The Dartmouth Observer |
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Commentary on politics, history, culture, and literature by two Dartmouth graduates and their buddies
WHO WE ARE Chien Wen Kung graduated from Dartmouth College in 2004 and majored in History and English. He is currently a civil servant in Singapore. Someday, he hopes to pursue a PhD in History. John Stevenson graduated from Dartmouth College in 2005 with a BA in Government and War and Peace Studies. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He hopes to pursue a career in teaching and research. Kwame A. Holmes did not graduate from Dartmouth. However, after graduating from Florida A+M University in 2003, he began a doctorate in history at the University of Illinois--Urbana Champaign. Having moved to Chicago to write a dissertation on Black-Gay-Urban life in Washington D.C., he attached himself to the leg of John Stevenson and is thrilled to sporadically blog on the Dartmouth Observer. Feel free to email him comments, criticisms, spelling/grammar suggestions. BLOGS/WEBSITES WE READ The American Scene Arts & Letters Daily Agenda Gap Stephen Bainbridge Jack Balkin Becker and Posner Belgravia Dispatch Black Prof The Corner Demosthenes Daniel Drezner Five Rupees Free Dartmouth Galley Slaves Instapundit Mickey Kaus The Little Green Blog Left2Right Joe Malchow Josh Marshall OxBlog Bradford Plumer Political Theory Daily Info Andrew Samwick Right Reason Andrew Seal Andrew Sullivan Supreme Court Blog Tapped Tech Central Station UChicago Law Faculty Blog Volokh Conspiracy Washington Monthly Winds of Change Matthew Yglesias ARCHIVES BOOKS WE'RE READING CW's Books John's Books STUFF Site Feed    |
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Immediate Reactions to the State of the Democratic Race As any reader of this blog knows, I am a Clinton fan. I've been behind her for years and am excited by the progress that she has made as a candidate and a politician. As a political and registered independent, I've been proud to support her campaign. When the Democratic race first started, I was excited that as long as John Edwards, Chris Dodd, or Joe Biden did not win, I would be happy no matter who took the nomination. This feeling of satisfaction continued even when the race effectively narrowed to Senators Obama and Clinton over the summer. Recently, however, I've stopped feeling the Obama-love. I've always liked Clinton more on substance but watching the "feeling" that some affluent (and oftentimes jaded) liberals get from Obama has made me proud of his candidacy. Occasionally, when listening to his speeches, I've even felt moved. When the feeling wears off, I find myself irritated that his supporters don't demand more. Change is so very non-specific. Part of my objection is that, in a nutshell, we're being asked to take it on faith that Obama will know what he's doing when he gets into the White House. (The irony that the Democracy may answer years of chafing under Bush with another young, ambitious (arrogant) male who wants to "learn on the job" strikes me as ironic and tragic.) It also makes me a little nervous. This is probably why I am annoyed with the video, which has a lot to do with my revulsion at America's culture of celebrity. |