Long time no see
10/02/08 18:42
So I
realize that I haven't blogged forever. Sorry, I've
been very busy since last time. But, a whole heck a
lot has happened since last time. Super Duper Tuesday
was a big victory for McCain, a setback for Romney,
and a boost for Huckabee. McCain and his supporters
stole a victory from Romney in West Virginia (All of
the McCain voters switched their votes in the second
round of voting to support Huckabee, solely for the
purpose of beating Romney. Huckabee won by 1%).
The next shocker was Mitt's departure from the race, at a speech I attended at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in D.C. during CPAC. The majority of the attendees there are very conservative, so his departure was met with a lot of sadness. McCain even got booed during his CPAC speech, which I didn't get to see because I couldn't get anyone to cover my shift at the bank for me.
Next, Obama and Huckabee swept the races yesterday. Obama carried Louisiana, Washington, Kansas, and Nebraska. Huckabee won in Louisiana, dominated in Kansas, and lost to McCain in Washington 26% to 24% (Paul got 21% and I guess in reality, they both lost, as "Other" got 30% of the vote [I wonder if this was Romney?])
So what's the future look like? Obama will continue to win the majority of the remainder of the contests as people who were originally skeptical of his ability to win are now pretty sure that he can. I have a buff chick calzone on Obama getting the Democratic nomination, so you know who I'm cheering for (well, cheering to win, and then ultimately lose). For the Republicans, John McCain has a lot of work to do. He has to convince the conservative wing of the party to vote for him, while being careful not to pander too much to them, as he could lose the trust of his moderate and independent backers. People keep saying, "Of course the very conservative folks will vote for him. He's better than the alternative". This is true, however, the base of the party is what generally gives the campaign the energy to move into November. If the base of the party isn't excited and getting out the vote through grassroots campaigning, as Barack Obama has so successfully done with the youth this year, there could be trouble. Some experts estimate that a situation like this could cost McCain 2-3% of the vote, which is huge when you consider how close the past elections have been and how much of a disadvantage the Republicans are dealing with right now.
On a personal note, I have transferred my support to John McCain because I feel that he gives the party the best chance to win in November and is indeed a hell of a lot better than the alternatives. I disagree strongly with McCains views on immigration reform and his carbon-credits plan, but I do believe that he will do his best to slash spending, support the military, and work to secure the border before dealing with anything else. He also has a 100% pro-life voting record and has a history of supporting constructionist judges, which is perhaps the most important duty of a president. All this being said, I'm very sad to see Mitt Romney go. This is the first election that I can vote in, so therefore I've been pretty involved (obsessed?) with the whole deal. Of course I was also involved in 2000 and 2004, but its different when you're older and can actually have more of an effect on the election. Mitt Romney truly energized me. Every time I see him speak, the first word that comes to mind is: President. He has the brains and the heart to be a great president. He has shown this through his successful business career, wonderful family, and personal character. It's a shame that his opponents were able to take advantage of his switch of opinions on abortion and label him as a flip-flopper- a name that he couldn't seem to get away from. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of him in the future.
In the mean time, get the word out in support of McCain! I already have his bumper sticker on my dorm room door and his campaign sign in my window.
The next shocker was Mitt's departure from the race, at a speech I attended at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in D.C. during CPAC. The majority of the attendees there are very conservative, so his departure was met with a lot of sadness. McCain even got booed during his CPAC speech, which I didn't get to see because I couldn't get anyone to cover my shift at the bank for me.
Next, Obama and Huckabee swept the races yesterday. Obama carried Louisiana, Washington, Kansas, and Nebraska. Huckabee won in Louisiana, dominated in Kansas, and lost to McCain in Washington 26% to 24% (Paul got 21% and I guess in reality, they both lost, as "Other" got 30% of the vote [I wonder if this was Romney?])
So what's the future look like? Obama will continue to win the majority of the remainder of the contests as people who were originally skeptical of his ability to win are now pretty sure that he can. I have a buff chick calzone on Obama getting the Democratic nomination, so you know who I'm cheering for (well, cheering to win, and then ultimately lose). For the Republicans, John McCain has a lot of work to do. He has to convince the conservative wing of the party to vote for him, while being careful not to pander too much to them, as he could lose the trust of his moderate and independent backers. People keep saying, "Of course the very conservative folks will vote for him. He's better than the alternative". This is true, however, the base of the party is what generally gives the campaign the energy to move into November. If the base of the party isn't excited and getting out the vote through grassroots campaigning, as Barack Obama has so successfully done with the youth this year, there could be trouble. Some experts estimate that a situation like this could cost McCain 2-3% of the vote, which is huge when you consider how close the past elections have been and how much of a disadvantage the Republicans are dealing with right now.
On a personal note, I have transferred my support to John McCain because I feel that he gives the party the best chance to win in November and is indeed a hell of a lot better than the alternatives. I disagree strongly with McCains views on immigration reform and his carbon-credits plan, but I do believe that he will do his best to slash spending, support the military, and work to secure the border before dealing with anything else. He also has a 100% pro-life voting record and has a history of supporting constructionist judges, which is perhaps the most important duty of a president. All this being said, I'm very sad to see Mitt Romney go. This is the first election that I can vote in, so therefore I've been pretty involved (obsessed?) with the whole deal. Of course I was also involved in 2000 and 2004, but its different when you're older and can actually have more of an effect on the election. Mitt Romney truly energized me. Every time I see him speak, the first word that comes to mind is: President. He has the brains and the heart to be a great president. He has shown this through his successful business career, wonderful family, and personal character. It's a shame that his opponents were able to take advantage of his switch of opinions on abortion and label him as a flip-flopper- a name that he couldn't seem to get away from. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of him in the future.
In the mean time, get the word out in support of McCain! I already have his bumper sticker on my dorm room door and his campaign sign in my window.
|