Oh wow. I really should write for a supermarket tabloid, shouldn't I? Sorry, that headline was just too easy. It was ripe for the pickin! ;-)But seriously, what a BLAST these presidential primaries have been so far!! I've been involved in politics and government relations for quite a while now, and I can't remember an election season so wrought with endless campaign drama and intrigue!
Given the importance of the 2008 election, and what it's results will ultimately mean for music education, NCLB reauthorization, and the American education system generally, I feel that the outcome of the Dem and GOP primaries, respectively, should be of particular interest to all of us as music advocates.
If you're a Republican, oh man, where do you even start? If you are to trust CNN, Fox News, or any of the other major cable news pundit-lands, you would have THRICE thought that your party had nominated its candidate:
First, Iowa --> Mike Huckabee surprises (it must be Huckabee!)
Second, New Hampshire --> John McCain rebounds from out of nowhere (we were wrong, it's McCain all the way to 1600!)
Third, Michigan --> Mitt Romney has arrived! (reports of his death were GREATLY exaggerated, Mitt Romney will win the nomination for sure!)
Sigh.
Woweeeeeeeee. Can we all just pleeeeeease take a deep breath? None of this is to say anything of former front-runner Rudy Giuliani, former Senator and one-time TV star Fred Thompson, or even of... (yes, that's right, you knew it was coming!!) Representative Ron Paul, who believe it or not, is STILL running for president (and not out of it quite yet, either, by some accounts!!)
All of this leaves Republicans with their first legitimate chance to head into a brokered convention in many, many years. For those of you who are curious, a brokered convention (while it would make for incredibly CAPTIVATING television) would truly horrify GOP leaders.
They fear that it would display a fractured, frustrated Republican party, unable to unify behind one candidate, wildly debating the issues of the day (just like the good old days!!) for countless hours on end in front of a mesmerized national TV audience (seriously, that sounds like SO much fun to me!! haha I love it!). Old school politics at their BEST!
Hey, maybe they'd even discuss music education!! I'm all for it ;-)
Now on to the Democrats.
Man alive has this been exciting to watch! Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are running landmark, historically significant presidential campaigns, and if either one of them is to ultimately win the nomination (which seems highly likely at this point), it would be a tremendously significant event for America (even if you don't like either one of them at all!).
For now, however, neither Hillary nor Barack can seem to pull away in this race (each having netted one primary, thus far, respectively), and in spite of the media's insistence that the Democratic contest has become nothing more than a two candidate show, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards still remains very much alive and kicking, elbowing his way back into the conversation whenever possible, and continuing to remind Democrats that this race truly ain't over yet!
My opinion on this one? Don't be so quick to assume that the nomination will ultimately come down to a direct choice between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama. If I've seen this kind of thing once, then I've seen it a thousand times: John Edwards may or may not still have a legitimate chance at the Democratic crown (see his finish in this Saturday's upcoming Nevada caucuses for more on his realistic chances...), but even if he does begin to slowly but surely fade away, he may still not be even be close to done raising havoc and chaos for the other two candidates.
Should John Edwards enter the Democratic convention in Denver with a heapin' helpin' of delegates himself (a VERY likely scenario), Edwards could effectively play kingmaker, deciding at his leisure and discretion whom to award (Barack or Hillary) with the remainder of his committed delegates and hence, effectively swinging the Democratic nominating contest to the candidate of his choice (can anyone say back room VP deal in exchange for the keys to the White House ?!?! haha).
Sorry, I never could deny myself the pleasure of a juicy conspiracy theory! ;-) Plus, stranger things have certainly happened in the course of American politics!!
Anyways, in the meantime, make certain to stay tuned to these epic races! The next President of the United States will have a LOT to say about the role of music education in this country, and we, as music advocates, need it to be someone who cares and will listen to what we have to say!
And now, for a final, light-hearted look at what goes into the sometimes amusing process of "presidential campaign music" song selection, check out this super cool Washington Post article tracked down by the equally awesome SR!! Enjoy!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/16/AR2008011604152_pf.html
