Ready To Go

by digby

Barack Obama officially threw his hat into the ring today and a welcome addition he is. This is going to be a very interesting and exciting primary race. I agree with Simon Rosenberg at NDN who says that it is already historic:

Many words will be used to describe the Democrat’s field this year but the one I believe is most accurate is “modern.” Democrats just look like a 21st century Party, with leaders who look like and speak to the people of the America of today and tomorrow. The Republicans on the other hand are struggling with reinventing their politics around these new realities. Yes, over the objections of many, they now have a Hispanic immigrant as the Chair of their party. But that same week Senator Martinez was chosen, the Senate Republicans made Trent Lott, a Senator with a history of institutional bigotry and racism, their number two. Their Presidential field is all white male, the only minorities in their Congressional Party are four Cuban-Americans from Florida and many leaders in their Party continue to fight comprehensive immigration reform in horrible and racist terms.

The Republicans should be worried about these developments. For getting on the wrong side of enormous cultural trends like this one can make a party a minority party for a long time. But perhaps in times of great change this what we should expect from one party long associated with the word “progress,” and another associated with the word “conserve.”

Yessiree. Maybe the country is ready for a little progress, vision and hope after all this ugliness. Most importantly, it’s almost certainly ready for some solutions to our problems and after years of conservative corruption and cant, they may have wised up about the tired, facile, over focus-grouped GOP pitch. They had their chance and the results are in.

The entire Democratic field is superior to anything I’ve seen in years, with at least five excellent candidates who could be president tomorrow in my opinion. We are ready.

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