"Either Democrat would be better than John McCain....and all three of us would be better than George Bush." - Barack Obama

Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are patiently awaiting the results of the 2008 Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania. Up to now, the race to determine who will be the best Democratic candidate to face McCain in the Presidential election has been difficult for democrats to figure out, to say the least. Obama is currently in the lead with 1,644 total delegates while Clinton holds 1,498.

But the race in Pennsylvania is also “different.” Obama’s fundraising efforts, that reached nearly $41 million just from the month of March, has enabled him spend about $31 million on his presidential campaign in the region, compared to Clinton’s $22 million spending budget. Earlier in the week, the two senators publically took stabs at one another. Clinton continually criticized Obama’s campaign for “misrepresenting” itself, while Obama criticized Clinton’s plans for universal health care. Despite their differences, that seem to be vividly voiced and accentuated by the media, Obama and Clinton truly do disagree all that much on the substantive issues– economy, health care, housing, crime, war in Iraq, and other foreign policy matters. This is why the two seem to fight about the less important issues, often pointing out the problems with one another’s campaigning or Washington experience. With 158 delegates at stake, the results of the Pennsylvania primary could force Clinton to finally consider dropping out of the presidential race and endorse Obama.

What is most interesting is that state officials claim that hundreds of thousands of new voters have registered, many of who are about to vote for the first time. These voters represent what Wolf Blitzer has termed “a surprise factor.” These virgin democratic supporters represent an element of the political equation that could “tip the balance.” The emergence of new voters in the presidential election is also a huge issue that both McCain and the awaiting democratic nominee will soon have to grapple with.

The 21 Year Old Super Delegate: The Power of The Youth in 2008

Who the hell walks out on breakfast with Chelsea Clinton to make it to class on time?

Well, his name is Jason Rae and he has more than just Chelsea chasing him down. Rae, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Wisconsin, is a “Superdelegate.” He is a member of the Democratic National Committee from Wisconsin and is one of 796 free agents who can back any candidate in the upcoming 2008 Democratic nomination. Superdelegates compose about 1/5th of the total number of delegates voting in the 2008 Democratic National Convention and are selected based “solely on their status as current or former elected officeholders and party officials.”

On Feb. 11th, Rae was asked to join the former (and possibly future) first daughter Chelsea Clinton at the University of Wisconsin for breakfast. The conversation at the table surrounded the issue of electability and mobilizing the youth of America to get involved politically. Clinton also pushed talks about the strength of her mother’s campaign and the power behind her political experience over Senator Obama’s. Because the current campaign for the democratic national nomination for presidency is so close, the importance in gaining the support of these Superdelegates has become vital to the ultimate success of winning the nomination. Before the conversation could get too intimate, Rae politely excused himself and “hustled back to campus to get to his afternoon classes.”

According to CNN, it is not just young Chelsea trying to gain the support of Rae, but her father, former President Clinton, as well as former secretary of State Madeleine have called Rae on his cell phone in attempt to “woo him to the Clinton side.” Massachusetts Senator John Kerry also has contacted Rae pushing for Rae to endorse Obama.

What is most interesting is that Rae (along with a huge chunk of the population in their twenties) has never voted before in a presidential election because he turned 18 after the Election in 2004. This group of potential voters, who are soon to be politically “de-virginized,” has been given little attention and de-emphasized by both the Democratic and Republican party campaigns. Despite their attempt to contact every superdelgate in the country and offer them a lunch with a member of their family, the majority of political campaigns continue to eradicate the value of these first time voters. The youth in the past has demonstrated their inability to get up and vote, but the importance of the upcoming election juxtaposed with the current dissatisfaction with the Bush administration has been echoed loudly throughout the country, fornicating a national sentiment that this time the youth truly will “Vote or Die.”

Obama, Obama, Obama

"It is time now for Barack Obama"

Early Monday morning, Senator Edward Kennedy officially handed over his support to Presidential Candidate Barack Obama as he warned Americans to "reject the counsels of doubt and calculations" that surround the Presidential Candidate, for "it is time for a new generation of leadership." The move to support Obama carries a great deal of importance, as a huge population of Americans still exist today who lust for a period remotely related to that of the Kennedy Era, characterized by a unified country with a "common purpose." Throughout the 20-minute address, Senator Kennedy praised Obama for his outstanding leadership and devotion to key issues, as well as his unique ability to "transcend" the boundaries of race. He also noted that Obama has opposed the war from the beginning, a statement that Hilary Clinton and other Presidential Candidates seem to fiercely reject as "just false," pointing to moments of ambiguity in Obama's campaign.

The competitive nature of the campaign to win the Democratic Nomination erupts on Super Tuesday (Feb. 5th), when the greatest number of states hold primary elections to select delegates to the national conventions. It seems clear that the Democratic nominee for President will be between Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, but the question undoubtedly surfaces when considering each one's candidacy; is the Democratic party doomed for destruction? Are they setting themselves up for failure by promoting the nominations of a woman and an African American? Is the country even ready for a female or black President?