Primary Election 2008 Update
The Democratic race to the presidential nomination by Senators Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama is an exciting and historic
phenomena never before seen on the American political landscape. For a position that has been exclusively occupied by white males, to even consider
electing a woman or a young African-American as president represents a benchmark of evolution for the collective consciousness of the US. The big
change energy of 2008 is supporting new and different choices to emerge in our national leadership which is exactly what is shaping up. We are
collectively considering 3 choices for the future with Obama, Clinton and McCain: big change, moderate change, and no change.
From the spiritual perspective there are several things worth noting about this primary.
- Both Clinton and Obama are older souls and represent a voice of greater maturity than the current administration. John McCain is a young soul and
would represent an extension of the value system of the current administration. Obama is the oldest soul of the 3, with Clinton in the middle range of
the 2.
- The voting population is waking up to their power to effect positive change in their leadership. Older and younger souls alike are weary of politics
as usual and are desperate for change and inspiration after the disastrous leadership of the last seven years. This primary has re-engaged voters with
the political process and has energized record numbers of young people, independents, new voters and cynical registered voters to turn out and vote in
primaries and caucuses.
- The drawn out, roller-coaster contest between Clinton and Obama is giving the collective US consciousness the time to decide just how much change
we are ready for. Watching Clinton and Obama slog through this tumultuous primary is giving us a chance to get to know the character of each person under
intense stress and scrutiny. How they each have run their campaign is giving us a flavor of how each would handle themselves as commander-in-chief.
We simply haven't yet decided and it could easily take until the convention of August 25-28 to determine.
As qualified as these two Democratic front-runners are to run the country, there are a few distinctions between them, that would set a decidedly
different tone to their respective presidencies. By nature, Obama is spiritually hard wired toward inspiration and mastery. His meteoric rise in popularity
and his unpredicted rush past Clinton in popular and delegate votes has stunned the Clinton camp and pundits alike. Only last fall, Clinton was the
assumed candidate marching toward her post-Super Tuesday coronation. What few people realized back then was the connection that Obama would make with
so many voters and heavy-weight backers over the course of this primary. His message of hope for a more unified nation and world has electrified crowds
with a higher frequency of energy that millions are resonating with. Through his intelligent and inspired rhetoric, in addition to taking the high road
in running his campaign, he has actually succeeded in elevating our vision of what could be---and it's working.
Being spiritually hard wired for battle, Clinton is clearly outmatched by Obama in inspiring the masses. Her talents are many but this isn't one of
them. Her only recourse when threatened with defeat is to go on the attack in an attempt to bring her opponent down from the clouds and onto the ground,
where she can engage in a combat style that she understands. So far, her attacks against Obama have not gone over well with the majority of voting Democrats,
and he has succeeded, for the most part, in not taking the bait, even though he has been harshly criticized for it. In a national contest between Clinton
and John McCain, also hard wired for battle, we can expect to see the old pattern of campaigning in full bloom---a mano y mano slugfest. She has
survived an onslaught of Republican attacks before and is fully capable of winning another bout with them.
The biggest danger for Clinton between now and the convention is turning off undecided voters in the remaining primaries, as well as pledged supporters,
with her old style, dirty tricks bid for power. It's worked for the past couple of centuries but more and more people are fed up with this old corrupted
pattern of the electoral process. We now have someone in the mix who doesn't represent the old guard. The biggest danger for Obama is the fact that he
is a threatening lightening rod of upheaval to the old established order. If elected to the presidency, he has the potential of helping to shift the
balance of power from old to new, and the old is not likely to go quietly. If defeated, he will still have succeeded in presenting the US voters with
a more adult vision of governance and will continue to make a powerful contribution for years to come.
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