just say no deal

So, Sen. Obama’s recent comments during a San Francisco fundraiser about small-town voters have stirred up a controversy. For me, the story isn’t about his supposed elitism. It’s not about whether small-town voters are bitter or not. It’s not about whether he’s being misinterpreted (but I think his condescension peeked out when he wasn’t looking). It’s not about Sen. Clinton’s response (but I’m thrilled she’s fighting back like a pro). It’s not even about the pundits falling all over themselves about What It All Means–as if any one of these clowns would recognize a clue if it kicked them in their thick heads wearing golf spikes.

The truth of the matter, in my dainty little opinion, is that this is why we have elections, not coronations. Sometimes our favorite candidates wear halos; sometimes they don’t. They might utter the most uplifting, insightful, inspiring words one day, put you to sleep the next, and suffer a massive case of boot-in-mouth the third.

Imagine two pairs of the most perfect black pumps you ever saw, but you can afford only one. Whichever one you take home will be the staple of your wardrobe for years. There are differences in how they’re shaped, how they feel, how they fit. Now imagine that you could take an extended test-walk in each pair–not just back and forth in the overpriced boutique, but for a long weekend. Walk around the city. Run up and down subway stairs and shopping malls. Go to meetings. Go out on the town. A long weekend in those faboo pumps would tell you a lot more about how they’ll fit your feet, your wardrobe and your life than that stroll along the boutique carpet ever will.

Primary season is the political equivalent of taking those Manolos home for that long weekend test-hike. The ones that make you fall in shoe-lust in the store aren’t necessarily the ones you long to blow your bonus on once you’ve wiggled your toes in them for a while.

I’m a Hil-girl for several reasons, but chief among them is the amount of time she’s logged in the limelight–and the crosshairs. She’s been through boot-in-mouth moments, halo moments, and everything in between. Hil has faced the most hateful, organized and even delusional opposition in modern political history, yet she built her own reputation in the Senate and remains the first truly viable female candidate for U.S. president. A woman who can face that kind of attack, pull herself up from every misstep or setback, and still toss back a boilermaker with the boys? That’s my candidate.