The 2007 chase for the cup was fantastic. It was one of the best racing seasons in recent memory with stiff competition from amazing drivers. I suppose it wasn't quite as captivating if you were part of Junior Nation. But for a Hendrick fan it was a blast... with the exceptions of Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin, I had a love for all of the drivers in the running. And it was exhilirating to watch Jeff and Jimmie, teammates and friends off the track, to run at each other so hard. In the end my favorite driver since his rookie year, Jeff Gordon trailed Jimmie by 70-some odd points. I was disappointed but not dejected; Jimmie had several amazing finishes and the championship was well-deserved. If anyone besides Jeff was going to win it, Jimmie was definitely my second choice.
Today as I watched Hillary giving her concession speech live, something the newly crowned 2007 cup winner said struck me in a new light. I'm paraphrasing so forgive me if this isn't exactly right, "In any other racing year, Jeff Gordon's performance would have won this championship. I got lucky in the end."
I think that applies to Hillary's bid for President. In any other election cycle, 4 years ago, 8 years from now, I think she would have been/be the democratic nominee without question. Obama got lucky. And perhaps Hillary had some bad advisors. It is not my intention to analyze faults here. I'll leave that to the vultures in the media.
The difference is I don't like Obama as much as I like Jimmie Johnson. That's what makes this pill a harder thing to swallow. (Well that and the fact that JJ has no bearing on my life or basic human rights.)
Yet Hillary's pleading today for democrats to unite behind Obama did not anger me the way I thought it would even as an independent voter. I carefully weighed the message she put forth... Do I really want to risk McCain? While the thought of him in international affairs and domestic security is a comfort to me over Obama's naivette, the thought of additional Supreme Court Justices who would, given an opportunity, annhilate issues I believe in wholeheartedly: Roe v. Wade, same-sex marriage, and medical marijuana, does not sit well at all.
So I'm in a quandry. Part of me says California is going to vote Obama regardless of my writing in Hillary so it doesn't matter. Another part of me says do whatever is necessary to end the regime of republican righteousness.
While VP is largely a bs job (sorry but it kinda is, we all know it) and I think Hillary is worth much more, putting her on the ticket is probably his only chance of beating McCain. It will make the pill easier to swallow for her supporters and gain him swing states. So in a sense, Obama is facing that same "do whatever is necessary" dilemma. For all his "settle down" people comments, someone somewhere has to be giving him the hard facts. This may be his first real lesson in what he wants to do vs. what is viable. How he passes this idealism test will determine his future. It's like Jr leaving DEI racing, the company his father built. I'm sure it wasn't easy and in an ideal world he would have stayed. But the guy wanted to start winning races and his best chance of that was joining the Hendrick team.
But I tell you what, this is the second time delegate/electorcal math over popular vote has fucked me and my candidate. And I'm not happy about that, not in the slightest.
And as much as I like Jimmie and don't begrudge him the title, I still wish Jeff had won the 2007 cup.
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