Political Nanny headed to the bookshelves and pulled out her heaviest hitters to cool down this simmering and saddening race/sex war on the Democratic campaign trail.
For a recent storytime, she assembled her candidates and the Todd Parr "we're all in this together" oeuvre. These colorful children's books starring stick figures of all shapes, sizes and species with the none-too-subtle titles like It's OK to Be Different, This is My Hair, The OK Book, The Feelings Book, ... well, you get the picture ... gave the candidates a chance to remember that nobody owns sadness and suffering more than another and what's truly valued over skin/chromosomes is strength, substance, and a plausible healthcare plan.
Political Nanny thinks they got the picture. (For how things degenerated, a great summary at MSNBC.)
Barack called for an end to the feud. As reported on Politico:
"Obama, too, indicated he wants a truce, saying at a media availability
in Reno, Nev., that the campaign “shouldn’t be personal.”
“Bill and Hillary Clinton have historically and consistently been on the right side of the civil rights movement,” Obama said.
Obama also said he didn’t want the campaign "to degenerate into so much
tit-for-tat, back and forth that we lose sight of why all of us are
doing this."
Hillary stepped up with a statement calling for party unity when it comes to the rights of all Americans.
“We [Clinton and Obama] differ on a lot of things. And it is critical to have the right
kind of discussion on where we stand. But when it comes to civil rights
and our commitment to diversity, when it comes to our heroes -
President John F. Kennedy and Dr. King – Senator Obama and I are on the
same side.
“And in that spirit, let's come together, because I want more than
anything else to ensure that our family stays together on the front
lines of the struggle to expand rights for all Americans.”
Political Nanny has also been reminded that no matter how different we feel that we are from another, there is always, somewhere, common ground and agreement. Which is why Political Nanny finds herself in the unfamiliar position of agreeing with New York Times columnist David Brooks. Not everything (and that's OK), but scroll to the bottom and we get this:
"The final two points I’d make are: First, this whole show seems
stale and deranged to the younger set, as Obama and Clinton seemed to
recognize when they damped down the feud yesterday afternoon. The
interesting split is not between the feminist and civil rights Old
Bulls, it’s between the establishments of both movements, who emphasize
top-down change, and the younger dissenters, who don’t. Second, this
dispute is going to be settled by the rising, and so far ignored,
minority group. For all the current fighting, it’ll be Latinos who end
up determining who gets the nomination.
At last, a bridge to the 21st century."
Todd Parr, don't you agree?
More in candidate-care ... Two Extra Cookies
Political Nanny is awarding a Clark County (Nev.) judge two extra cookies at snacktime today for ruling that NBC must include Dennis Kucinich in tonight's debates on MSNBC. NBC, who is appealing that ruling, argues only the top three Democratic contenders should be involved. Political Nanny wholeheartedly disagrees. Who cares if Dennis hasn't racked up delegates. He's running for president. He's a national figure. Plus, they invited him!
Everybody Gets a Blue Ribbon!
Our handsome boy Mitt leads in today's Republican primary in Michigan. Political Nanny is secretly crossing her fingers for him to win. He really wants to, it's the state he grew up in. Sure, he's a touch out of touch, promising to rebuild the auto industry when, to put it bluntly, that's quite unlikely. Still. She'd like to see as many candidates stay in the Republican race as long as possible.
Foodie in the House!
This isn't directly related to the presidential elections, but it might be a taste, literally, of what Democratic leadership at the highest levels could bring. Seems House Speak Nancy Pelosi has taken her promise to "green" the House into the cafeteria. Now hungry staffers can dine on healthy stuff, the harvest of which doesn't wreck the environment.
Naturally, the prices have increased considerably and that's not so great. But what's funny and telling are many of the comments, especially those admonishing "Nanny Nancy."
Just imagine what those commenters would say to Babysitter Barack or Househelper Hillary or Meddling Mike -- or any other future president who might actually take the health of the entire nation seriously.
Photo: AP via Politico
Image: Amazon.com
