I must be a fan of underdogs. As I watched parts of the Democratic Party Debate this evening, I again was most impressed with Governor O’Malley. Part of it is his record of achievements as Governor of Maryland but part of it is also his leadership ability and the way his words are usually well measured.
Tonight Secretary Clinton seemed to tie herself to President Obama in a way I don’t think she would have done a few months ago. The apparent success of Iran diplomacy and the current positive employment situation have probably led to that. She is probably hoping that the old wisdom will hold true. If the economy is good they say it bodes well for the party in power in the Presidential election and if it is not, they are in trouble. Personally, I think it unwise for her to tie herself closely to Obama as she heads for the general election as there are many people in the middle who do not like Obama’s record.
Bernie Sanders reminds me of the angry right in the Republican Party. He is the angry left in the Democratic party raging against Wall Street, the big banks, the 1% and the Super PACS. His words make for good political rhetoric among the left even as the tirades of Trump and Cruz ignite the far right.
I observed unfortunately that the extreme positions of Republican candidates like Trump create an easy and effective target for the Democrats. In addition, the tone set by the slanderous in-house bickering and disrespect for the President at the Republican debate compared very unfavorably with the comparatively friendly tone at the Democratic debate.
