For the Political Types: A Contest

[Jac Coyne]

Dennis Kucinich dropped out today. Is Gravel still running?

According to his website (http://www.gravel2008.us/), Gravel's campaign is "right on schedule." <insert punchline here>

UFOs over Texas and Kucinich drops out. Coincidence?

Gee, a New York Times article on MSNBC? Stunning. What, no Olbermann "Special Comment?" With that said, Romney certainly didn't help himself with the ill-conceived Hitler analogy.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id ... _article=1

Stallone vs. Norris. This time it's personal.

[Dan Wishengrad]

Nice catch, Jac -- I hadn't seen that. So let's see, that leaves Steven Seagal to support Giuliani and maybe Claude Van Damme to join up with Ron Paul.

Of course if one of these other action-hero types can't be enlisted, then there's always the greatest of all celebrities remaining to endorse a Republican --Mr. Pat Boone. Not exactly sure why Pat is still considered a big celebrity these days, but when they list which famous Hollywood types are aligned with which political party he always still gets named prominently. Just goes to show what selling lots of Amway products can lead to, I guess.

[Jac Coyne]

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008 ... tt-romney/

According to the Post, Boone is listed as a "Noteworthy Donor" to the Romney campaign. Glad to see Robert Kraft stepped up for the Glove as well.

On that topic, if the Patriots win it all, look for Guiliani to hop on the bandwagon. He's already a Sox guy.

As for the Dems, I'm a little disappointed with the bitterness between the front-runners. What happened to the politics of hope?

[Beta]

I really wish Bill Clinton would seriously shut up. I see more of him than I do Hilary (which I guess is a good thing).

The more attention is focused on Bill...the less negative attention can be on Hilary.

A good strategy.

[Zeuslax]

I really wish Bill Clinton would seriously shut up. I see more of him than I do Hilary (which I guess is a good thing).

The more attention is focused on Bill...the less negative attention can be on Hilary.

A good strategy.

I think this is a calculated strategy as well. In addition, he has a 80% favorable rating in the Democratic party. That's not counting the favorable Indy's either. It's basically a no brainer to have him out there stumping and taking attention away in certain areas.

[StrykerFSU]

Rudy is out after his 3rd place finish in Florida and sadly, John Edwards has called it quits as well.

[laxfan25]

Was Rudy's "campaign" one of the worst ones ever? I heard last night that he dropped out, hadn't heard that about Edwards - but not surprising after coming in third in SC. It'll be interesting to see who he ends up endorsing.
Is there still ZERO chance that McCain will get the GOP nod??
And what are the standings in the contest Jac?

[Jac Coyne]

The dogged determination of Gravel and Paul has thrown a wrench in the works for everyone. Looks like it'll come down the final two/final tickets for everyone. Rav. Beast, Laxfan, Coyne and Bearcat have 3 points apiece. Scooter with one. TexOle still searching.

I wouldn't disagree if Rudy's campaign was tabbed worst ever for a supposedly once-viable candidate. Conventional wisom would have BO prospering with JE's departure.

I have an awful feeling McCain will fare about as well as Bob Dole in a general election. Republicans really need Hillary and a third party candidate if Mac's the man and I don't think they'll get either.

[StrykerFSU]

I have an awful feeling McCain will fare about as well as Bob Dole in a general election.

One key difference...Dole was running against a sitting president enjoying a strong economy and the afterglow of the end of the Cold War with nothing that could be viewed as a serious national security threat (at the time) to galvanize the party.

If "true conservatives" are going to sit on their hands rather than vote for McCain in the general (should he win the nomination), then they deserve to have a wet behind the ears liberal Senator running things for four years and there will be no griping allowed. This is our government not a sandbox, you don't get to take your toys and go home just because the party's candidate isn't perfect.

[laxfan25]

I think one of the key differences this year will be the energy level in the two parties. I was quite surprised at the number of votes that were cast in the "meaningless" Dem Fla primary - I think there were more total Democratic votes as Republican. Same thing in SC.
Next Tuesday is going to be big, but I think McCain is on a roll that won't be stopped. Personally I like the guy a lot - his heart is in the right place.
By the time the election rolls around the country is going to be even more ready for a change though, as this "economic uncertainty" becomes even more apparent. There are also issues like healthcare and Iraq that will be weighing on people's minds. When the lastest polls show that 75% of the population feels that the country is on the wrong track that doesn't bode well for the incumbent party.
If Obama gets the nomination, there is just something about him that galvanizes people, and he will have a substantial coalition of diverse folks behind him, just as he did when he won the Senate in Illinois. He didn't win just because of urban blacks, he did very, very well in the rural areas. McCain pulls very well from independents, but so does Obama, so that may be a stalemate. The bigger challenge for McCain would be getting the strong conservative base of the GOP to come out for him, since he has taken a moderate stance on immigration. If Clinton was the nominee I think she would draw them out more just to cast an "anti" vote - they may feel less inclined that way if Barak is the nominee.

One refreshing idea in the new administration would be to appoint at least one Cabinet member from the other side. How about McCain as SecDef?

One thing for sure, it's going to be interesting theater all the way to November!

[Dan Wishengrad]

Is there still ZERO chance that McCain will get the GOP nod??

You beat me to this, Laxfan! I may have to even tune into Rush Limbaugh for the fun of it. He has been railing against McCain incessantly from what I have heard, and fomenting his Dittoheads to get in quite the lather about illegal immigration for months. Maybe Rush and Lou Dobbs should get married?

Anyway, McCain has all but clinched the GOP nomination, as he will now have $$ rolling in and no matter how many of his own millions Romney antes up Mac will roll to huge wins in NY, NJ and especially in California. He will also be a formidable opponent for either Hillary or Barack. The "true conservatives" will have to decide whether to hold their collective noses and vote for their own nominee, whom they despise, or back a third party (losing) candidate. Romney will go on pandering to everybody everywhere, but it won't matter -- stick a fork in the guy, he is DONE. Too bad, too -- Mitt would have been the weakest GOP nominee in centuries and would have been landslided in the General.

One question for my Republican friends: Why is Mccain so despised for being a "Maverick", anyway? Your hero Reagan was also a "Maverick", and ran and lost against "establishment Republicans" twice before getting elected President. Reagan was also an independent Governor of California, working well across the aisle with the Democratic majority in the legislature. Willie Brown, the most liberal member of the Assembly, authored every single Reagan budget for the Gipper. How is this so different from McCain?

[Jac Coyne]

If "true conservatives" are going to sit on their hands rather than vote for McCain in the general (should he win the nomination), then they deserve to have a wet behind the ears liberal Senator running things for four years and there will be no griping allowed. This is our government not a sandbox, you don't get to take your toys and go home just because the party's candidate isn't perfect.

Agreed. I think conservatives will grouse about McCain until he is the imminent candidate and then coalesce behind him. As much as conservatives aren't enamored with McCain, he's the 'devil they know,' so to speak.

One refreshing idea in the new administration would be to appoint at least one Cabinet member from the other side. How about McCain as SecDef?

I think McCain has been a little too hawkish all along for him to be in a Democratic administration (I think Wesley Clark will get S.D. with either dem if he's not a V.P.). The idea is refreshing but traditionally to the victor goes the spoils.

[laxfan25]

One refreshing idea in the new administration would be to appoint at least one Cabinet member from the other side. How about McCain as SecDef?

I think McCain has been a little too hawkish all along for him to be in a Democratic administration (I think Wesley Clark will get S.D. with either dem if he's not a V.P.). The idea is refreshing but traditionally to the victor goes the spoils.

I would agree with you there. Wesley Clark does have the credentials as well for the job. And while traditionally the victors do get the spoils, it is not unheard of to include some alternate viewpoints. I believe Lincoln did this with his Secretary of War, and as recently as President Clinton, he appointed William Cohen (R-ME) as his Secretary of Defense in his second term. Here is a list of other cross-party appointments (heavy on thr ambassadorships) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Un ... arty_lines.

Also, while the Democratic race can seem acrimonious at present, I think you will seem the same uniting behind the candidate that is ultimately selected. I also think the Dems will bring out a lot of first-time voters.
I must say though, I don't think Dan W is quite as confident of the double-digit trouncing if McCain is the GOP nominee!

[Dan Wishengrad]

Agreed. I think conservatives will grouse about McCain until he is the imminent candidate and then coalesce behind him. As much as conservatives aren't enamored with McCain, he's the 'devil they know,' so to speak.

I think you are exactly right here, Jac, and keep your chins up my friend. Mac won't be the weak candidate you moaned about earlier, he will be very competitive and offer your party it's best chance to hold onto the White House. He will get some Democratic votes, which no other GOP candidate could capture, and he will compete well for independents. If Hillary is the nominee, I think McCain can win. And while Mac won't get my vote, he might actually prove to be a good President, if elected.

But nobody besides me has been talking about Bloomberg on these forums. The guy is tanned, he is rested, he is bored and he has more money than God and Romney and Oprah put together. If Mike jumps into the race the dynamics of the General election change significantly. I just have no clue how exactly those changes will be manifest... LOL

[Sonny]

The reason that McCain isn't supported by true conservatives is that he isn't conservative on two of the "bigger" issues - illegal immigration and McCain/Feingold.

Amnesty for illegal aliens is a no-go for many Americans, on both sides of the aisle - but especially the conservatives.

I would love to hear an argument from a true liberal about how it is legal for the Federal Government to regulate free speech via McCain/Feingold.