Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Clusterf%@k Tuesday: 2 Hours to CA

Hillary Clinton wins NY and MA, Obama takes DE. Not any surprises again, although Obama would have liked to be more competitive in MA.

Still a bunch of states that are too close to call. It could be a long night.

Clusterf%@k Tuesday: No surprises yet

Damn you Mr. Olbermann, scaring the crap out of me by calling TN "too close to call" initially, before giving it to Clinton.

No surprises so far, with Obama adding IL to his column, and Clinton taking OK and AR in addition to TN. CT, DE, MA, and NJ are still too close to call, a good sign for Obama.

On the GOP side, McCain has captured NJ, DE, and CT, with Romney taking MA and Huckabee taking AR. Again, no surprises.

Still over two hours to CA closing.

Clusterf%@k Tuesday: Obama takes Georgia

CNN and MSNBC have called Georgia for Barack Obama. This wasn't a huge surprise, and margin of victory is more important than who won it. It won't be until 8:00 EST that we see how things really will start skewing.

Republicans are still too close to call.

More to come.

Clusterf%@k Tuesday: Huckabee Draws First Blood

The results of the WV GOP convention are in, and former Governor Mike Huckabee is the winner. After a first vote that saw Mitt Romney win, but not win enough to carry the majority, the McCain supporters jumped to give Huckabee the win. This is a blow for Romney, who needs all the delegates he can get just to stay alive.

Less than 3 hours until the polls close in Georgia!

It's Here: Super Duper Tuesday

Yep, boys and girls, it's here. The day we've all been waiting for: Super Duper Tuesday. Voters in 24 states, plus American Samoa and the Democrats Abroad, are heading to either primaries or caucuses. Whether you support a Republican or Democrat, Hillary or Obama, please go and let your voice be heard.

Unless there is an absolute surprise, it appears that John McCain will virtually wrap up the GOP nomination today. Conversely, the Democrats will probably settle nothing today, and might not get the battle between Obama and Hillary settled until Denver.

I'll probably be posting later on, as results start to trickle in. If I don't, well don't be sad. I'm sure there will be plenty of coverage to slake your thirst.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Pack it Up Boys: Lake Wobegon has Spoken

Senator Clinton, thanks for playing. However, the game is now over. Now that Garrison Keillor has endorsed Obama, nothing can stop the Obama machine. Between Mr. Keillor and Ken Burns, it looks like Obama has the PBS staple vote all locked up. If only those damn Brit-coms would come around and support senator Obama.

Friday, February 1, 2008

The Children's Table: The (most likely) last GOP Debate

The second, and most likely last, GOP debate at the Reagan library was a very excruciating exercise. The four remaining men vying to lose to either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton simultaneously looked like giant children and codgers. It was not a pretty site.

For one thing, the setup of the debate was just awkward. They put Anderson Cooper and the two panelists perpendicular to the candidates, which created an odd looking angle. In addition, the desks the candidates were sitting at looked like kindergarten desks, adding to the childish atmosphere.

In addition, CNN didn't comport itself very professionally, deciding to minimize the participation of Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee. Feeling that they, and not the viewers, were responsible for seeing who was the best candidate, they focused on the battle between Romney and McCain.

Mitt was his typical sleazy country club self, continuing to make me wonder why anybody who wasn't a robot would support this guy. His argument with McCain over what he said about timetables in Iraq seemed pointless. This was his last, best chance to make a mark to distinguish himself on Super Tuesday, and he failed.

Somehow, McCain was even worse. Every time he spoke, he almost put me to sleep. Apparently he was a foot-soldier, and not a leader, of the Reagan revolution. Because a follower is what we need for our Presidency, not a leader. How this man, who is a horrible debater, horrible speaker, and is despised by many portions of the GOP is the unfettered front-runner I have no idea.

When he got a chance to speak, Huckabee seemed like the best candidate of the bunch. Of course, he didn't get a chance to show off his biggest weakness, which is the belief in making the Constitution fit to "Gods Laws", a position that makes a lot of people, both Democrat and Republican, very nervous.

Ron Paul was his usual self, even managing to bring up the gold standard in one of his answers. His rant on Iraq was genuine, and his position was the most reasonable one to me. A note to all Republicans: If Ron Paul is looking reasonable, you need to look closer at yourself.

In the end, this was a pretty standard affair for the GOP. Chaotic, stupid, and full of too much arm wrestling and pointless chest thumping. The GOP has lost its way, and needs to reclaim its soul, a soul that speaks to conservatives, moderates, and liberals. Nevertheless, this mess might still pull off the victory in November. That thought is truly troubling.