Rick Reuben wrote:Here comes the John McCain Safe Old White Dude With A Military Record Express. Des Moines Register endorsed him in Iowa, Boston Globe endorsed him for the NH primary:

Also on Saturday, the Boston Globe said it would endorse McCain and Obama in the January 8 New Hampshire primary. "Obama has the leadership skills to reset the country's reputation in the world," the newspaper said.

On McCain, the newspaper said in an editorial, "the iconoclastic senator from Arizona has earned his reputation for straight talk by actually leveling with voters, even at significant political expense."

Look who else has

Lieberman must be doing this to "punish" Democrats for uniting behind Ned Lamont. He's been threatening to be a little bitch to that party for quite sometime, and I guess this is his irrelevant opportunity to scare the Democrats.

What a cocksucker.

And Lieberman is *always* on the winning team, right?
His opinion matters to about 24 people.

One of the many reasons the 200 election came down to handfull of votes in Fla. is because Lieberman is a total loser.
ANY other Veep and that election would have been harder to steal.

-A

Everyone's better off not voting.

Does he need to break out of the fake left paradigm, or the Fake Left paradigm?

Rick Reuben wrote:

Minotaur029 wrote:If his slow train was gonna get moving, it would have done so by now. If there's one thing I understand pretty well, it's presidential politics. That being said, the race is up for grabs, and the McCain train could start chugging along well into a confusing Republican primary season.

In the span of three sentences, you say that 'if McCain had any momentum, we would have seen it by now'- and then you say two sentences later that the McCain train could start chugging along well. WTF?? Which is it? That's the kind of 'cover all the bases' noncommital bullshit that tv pumps out all day.

I follow all the poll numbers...which despite meaning little in Iowa...still have a way of letting you know how presidents get elected...what I meant was, I understand the way in which Presidents win.

If the primary season drags on, anything can happen (McCain's train finally gets out of the station). If it is wrapped up quickly (which is usually the case), McCain is fucked.

Let me explain why the primary season might drag on...Huckabee is kind of a moron: This primary season is incredibly confusing. The Republicans have no strong candidate. Mike Huckabee might fit the Republicans' crazy Christian right-winger mold pretty well, but he is a totally unchallenged lightweight. No one has tried to make him look bad, and the Economist gives a pretty good run down on a lot of his policy positions (which are described in that publication as silly).

Here's some choice sentences used to describe Huckabee from various conservative analysts.

Huckabee: "I don't want to see our food come from China, our oil come from Saudi Arabia and our manufacturing come from Europe and Asia," he says.

Conservative columnist Rich Lowry: "There is so much foolishness in that sentence it is hard to unpack."

The Economist goes on to lampoon Huckabee's idea to eliminate the income tax by establishing a federal sales tax, as well of his absence of any position on defense, North Korea, and Africa. Huckabee also has about $600,000 to spend at this point.

Even if he wins Iowa, he has some major catching up to do. This could give McCain time to come back far into the primary season...but if Huckabee wins Iowa as he is now projected to do, the money will roll right in...but Huckabee is extremely vulnerable in a national election with a damaged Republican party to back him up...even Obama has got his policy wonk shit together by now.

...

On the Democratic side, whomever wins Iowa will probably be the nominee. The race is pretty even in New Hampshire, and the media attention that will come from winning Iowa will probably influence that currently deadlocked race. If Edwards wins Iowa, the picture becomes more jumbled...but if Obama or Hillary wins Iowa, the stage is likely set (although I have no idea what the Clintons might be capable of pulling off).

I've read all sorts of analysis from various publications on the race, but here's a new report that neatly sums up where the Democratic race stands about two weeks from the Iowa caucuses: Check it



If you can explain to me how the bankers will CHOOSE McCain and MAKE him the Republican candidate despite his largely dismal poll numbers, I'd like to hear it.

For what it's worth, JamLifeIntoDeath is totally on your side on all of this stuff, (*but his opinions came from independent research, not you*) (*this is NOT a shot from me at you, rather, it is to Andrew's credit).

You had his ear on the 9/11 stuff though...




EDIT: One final thing...it is important to remember...Democrats vote for experience, Republicans vote for change.

How do you suppose this fact contributed to Hillary's numbers-dive in the early primary states?...and how will it eventually affect the unseasoned, inexperienced Huckabee?

Rick Reuben wrote:

maiolo wrote:One of the many reasons the 200 election came down to handfull of votes in Fla. is because Lieberman is a total loser.
ANY other Veep and that election would have been harder to steal.

I'm not sure about that either. I think Gore specifically chose Lieberman to help him counter Jeb Bush's influence in Florida, because Florida has a huge Jewish population.

So, uh, how'd that strategy work out for them?

The strategists told Gore to:
-Not campaign with Clinton, and man who, even after bloodied and bruised with scandal, left office with a 68% approval rating.
-Pick Lieberman for the reasons you stated.

The two chief strategists, Bob Shrum and Donna Brazille have no political wins to their name, yet they still have jobs after two failed Presidential elections, and many other smaller ones.

I hear what you're saying, and I see the logic on paper, but it was a bad choice. Lieberman on the campaign trail was a dud. He didn't energize anyone. That's kind of important when the guy running for pres isn't exactly a frat party on wheels himself. If one of you is going to be the calm, "brains" of the situation, pick an orator or a cheerleader as your running mate.
This is politics 101, Ms. Brazille and Mr. Shrum.

And Lieberman was *shit* in the debate. He spent his entire opening remarks talking about his dad, babbling like an insane man. Cheney was focused and methodical. When I saw that debate I thought "crap, Gore's in big trouble."

-A

Shrum is something like, 0-for-8 when it comes to elections^.

I say...without Ralph Nader involved, 2000 would have been a hell of a lot harder to steal.

You really think that a few Nader people wouldn't have voted for Gore if Nader hadn't run?

For Rick Reuben re: John McCain's slow train/me not being full of "covering my bases" malarky--

Political Insider wrote:December 18, 2007

See You In September?

Republicans are beginning to express fears that their wide-open presidential nomination fight could actually stretch out until the Republican National Convention that opens on September 1 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. RNC Treasurer Timothy Morgan warns, "As late as it is in this election cycle, no candidate in our party has moved enough to be assured of the nomination, and the models I look at suggest a serious possibility we could have a brokered convention."

With five candidates -- Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Sen. John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson -- all doing relatively well in at least a few leadoff or major states, the GOP vote could be split through the February 5 megaprimary, resulting in a drawn-out stalemate. While momentum-driven candidates would fade as the contest turns to a delegate-by-delgate scrapping match, few candidates would have any real reason to give up.

However, even if no clear nominee emerges over the next couple of months, it is highly unlikely the GOP powers that be would permit the contest to last until September. The Democratic nominee is almost certain to be known by mid-March at the latest, and with the GOP mired in infighting and stasis, that candidate could essentially run a positive, unopposed campaign throughout the spring and summer. By September, the Republican nomination might not be worth having.

If the GOP still has three or more serious contenders by the end of March, look for the deal-cutting to begin, with perhaps even a worried White House getting involved.

Primaries tend to sort themselves out fairly quickly (bad for McCain).
This one might not sort itself out quickly (good for McCain).