few high-profile candidates passed, we finally have a candidate to challenge the worthless Gordon Smith out there in Oregon. His name is Jeff Merkley, and he sounds like just the kind of guy we want in the Senate:

I began my life in the small town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, where my dad was a millwright at a lumber mill. When the mill closed, we moved to Roseburg, a Southern Oregon town where wood products were king. Like people in so many towns throughout Oregon, folks in Roseburg knew the value of hard work, honesty and strong families.

While still in grade school, my dad got a job as a heavy equipment mechanic in Portland. He took me to the grade school and said "Those doors are the doors to opportunity. Study hard and you can pursue any dream." My father passed away earlier this year, and now my wife Mary and I are trying to teach our two kids to value hard work and education the way he always did.

That's what my career in public service has always been about -- opening doors to new opportunities for all Oregonians. The opportunity to learn and succeed. The opportunity to get decent medical care and live healthy lives. The opportunity to earn a decent wage that can support a family. [...]

Oregon needs a new U.S. Senator who will bring a real passion to the job. A passion for tax fairness, public education and for helping ordinary, everyday Oregonians achieve their aspirations and make their dreams come true. [...]

I will fight for ordinary working families, not multi-millionaires. I will run a grassroots campaign with the participation of thousands of Oregonians.

Merkley seems to be employing the "office-park populism" we had such great success with in '06 (see Jon Tester, Jim Webb, Sherrod Brown), but with that distinctly chilled-out Pacific Northwest vibe. For instance, his "passion for tax fairness" is not exactly going to get the blood boiling; but hey, if it plays in Portland I'm all for it. We could use a calm, friendly, Mr. Rogers-type populist anyway.

And he's qualified. Before being Speaker of the Oregon House (which he ran with great success, pushing through a very progressive agenda), he ran Portland Habitat for Humanity and worked for an affordable-housing consortium; also he's a policy wonk with degrees from Stanford & Princeton, and experience at the Defense Secretary's office and the CBO. (Not to mention, he's the son of a millworker.) You can't ask for much better of a resume.

So keep an eye on Jeff Merkley. (And don't think too much about his creepy similarity, in name and appearance, to the ineffectual president Merkin Muffley from Dr. Strangelove.) If he runs smartly and articulates his message well, this could develop into one of the most satisfying campaigns of 2008.

(Facebook here; if so inclined donate money here.)

Looking To 2008... The Senate, not the Presidency

With a razor-thin majority in the Senate (which means little due to the independent nature of Senators, other than chairmanships), 2008 is going to be a tough contest in the close Senate races. There are 21 Republicans and only 12 Democrats up for grabs, which is a much better situation for us than we were in during 2006.

From my view, we have, at the most, 5 seats that Republicans can think of shooting for:

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