another Tuesday another primary

Today is the Florida primary. It's odd that the Dems won't be collecting delegates, or, won't have their delegates seated. The Dems had all agreed they wouldn't campaign here and so local and national news has been covering the Republicans all over the state. It will be interesting to see if that race stays as unformed as the Democratic race appears. It's been quite a while since there was this much tension and excitement in a campaign year. But then, it's been a very long time since there was no incumbent (or V.P. heir apparent). The last time, I think, was 1968, when LBJ declared he would not run and the Democratic field ripped wide open.

Speaking of 1968...Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Barak Obama was a bit surprising, but the the thing that was really surprising was how he compared him to his brothers. I don't feel that way about Obama, but if young people today feel the way I did about Robert Kennedy, then I understand the hope and excitement they feel for the future after the confusion and sadness of the past 7 years.

I think I have assumed that young people were too self involved, and too engaged in capitalism to care abut the USA or the world at large. But the way they are reacting to Obama makes me think that they just aren't as pissed off as we were in the sixties, but that doesn't mean they're not turned off. That doesn't mean they don't know it's a bad time for America. And it doesn't mean that they can't change it. Perhaps they just needed to be inspired by someone closer to their age and ideals. Maybe the person had to look a lot different than all those who came before him, for them to even want to listen. Maybe they needed their own prophet and not some recycled one from their parent's youth.

So, if Obama is the RFK for the youth and young adults of America, then hallelujah for them -- all is not lost. I still don't think he has the skills YET to make real his dream and his ambitions. But that is my prerogative to feel that way. That is the privilege of my age. The best thing about America, though, is that we all get one vote, no matter how old, how committed, or how inspired (or not) we are.

I'm rooting for Hillary, but I'm also rooting for the youth of America to make this a better place than it is now.