I am blessed to have some wonderful, beautiful friends. They challenge me, they tolerate my aloofness at times, they respect me, they put up with my soapbox stances, encourage me to do more with my life, while at the same time accepting me just the way I am. I love them dearly. Often, we have these long debates about a myriad of subject matter from the state of Black America to the role of preachers in the church to the readiness of our candidates to run our country. In these debates I usually quote a statistic or utilize my vast trivia knowledge (I am a History Channel, A & E, and PBS fiend) to support my position or statements at the time. In one such debate, I was speaking with Kal about the 2008 election. We had actually started this conversation in late 2006 when we learned who the major candidates were. On the Democratic side in particular, there emerged the two strongest, Barack Obama and Hilary R. Clinton. When I do make bold statements and predictions my friends challenge my sources or make me give specific reasoning behind what I am saying. I truly believe that nine times out of nine I am correct. But there is that rare moment that a prediction I make I get totally wrong.
On February 10, 2007, in an effort to make it clear my stance at the time of what my feelings of what the world and America was ready for in their next leader, I committed to writing who I thought would be the 44th President of the United States of America. Below is that email. And yes, I did get it incorrect. Way wrong. Although, I still stand behind my statements for all the reasons listed, I think it was actually the candidate herself that shifted the momentum to the other candidate and vice versa. Looking back at all that has happened in the 20 months since this email was written; I am so glad that I got this one wrong.
Re: For the Record...(originally written February 10, 2007)
Kal and I have been having this debate that we'd like to include you guys in on: the 2008 Presidential Election. So far, I believe, that most of my predictions have come true (i.e. in Feb 2001 on the train in France that Bush would lead us into war, etc.). So that it is stated early and before the Presidential run season officially begins, I truly believe that the next president of the United States will most certainly, definitively, conclusively and fah sho be none other than Senator Hilary R. Clinton. My reasons are simple: people are upset at the current state of things and with all the attention that Obama is generating, the Dems will finally reach the elusive so called MTV demographic and lead legions of minorities to the polls. Obama will stir things up but will not get the nomination, naturally transferring his support to the next best thing: Clinton.
The world is ready for change and she is it. She is smart, has the right connections and represents more than "the lesser of two evils" that has inflicted politics over the last 40 years or so. More importantly, I believe she represents more than the traditional Dems. vs. Them mentality that she can play up very well and make her campaign more about the issues. Furthermore, the world body is looking for change. While other developed nations have exalted women to powerful positions including Britain with Thatcher (by the way the longest serving Prime Minister in UK history), the US lags so far behind that other nations are looking for this ceiling to change. History is waiting for Clinton and some people will vote for her based squarely on that. The Speaker of the House: a woman; the Sec. of State: woman (black woman at that) the next president: a woman.
However: President Clinton II will ride her historic victory for 2 years after which she will be called upon to fulfill some of her lofty goals, fail and become a 1 term president with no real positive legacy. Therefore ruining it for the Democratic Party for the next 8 years. She will get the incumbent nomination in '12 knocking out Obama (or the next hot ticket) and lose because she will no longer be a novelty, eliminating her fickle minority base....
There, have officially gone on record...any thoughts!!!
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