Decision '08 - Random Observations

Today's post is going to be a mix of random observations and thoughts about the current presidential campaign landscape. The amazing thing about the lastest stuff I've read and seen is that none of it touches on the actual issues: The Economy, The Environment and the War. (Those are my big 3 that I'm voting on, BTW.)

Mitt "Mormon" Romney's Speech: I didn't watch it, but I've gotten a lot of reports about it. No, this was not Romney's Kennedy moment. The bottom line is that Romney needs the Evangelical Republican block to win. Evangelicals are apparently really frightened by Mormons. Look, my own prejudices about Mormonism aside, Romney's not one of those weird zealots you see on Dateline. Frankly, Christians who consider themselves Pluralist, Democrats, Scientists or all of the above should be a lot more concerned about Huckabee than they ever should about Romney. Romney is the closest thing to a centrist that the Republicans have. We could do a lot worse than him.

NPR has been talking a lot about diversity and the presidency this month. If nothing else, having a Mormon, a Black Man and a Woman as serious candidates has been good for this country.

Fred "Just an Actor" Thompson: Whew. Before he entered the race, his spin machine did a good job painting him the next Ronald Regan. My friends are very divided on the historic impact of Regan, but damn the man was popular and so where his politics. Thank goodness Fred's a complete waste of hot air.

Rudy "Don't even need to list his last name" Giuliani: Rudy should never have become a candidate. His "good" name would have stayed good and his skeletons would have remained in the closets. I like Rudy as the guy who rallied this nation after 9/11 (because the current occupant sucked ass at it.) Rudy's still a player in this one, but the recent girlfriend & dog walking reports will probably cost him the endorsement. Am I saddened by this? No. Rudy was the guy I feared the most in the general election. He's got the best chance of stealing Democrat votes.

Mike "Un-Intelligent Design" Huckabee: 'Nuff Said!

Hillary "Ice Water in her Veins" Clinton: Hillary's got two big news stories of late.

First: The nut-job -- I mean -- man needing professional help . Hillary won the "cool under pressure" test with the first, but she's in dangerous territory on the second.

Second: Going after Obama. How many of us would be satisfied with a Clinton/Obama ticket? (I would and I'm an Obama supporter.) How hard would that be if the attacks go too far?

Barack "Caucus Killer" Obama: Oprah endorsed him. What's the real stuff in the news? His get out the vote campaign encouraging Non-Resident College Students in Iowa to vote in the caucus. Iowa is up in arms! He's destroying the caucus! Oh, the morality! Oh, the complexity! Oh, the gravity! Oh, give me a break!

Ron "Road Signs" Paul: Driving home through South Carolina from our hiking excursion the other week, I became vaguely aware of these words playing through my head over and over again, "Ron Paul for America." Suddenly, it dawned on me why. At every small town. At every major cross-roads. EveryFUCKINGwhere, was a sign that read "Ron Paul for America." I hate little "teporary" road signs. I think they are a symbol for everything that's wrong with American.

Still, this worked. I had heard about Ron Paul, but mostly as a sound-bite. So, I looked him up. He's a Republican from Texas. Or at least, that's his official political affiliation. Dude, he's a Libertarian. Heck, he's a Libertarian's Libertarian. He hates all things Big Government. This is not to say I disagree with him on all things. But I've always believed in the ideals of government as a place where people can come together. Not Ron Paul. Mr Paul's message should not be "Ron Paul for America." He should borrow from history and use "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!"

Conclusion: Well, that about wraps it up for this time. As the weeks drag on and the news gets more interesting, I'll be sure to share my observations again. Until then, remember Voting is your civic duty. Vote earns you the right to complain. If you don't vote, shut up!