cynicism and optimism

Since Super Tuesday, there's been an increased focus on the Gulf Coast. All four of the remaining candidates have at least mentioned rebuilding efforts in their campaigning since Tuesday, when it became clear that Obama and Clinton are still in a dead heat and that states like Louisiana (and Pennsylvania, further down the road) are going to have a say in the primary process.

I don't know if I'm just becoming too cynical, but I wonder if they would have come out with plans for restructuring FEMA and creating a "point person" for rebuilding efforts if Louisiana's primary didn't matter. It's interesting to note that "The two leading Republican candidates...have offered less specific recovery plans than the Democratic front-runners." Interesting because Romney has dropped out, almost ensuring that McCain will be the Republican nominee. And interesting because the Republicans held a caucus last month that pre-selected many of the party's delegates, so there is much less at stake for the Republicans, who have "offered less specific recovery plans."

Hm.

At any rate, pushing the cynic aside, it is good that the candidates are still paying attention to the Gulf. The editors at the Times-Picayune seemed afraid that after Edwards -- who started and ended his campaign in New Orleans -- dropped out of the race, the remaining candidates would forget about the issue. "People in the Gulf Coast expect the remaining presidential hopefuls...to show the kind of passion Mr. Edwards displayed when it came to what he called the 'moral responsibility' to help rebuild the lives of millions of Americans across the region."

Obama spoke at Tulane yesterday, an event that made me seriously contemplate flying to New Orleans for the day. I haven't watched the speech yet, but that's on my schedule for the afternoon, so I will have a recap later today or tomorrow. But the Times-Pic's coverage of his speech...wow. The man makes the cynic in me go away. I know full well that he's got speech writers, and that they research the issues and put in jabs at Brownie and Bush flying over Katrina's destruction. But he makes me believe and he makes me trust and he makes me think that maybe this country isn't quite so doomed, after all.

He's the kind of politician that silences the cynic in me, and I don't know if I've ever found a politician who could do that before.