Iowa caucus

[mrhnau]

Well, looks like Huckabee and Obama won. Very interesting! Early results seem to show a blowout by Huckabee and a tight race with the Democrats.

Personally, I'm not sure about Huckabees chances nationally. I think the Democrat race is still too close to call. I think its going to become interesting when 3rd party candidates start rising up...

 

[michaeledward]

If the evangelical Christians come out to vote, Governor Huckabee's chances are substantial. I believe they comprise of a majority of the Republican party.

Governor Romney is the best hope of the 'free market / business' Republicans, but has been seen as a Northeast Liberal Flip Flopper. Those Evangelicals are not going to support him. The Republican Party power bases best shot is too keep the Evangelicals home.

Mayor Guilliani was killed when we were told his sentences consisted of a noun, a verb, and 9-11.

Senator Thompson, who was supposed to be the hope of uniting the Evangelicals and the Corperatists, shot himself in the foot when he said he didn't really want to be President. Oops.

Out of desperation, Senator McCain is becoming the defacto choice of the non-religious Republicans. (You should here the local Romney shill's vicious attacks on McCain - it is so sad).

The choices for the Republicans look like either - A northeast liberal - a preacher - or the consolation nomination for the oldest man ever to see the office (I don't know if that is true or no ... but McCain is old - older than Reagan was in '80).

 

[arnisador]

Interesting! Not long ago people would have picked Clinton/Romney, I think. Well, we have a long ways to go!

 

[tellner]

And Edwards was fairly close but definitely ahead of Clinton. We may well see an Obama/Edwards primary battle for the next month. An Obama/Huckabee or Edwards/Huckabee election would be interesting.

 

[Carol]

An Obama/Huckabee or Edwards/Huckabee election would be interesting.

Dang. That would REALLY be interesting.

 

[michaeledward]

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire .....

While the caucus' was taking place in Iowa.

Senator McCain and Senator Lieberman were standing hand-in-hand in Derry. Senator McCain said he was fine with United States troops in Iraq for the next hundred years.

He stated that the US Military is serving in Japan, Korea, and Europe as part of our multinational obligations, and as long as there are not American casualties, everything is OK with the military in Iraq.

... For the Next Hundred Years.

Well, there goes his shot for being president. The pickings are getting slimmer in that Republican field.

 

[tellner]

Thinking a little further, this was a pretty serious repudiation of the Republican strategy of the last few years. Clinton was the only major Democratic candidate supporting the war. The "inevitable" nominee was crushed. McCain and Giuliani were blips. Huckabee's appeal to the Religious Right and "aw shucks" channeling of William Jennings Bryan's populism (albeit in a much reduced form) got him a convincing victory over the plutocratic chameleon Romney.

The war didn't win the votes. There's more to the political landscape than Iraq and a Pavlovian cowering at the dread syllables "nine eleven". There may be hope yet.

 

[Big Don]

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire .....

While the caucus' was taking place in Iowa.

Senator McCain and Senator Lieberman were standing hand-in-hand in Derry. Senator McCain said he was fine with United States troops in Iraq for the next hundred years.

He stated that the US Military is serving in Japan, Korea, and Europe as part of our multinational obligations, and as long as there are not American casualties, everything is OK with the military in Iraq.

... For the Next Hundred Years.

Well, there goes his shot for being president. The pickings are getting slimmer in that Republican field.

McCain wasn't going to ever be the Republican nominee. However, our troops are in various places for various reasons, should we pull out of Bosnia, as we were promised? (Before Christmas...1995...) The idea that we have to hurry up and leave Iraq is fine, if you ignore history. We have had troops in Germany since the end of WWII, this is not going to change anytime soon. We have had troops in Korea for nearly sixty years, and if you think that is changing, you've got another thing coming. We will have a sizable number of troops and equipment in Iraq for decades to come.

 

[Empty Hands]

And Edwards was fairly close but definitely ahead of Clinton. We may well see an Obama/Edwards primary battle for the next month. An Obama/Huckabee or Edwards/Huckabee election would be interesting.

If you mean "complete blowout" as "interesting", then you would be right! Huckabee isn't ready for prime-time. His pronouncements make it clear that he says what he thinks sounds good while having no grasp of the details or specifics that go behind the words. His proposed national sales tax is a good example of that.

I also really hope that we wouldn't elect an avowed creationist. I wouldn't hold out much hope for the future of US science after that.

 

[tellner]

"Avowed creationist" I could grit my teeth and deal with.

"Televangelist" makes me start backing warily towards the door.

But the quote he came up with a few weeks ago that he didn't believe in science because science changes and his faith doesn't? That scares me, and not just for the sake of our foundering science infrastructure. It means that facts and reason can not sway him when he believes he's right. A man who can not be wrong is scary. When he has nuclear weapons and Blackwater he's freakin' terrifying.