Nonstop Political Coverage

I have turned into a political news junkie. When I'm home, I leave the television on with the talking heads pontificating in the background. It's all about MSNBC and CNN with breaks for the Daily Show. Plus following the campaigns on various news websites and blogs. Yes, it's sick. But it's also fun.

One new feeling is that California's primary vote will actual count. This is novel. I regularly vote in Democratic primaries for some guy whose campaign has already imploded after other voters in other states decided someone else was more "electable."

Plus, poets seem to matter, at least if they're Maya Angelou. I just saw Maya Angelou endorsing Hillary Clinton (the anchorman on MSNBC, about a third her age, kept interrupting her and trying to get her to talk about race; she closed the interview with the observation that she is "a woman, not an old lady").

On the Republican side, I mostly feel gleeful schadenfreude. So Republicans can't seem to find anyone they can rally around — whoo-hoo! As I was telling my sister last night, Huckabee is the one that really scares me, and fortunately he hasn't gotten much traction post-Iowa. Thompson and now Giuliani have dropped out. Romney is plastic and beatable, while McCain is worryingly electable, especially against a divided Democratic party.

On the Democratic side, my feelings are mixed. I lean Obama, rather strongly in fact, and I have had doubts about Sen. Clinton's ability to pull people across the country. But until recently, I've felt both were good candidates and could see myself filling in the bubble for either one in November. The race has taken on a sourness, though, and I worry about irreparable damage being done. Of course, it's only January, and there are many many months ahead.