Crossposted from Hillbilly Report. It is no secret to many of us that this country has needed a Progressive direction to correct many of the problems it faces for some time now. I was born in 1970 and have seen exactly three Democratic Presidents in my life. The damage done by Conservative Presidents has been disasterous, and the Democrats elected have seemed to only keep us running around in circles while no real change is imminent to repair the damage.

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This has been asked a few times lately, but it's hard to answer given that I'm still supporting Hillary for the Democratic nominee.  I do see that the mountain is steep, so I am not ignoring the question, but rather, giving it serious thought. Before I can answer it, I need to more fully understand why I feel so strongly.

Truth is, I'm not ready to get on board with Obama if Hillary does not get the nomination.  I, too, am having a political identity crisis, wondering whether the Democratic Party is the right place for me anymore.  I have not declared that I'm voting for McCain, but I'd be lying to say I haven't seriously thought about it.  Trying to find a way down off that cliff, I am looking at all my options.  Right about now I'm wishing for a third party comprised of socially liberal/fiscally conservative (not neocon) ideals.

Let me say this:  On behalf of Hillary and her supporters I feel marginalized and bullied.  (Not at a personal level: when I've written something here I've tried not to be insulting or too inflammatory and, as a result, I've received civil replies from people who disagree with me.  But I see/read a lot and in my gut (Stephen Colbert would be proud) there is something larger going on.  

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     In this country many of us equate strength with the lack of emotion. The strong one is the one who can endure life without feeling. The weak one is the one who shows their emotions and thus are banished to a life of disappointment and tragedy. With the introduction of the political narrative of Barack Obama there has been a lot of talk about the word hope. I don't ever recall this word being dissected to the degree that it has been during his unlikely run towards the White House. One would believe that no other politician has ever invoked the word in an election before. So what makes it so different today than say in 1992, when a young upstart politician challenged the status quo?

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