The Mighty Mitt?

Photo licensed under Creative Commons by Tim Somero


The Mighty Mitt?...





Is currently leading the pack if you look at his delegate count. (Check the link on one of the sidebars below, "Presidential Candidate Race '08"). Much like the pithy Joe Scarborough said a couple of Mondays ago, its looking like he is winning the primaries and not John McCain. Much to the chagrin of much of the media.





And, who will he be debating as the Democratic Presidential Nominee? The money is on Barack, but we're betting Bill and Hilary can still pull this one off. Despite losing numerous major endorsements that they may have felt...well, entitled to. Keep checking those delegate counts. That's what wins elections.

The Mighty Mitt?

Photo licensed under Creative Commons by Tim Somero


The Mighty Mitt?...





Is currently leading the pack if you look at his delegate count. (Check the link on one of the sidebars below, "Presidential Candidate Race '08"). Much like the pithy Joe Scarborough said a couple of Mondays ago, its looking like he is winning the primaries and not John McCain. Much to the chagrin of much of the media.





And, who will he be debating as the Democratic Presidential Nominee? The money is on Barack, but we're betting Bill and Hilary can still pull this one off. Despite losing numerous major endorsements that they may have felt...well, entitled to. Keep checking those delegate counts. That's what wins elections.

Hilarygate '08?

Hilarygate '08?...

Updated 1/16/2008: Hilary takes Michigan: 55%. Undecided: 40. Dennis: ? (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/mi/michigan_democratic_primary-238.html) Dodd: Out.

Photo by Marc Nozell used under a Creative Commons license.

Are we witnessing the gestation of another Clinton scandal just prior to the Michigan '08 primary? What on earth is going on in the Hilary camp and the racially-charged comments regarding Barack Obama? And just what is Big Bill's role in these shenanigans? Do they really need this? And why are they holding back on the cocaine charges? Is it because they have incurred too much political wreckage after Lewinskygate, Whitewatergate, Travelgate, Fostergate, Filegate, the White House Coffees and many others too numerous to mention? Probably so...

Hilary probably thinks she's got the Michigan Democratic Primary all wrapped up...partly because the two main contenders (Edwards and Obama) will not be appearing on the ballot! We've also been told that write-in votes for these or any other candidates will NOT be counted! We'll be asking our election officials about this tomorrow...

Also, she has found a note to play for the appeal of the women voters, and she is playing them like a two-string banjo. If the previous scandal-laden train wreck Clinton Presidency was so infamous and notorious, why do these good ladies believe in a second-coming of the Clinton Whitehouse? Haven't they forgotten that past performance is a predictor of future performance? No, they probably haven't and are believing that Hilary will take up the women's cause. But wait a moment, why didn't she do that in the previous Clinton Whitehouse? Didn't she say she had played a MAJOR ROLE in that administration? Oh, you say what about the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993? Yes, that is a point, but why isn't it being used as a base for the new political platform of Hilary?

We know that you find this view to be cynical. But, cynicism is the basis for all Modern Presidential Politics. Consider the pre-existing cynicism for the current administration, the Clinton administration, the cynicism for the war, the new cynicism (and fears) of the current state of the Michigan and US economies. Yes, it is the year of fear and the year of the cynic. Hence, our views on Hilarygate '08. Hilary thinks she is going to score a sucker coup tomorrow night in Michigan. And the shame of it is that she probably will.

And, Mr. Obama has shown himself to be a prince-in-disguise with his relatively calm response to the racist moment in this campaign. So have some of the leaders of diversity. However, we're still waiting for the Rev Al to step out from behind the wings, shoot off his mouth, and pour gasoline over the whole sad affair. Then the counter charges (aforementioned) will surely come out. Memo to Rev Al: Don't ruin Barack's chances, please! We don't need nor want him to run and go into hiding like the infamous Tawana Brawley.

The fact is this that this is America. And racism is always on the radar screen. See the article: Racial harassment still infecting the workplace. We would like to know why.

What about the Republican side of the race? The McClatchy Poll shows Romney is currently in the lead. However, at least four of the major polls give McCain a slight edge. But, this is a home state to Romney, as he was raised here by his late father, the former governor of Michigan, George Romney. That just might get him the votes he needs for the win. And what about Huckabee? They've been calling everybody to come and join him for a rally in faraway Warren, Michigan. Only the diehard Huckabee supporters are likely to show up - which will probably translate into a low vote count for him.

Quite frankly, we find Hilary a little scary. And we can't vote for Edwards and Obama. And we can't vote for McCain because of his pro-war stance (even though we have "family ties", to him). We'll probably just end up voting for Dennis.

What Were We Thinking?

What Were We Thinking???...

When we wrote our absurd posting "The Iowa Triumvirate?". Well, maybe we were partly right - at least about Hilary winning (in New Hampshire?!? - we didn't see that coming...). The Edwards loss was disappointing. The Obama loss - was that really a surprise?

We didn't see the McCain Victory coming either - at least not with his pro-war stance. We thought New Hampshire would be against that. Perhaps they like him for being the political maverick. We were a little surprised at the Romney loss. But, he's got a forehead you could break a cinder block on (literally and figuratively) - and he will just keep on going to the end - bitter or no. Huckabee's loss not a surprise - New Hampshire is just not liking him.

What about the Michigan Democratic primary? It could go any of three ways - Obama is sure to get the diversity vote. Hilary the votes of women and the other disenfranchised (did we say the other disenfranchised)? Will Edwards get the labor vote, the unemployed and some of the disenfranchised? Things look mum here in our home state. Could it be a Democratic three-way with a thrilling photo finish? Why even speculate? However, Obama and Edwards will not be appearing on the Michigan Democratic Primary Ticket! See http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801060588 from the Detroit Free Press. They say Obama and Huckabee aren't favored here. We find the part about Obama difficult to believe.

Romney figures to get the home state vote...he probably will. Will McCain and Huckabee have any impact in Michigan? Probably not Huckabee. We're predicting Michigan not's liking him, either. It may be a close one between Huckabee and McCain. Surprisingly, Ron Paul supporters may help him get a delegate or two here. See also the Detroit News Article Editorial: GOP race brings drama to Michigan. But, they are predicting that Huckabee will get 1/3 of the Repbublican vote. Again, its difficult to believe.

The Iowa Triumvirate?

The Iowa Triumvirate?...

We were thinking about the possibility of a virtual three-way tie coming out of the Iowa caucus, particularly on the democratic side. We're thinking Obama will get the youth and/or student vote, mainly. He might also get the votes of those Caucasians (a little irony, here) that want to vote for a diversity candidate. We think these numbers of votes will be roughly equal to those garnered by John Edwards and Hilary.

Personally, we like Edwards and his strong ethos towards/against corporate America. We were thinking he will get the labor and unemployed and buyout voters to take up his side. We would like to see an Edwards presidency, but the Iowa caucus will be so close (we think) that this is going to be a tough race for him or anybody.

We mention Hilary last, because we believe she will get most of the die-hard Democratic party vote and the Clinton lovers' votes. We expect this to be about equal to the numbers that the other two major candidates (above) will score. She may come out ahead by a fraction of a percent, but it will be no clear victory. However, the Clinton camp will probably declare it a clear victory if it does happen (and probably will) and a win for America, too.

The other Democratic candidates will either die a miserable political death, or just tough it out and keep on going. We expect Kucinich to tough it out for as long as he can. Which is OK with us, we like him, too.

The truth of it is, we think it very likely that there won't be a clear political victory in Iowa. We're looking all the way to the Democratic Party Candidate Nomination - that's how tight we think this race will be.

The other side (GOP) is shaping up like a ugly barroom brawl. Huckabee and Romney have spilled political blood like its water. We can't predict if either will come out ahead. There's just too much mud on the windshield. Well, if you can't see them, you can't vote for them, can you? This leaves the door ajar for McCain and Ron Paul. McCain is rising in the polls and Ron Paul's supporters are truly inspired (we find political leaflets from is supporters cleverly displayed in restrooms). Both are colorful, seasoned and inspired politicians. We take particular interest in their stands on the issues. It is just possible that McCain and/or Paul could walk away victorious in Iowa.

We do have some "family ties" to Mr. McCain and are deeply sympathetic to him and like him a lot. Supposedly, one of our granduncles served under his father on the USS Missouri and witnessed the signing of the treaty.

Link to Iowa Poll graphic from BBC here.