A Hopeful Message From Super Tuesday

The results suggest that money and political muscle are not the be-all and end-all for getting to the White House.

John McCain now has a clear path to the Republican nomination, while Mike Huckabee remains to haunt his hopes for a unified Party and may very well end up as his running mate.

Barack Obama has leveled the playing field with Hillary Clinton, cutting into her lead in the delegate count to the point where the once-certain nominee is now calling for more debates to bolster her chances.

What Obama and Huckabee have in common is that a year ago they were candidates with messages who didn’t have the money, the name recognition or the organization to challenge the Clintons’ political juggernaut, Rudy Giuliani’s 9/11 aura or Mitt Romney’s wealth.

But somehow, in the face of those odds, they persuaded different segments of the electorate that they represent the best hope for change from the dismal Bush years.

Six months ago, McCain, better-known but not beloved by conservatives, had slipped off the radar in the polls. But here he is, the front runner as those with more money, celebrity and willingness to pander have gone under.

Super Tuesday doesn’t justify a Pollyanna vision of Presidential politics, but it does undermine the view of cynics who claim that it’s only about money and power.

Cross-posted from my blog.