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*I often ask myself why Americans are so predictable. When retailers advertise a sale we shop with reckless abandonment and when the meteorologist forecasts inclement weather we stock up on toilet tissue and milk as if we won’t see the light of day for a month.
But something tells me the summer of 2008 will be anything but predictable. One year ago who would have guessed Americans would be crossing the political milestones we face today?
Will Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideology of choosing a U.S. President based on the content of his or her character instead of race or gender prevail? Or will most people vote the way they always have and likely get what they’ve always gotten?
If it hadn’t been said a dozen times already, I’d be the first to say Sen. Hillary Clinton has the right to stay in the race as long as there are primaries votes to be counted. She wants to keep hope alive, at least through the primary season that ends on June 3.
It appears that Sen. Barack Obama, will be declared the winner of the popular vote and the super delegates vote. Even though it won’t be official until the end of August at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Obama should assume the position and turn his attention to his Republican rival for the next six months.
Just like the NBA’s Boston Celtics, expending too much energy by playing each series through game 7, using all his energy to get to the main event might cause Obama to run out of steam before November’s general election.
It’s not just everyday tax paying citizens who have been won over by Obama’s message of change. He received key endorsements from other politicians and some labor unions, including former U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
If he uses his political endorsements wisely, Obama could reap the benefit of having campaign savvy politicians help him to reach beyond his core constituents.
As I write this most of you are getting ready to celebrate Memorial Day, the official transition into the summer season. Be careful not to lose your focus and the progress you’ve made in 2008. When it comes to ExxonMobil and BP, remember to do a drive-by and always keep your third eye open.
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Send your questions and comments to her at teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com.