Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!

While I have been an intermittent, at best, blogger, anyone who has read me for a while knows just how far in the tank I am for Hillary Clinton.  I was a gigantic supporter of her in 2008, which was the first presidential campaign I ever donated money to, and I went to every event she had in the state, which she actually did end up beating Obama in our primary, even though it was already obvious that Obama would win the nomination.

I am consistent.  I was a Clinton fan all the way back in 1992, when I was a senior in high school. Scratch that, I actually enjoyed Bill from his way too long debut at the Democratic National Convention in 1988.  Yes, I was that much of a political dork, even at 13. Anyway. my school was in a small rural community.  So, as you can imagine, Bill Clinton was not exactly a popular choice.  I would say there were probably more fans of Perot at that time, but I still wore my Clinton/Gore shirt the day after the 1992 election.  I went on to Butler for Political Science, and I was fortunate enough to intern at the Democratic National Committee during the general election in 1996.  So, I have been in the thick of Clintonland for many years, and even when my zest for politics was on the wane, when Hillary announced in 2007, I was back on the wagon full force.

Of course, things did not really work out for us then.  It took me a while to come around to Obama, and while there were still times during the last seven years, when he has made what I consider "rookie mistakes," I would long for the outcome to have been different, but it was not meant to be.  President Obama has certainly been able to get a lot accomplished against a Republican Party that completely hates him, and if he were not the president, then I am not sure we would be at the tipping point we are now.  Baring any gigantic errors, Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States, and more importantly, I believe the Democrats will at least regain control of the Senate, with me being mildly optimistic that the House could come along for the ride, too.  The American people are fed up with Washington, more so than any time in my lifetime, and I think a strong Clinton campaign will have very long coattails.

A lot can happen in the next 19 months, and I fully understand the idea that an uncontested primary can be a bad thing.  The sense of inevitability is what tripped up the 2008 campaign, and if there are not any other people challenging Hillary, then it could easily fall back into that mindset.  The Hillary Clinton that lost in Iowa was very different from the Hillary Clinton that won in Indiana in May, and it was a change for the better.  However, when I look at how ugly the Republican primaries are going to be, it is somewhat of a relief to not have that internecine strife in ours.  It is also not Team Clinton's fault that her position is so strong that most of the people considering running are doing so just for a chance at VP.

Regardless, it is going to be a very interesting year and half.  When the announcement came on Sunday, I was literally aquiver reading all of the tributes on Facebook.  I am captivated by the political process, and if after all is said and done, I get to see a President Hillary Clinton, then I am ready for what needs to be done to make it happen!