The Rocket

Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Opinion

To think, a few months ago, Pennsylvania's votes in the primaries weren't supposed to matter. Sure, the Republican votes don't determine anything, but the Democratic votes will certainly have an effect on the election.

Personally, I am a Hillary Clinton supporter. Before you say it-no, it's not because we share the same kind of chromosomes, and no, it's not because I dislike of the idea of a black man as our next president. It comes down to several factors, and none of them involve political issues.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have very similar stances on many things. In terms of choosing one or the other based on issues alone, I'm pretty much for anyone who isn't a Republican.

However, one of the main issues that I feel the urge to harp on when explaining why Clinton gets my vote over Obama is that she is incredibly experienced in comparison to him.

That's what this country needs right now: an experienced leader who can pull us out of the rubble that eight years of George W. Bush has left. Action will help us move on from eight years of Republican leadership. What won't is talk and charisma, which is all that I believe Obama really has on his side.

Well, that and momentum. Momentum that was recently put on hold when he made a comment regarding those who live in small towns, and how they were "bitter," therefore clinging to "guns," "religion" and "anti-immigrant sentiment." Hillary Clinton and John McCain flew out from their hideouts, screaming about elitism, denouncing Obama as an inhabitant of a political "ivory tower."

This shows how politically inexperienced Obama is compared to Clinton. She knows better than to make a remark like that, and knows better than to alienate that many voters in this country. She speaks far more intelligently on issues than Obama.

During the Compassion Forum this past Sunday, she spoke candidly about her religious views, whereas Obama skirted around the questions and answered in muddled terms about what he believes. Personally, I don't think that religion should really be an issue during an election, but it seems that I'm in the minority by voicing that opinion. Either way, Clinton still has the upper hand when it comes to discussing her stance on a given topic.

Another thing that Clinton has going for her is the fact that she won't be so easily railroaded by her immediate past. Obama has had a pastor scandal, a "bitterness" scandal and has also mentioned his grandmother as being a "typical white person," a sentiment that made some "typical white people" a little uncomfortable.

Clinton has had some issues in the past that are already out there, but the Republicans won't have nearly enough new dirt on her to Swift boat her like they did John Kerry in 2004.

That brings me to one of the bigger issues, and one that highlights why I think Clinton is the better candidate: The ability to beat John McCain.

Sure, Obama has the youth vote right now, but a lot of young people have a hard enough time paying attention to a 4-minute YouTube video, much less an entire campaign circuit. Older voters will vote for Clinton no matter how long the campaign is. I just don't think Obama's momentum will last until November.

Another thing Clinton has on her side is that Obama kind of scares some people. He's a younger candidate with not as much experience. McCain's campaign can easily scare voters into voting for him because they're afraid Obama won't be able to keep America safe. Clinton might be irritating, but she exudes a tough image that will appeal to many of the scared voters.

Ultimately, however, this election is all about change. Obama touts that he is the candidate for change, an alternative to Washington politics. He also construes Clinton and McCain as being a part of the traditional government machine of the United States.

While change is great, Obama seems to only be able to talk about the abstract idea of change, rather than actual manifestations…and what's more of a change than having a woman as the president? True, Obama's a little tanner than McCain, but he's still a male. Clinton is an entirely different gender, something that would be an extreme change from the norm.

At this point, though, there is one important variable in this election. How many people are lying to pollsters?

OK, OK, maybe they're not "lying," but when they get into that private voting booth, exactly how many Americans will be willing to vote for a woman or a younger black man over a white, older veteran?

That variable scares me. That is why the Democrats need to elect the strongest possible candidate to beat John McCain.

Barack Obama can have his chance at the presidency…in 2016.

Lisbeth Wells-Pratt is a sophomore creative writing major and a regular contributor to The Rocket.

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