This is the snake that swallows its own tail.

We are completing today a process that began at least two years ago as Hilary Clinton began ramping up her run for the presidency. And, make no mistake about it, almost as soon as today's results are tabulated and verified, somebody out there will begin planning his/her campaign in 2012. It has always been true that presidential hopefuls started running, by speaking at political dinners and such almost as soon as their current nominating convention folded up the tents and went home. But today, the political campaigns are even more overt and ubiquitous. The newly elected sitting president has barely moved into the White House when he starts feeling the hot breath of the wannabe's on his back.

And while I don't expect it to be any different this year, especially from the Republican side, I think that the titular head of the Democrat Party has to back away from the tactical race he has run for the past year plus, and give some thought to defining just exactly what it means to be a Democrat. In other words, I think it is time to give some thought to political philosophy. The thing is, now this is possible without boring the hell out of the general populace. The Democrats have a number of email databases which connect directly to the active and involved rank and file. If Mr. Obama, Ms. Clinton and other party leader could devote some time to actively working out and discussing just exactly what our ideals are, and give some straight talk about what an elected official can and cannot accomplish, I think that the shift in the body politic towards the Democrats could be solidified.

As I mentioned in the previous post The National Republican Trust has been airing some blatantly racist ads these last few days of the campaign. They have proven to me that the Republican Party is truly morally bankrupt and that it needs to be engaged in rational debate at all levels. I am sure that a majority of that party's rank and file will move to other political alternatives when they see how badly out of touch with this country's basic idealism the Republican leadership actually is.

Of course, to look at things another way, the Democrats have maybe three years to show substantial progress in cleaning up the mess left by George Bush, or they will most likely find themselves out on their ears and a new party assuming the reins of power.