Face it: You loved the little shorts.
Back in the ‘90s when then-President Bill Clinton would rise early for his morning jaunt up and down Pennsylvania Ave., most of us couldn’t help but feel endeared by his choice of clothing. His big, man legs sticking out of teeny-tiny shorts were hilarious. It was goofy. It was likable. And, most importantly, it was human.
If you ask a current day Clinton-supporter what the reason is for their love, most likely they will spew some information about the economy, punctuated with favorable adjectives about NAFTA. Or maybe they will even tell you something about a resurgence of the Democratic Party. But we all know the real reason why they love him. That reason is because he used to jog in tiny shorts. He was struggling with the weight he’d gained from fast food, and we loved every minute of it.
Bill Clinton tossed aside the typical, stiff Presidential appearance – a time when we were familiar with the dubious images of George H.W. Bush perplexed by the conveyor belt and barcode scanner at a grocery store – and showed us something that looked a little bit more like ourselves.
However, when I turn on the television today, I cringe at the sight of our favorite cheeseburger-loving ex-President practically frothing at the mouth within feet of a Nevada caucus site. Watching him campaign for his wife conjures up images of the character Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings,” and the candidacy is his “Precious.” It’s unfamiliar. It’s disturbing. And it’s rather hard to relate to as a human.
The problem with this image is that it makes you think: If Bill Clinton hadn’t been so likeable, then would we have ever viewed him as such a wonderful President? People in the ‘90s were so high from the economic boom (partly to do with the President, sure, but mostly to do with the growth of the Internet and subsequent dotcom explosion in Silicon Valley) that they didn’t really seem to notice that not much else was really getting done.
This man had eight years in office – and with very little opposition considering that it was a mostly-Democratic Congress for half of those years – and yet he still failed to accomplish some of the most basic goals. He had eight years to pass healthcare reform, define a new energy plan to decrease U.S. dependency on oil, develop a long-term plan for social security, reform immigration, and improve our poorest areas and public schools. He had eight years to accomplish these things and yet he failed at every single one. Not to mention, with the implementation of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, he propelled the gay rights movement into a backwards tailspin. And all the poverty that was unearthed with the disaster of Hurricane Katrina? That stuff just doesn’t materialize over night. Tragedies like that have been hiding below the dark underbelly of America through many presidencies and have yet to be properly addressed.
The fact is that he was so bogged down in scandal after scandal that little progress could be made. Days and months were wasted as he put America’s problems aside and addressed his own personal issues instead. And yet we forgave him for this and for the lies he told because we loved that he was human. “Well, anyone would lie about that. We understand, Bill.”
Unfortunately for the Clintons, America is in such a crisis right now with a recession, a mismanaged war, our infrastructure literally collapsing beneath our cars and a health insurance program that causes doctors to choose death over life for their suffering patients, that it no longer wants a fun man in tiny shorts. It wants a real leader who is actually capable of getting things done. And we’re just not sure the Clintons can adequately put aside the partisan bickering long enough to do much of anything – again.
The Clintons are losing their human “average Joe” charm, and without that, there is little appeal. People are seeing that they had their chance with eight years, and by most standards, they failed. It’s time for someone new to have a chance. People get nostalgic about the Clintons because Bush seems so inhuman in comparison. But we don’t need to look to the past to find improvements; we need to look to the future. Much like the Nirvana-inspired grunge clothing, bowling shirts and “The Rachel” haircut, some styles need to stay in the last decade. And tiny jogging shorts are one of them.
OBAMA '08!!!
Hi everyone!
I hope you have all noticed our fabulous new logo! Isn't it amazing?
It was created by a girl named Hilary who I met through the Vegetarians for Obama group. Her logo for the vegetarians was so wonderful that I asked her to create one for us. And I couldn't be happier with the outcome.
Thanks Hilary!!!
love, amanda
Hey guys,
This article from the Sioux City Journal didn't make the Obama homepage, but I think it's worth reading. Enjoy!
Warnstadt endorses Obama By Bret Hayworth Journal staff writer 2 comment(s) | Share | Small | Large Seeing a candidate he thinks can not only win the 2008 presidential election, but govern in the following years, Iowa Sen. Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City, has announced his endorsement of Barack Obama.U.S. Sen. Obama, D-Ill., has campaigned twice in Sioux City this year and Warnstadt liked what he saw then and has seen previously."America is facing a lot of division, and I think (Obama) has unique skills to bring people together," Warnstadt said.Warnstadt also thinks Obama is making a strong move for change in his refusal to accept political action committee donations. "I like the way he has limited campaign financing to non-PACs. He has decided to reach out aggressively to ordinary individuals," he said.Warnstadt's role with the Obama campaign is yet to be defined, but he said he is "impressed with how the campaign is turning to individuals. This is not a top-down campaign."With Warnstadt's endorsement, four of the five Sioux City statehouse lawmakers have settled on a candidate for the 2008 presidency. The first to endorse was House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, who supports former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican. The other Sioux City Republican serving in the legislature, Iowa Sen. Ron Wieck, has not settled on a candidate."I continue to watch where they are on the issues," Wieck said, adding that he will endorse at some point before the Jan. 14 Iowa caucuses.Of the two other statehouse Democrats, Iowa Rep. Wes Whitead supports John Edwards and Iowa Rep. Roger Wendt has endorsed Hillary Clinton. Whitead will speak on behalf of Edwards at the Northwest Iowa Labor Council annual Labor Day Picnic on Monday.Northwest Iowa Labor Council president John Hamm said the picnic field of speakers is the best ever. Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson and Joe Biden will take part, while former President Bill Clinton will also attend and introduce his wife. Estimates are that 5,000 or more people will attend the labor council event at Riverside Park in Sioux City.Parking will be available on both sides of Riverside Boulevard and on the grass between the railroad and Riverside Boulevard, Hamm said. Also, parking is available in the park's lots.The appearance of three presidential candidates at the picnic ends a fallow period with few candidates since the Aug. 11 Iowa Republican Party straw poll, which was won by Romney. Many candidates from the two major parties campaigned in Sioux City in late July and early August, but since the straw poll the only stop was by Edwards on Aug. 14.Bret Hayworth may be reached at (712) 293.4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com
I wanted to share this article from the Daily Vail in Colorado. I think it perfectly sums up the Obama Fever. I ran into a group of Iowans just last night at a bar. They were visiting Chicago for a hockey game or something, and I took the opportunity to turn them all into Obama Caucus Goers. It took a couple hours, but, in the end, they were all enthusiastically on board. I got called "hippy dippy" a lot though and am always trying to fight that stereotype!!! This article mentions that too. It's great. Enjoy:
Daily Editorial: Obama phenomenon
This is not an endorsement or a prediction, just an observation. People who like Barack Obama really like Barack Obama. In interviews with locals, people gave thoughtful and resolute reasons for why they favored Republican or Democratic candidates. But the language of those who are supporting Obama went beyond just logic and careful consideration. People sounded practical, even full of admiration, when they talked about Rudy Giuliani’s experience running a big city or about John Edwards’ plans for universal health care coverage or John McCain’s vow to fight pork-barrel spending. People sounded passionate — as if they were describing a hero of their childhood — when they described how Barack Obama had given them renewed hope in the country or how they believe the Illinois senator is energizing the idealistic and the young. They seem to see a candidate who not only has a strong environmental stance, not just someone who they believe will protect them from foreign threats, but a president who would reinvigorate their faith in America and its unique potential. They seem to believe that he’s not just another self-interested and ambitious megalomaniac who will forgot about the hopes and fears of the people who voted for him once he moves into the White House. He’s not a Clinton or a Bush, for one thing, and he’s not one of those candidates like John Kerry, who was supposedly born to be president. Most of all, Obama’s backers see a man who will free them from the cynicism and disillusion with which many of us, these days, not only view the candidates we oppose, but even the people for whom we vote. Granted, these emotions are vague, perhaps even “hippy dippy,” and this degree of adoration does not necessarily make Barack Obama the most fit to be president. But we find it refreshing that people are once again speaking passionately and positively about a politician. — Matt Zalaznick for the Editorial Board
