Effect of Early Primaries??

[Raspyrock]

Found out that Florida has jumped on this bandwagon:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18783378/

With so many primaries on the same day or same month there may be some un-intended results.

Will any candidate garner 50% of the delegates??

Could be brokered convention(s) because no candidate able to gather steam ( or snowball effect ) w/ such a front-loaded system now.

[Eric Carmen]

I can hardly wait for the fun to begin! I think when the smoke clears Edwards may be the Democrats best bet. But Al Gore is the Wild Card and I've got a sneaking feeling there could be a "Draft Gore" campaign in the works. It's gonna be a bumpy ride! How about a "Gore/ Clinton" ticket? Wouldn't THAT be a hoot? Gore/ Edwards won't happen because they're both from the South. Edwards/ Obama could be interesting. Don't know if the Dems will take that chance, and I don't know if Obama wants second fiddle. On the Republican side, things are even nuttier. I don't think McCain can win. His body language is TERRIBLE! Giuliani probably COULD win but he's got a lot of hurdles to jump through to get the nomination. Romney? I don't know. He appeals to conservatives but I think America has had enough of that over the last eight years, thank you. There must be at least eight other guys running by now, most of them have no name recognition. And the Wild Card in this one is Chuck Hagel! He could throw everything into complete chaos by running as an Independent. An ex-marine who talks tough and wants us OUT of Iraq! Let the fun begin! ec

[Raspyrock]

Hey Eric! I've always liked Hagel although lately I tend to lean towards the dems. A team trivia member of mine told me he leans towards GOP and I told him I lean away from GOP because

if the party is inept it really doesn't matter

what their agenda is!

Hagel impressed me in the 90's when one Sunday

morning I saw him either on "Meet the Press" or one of those shows and his fellow GOP politician tried to pull him into some rhetoric but he stayed true to his course and I could see the other GOP member was a little dismayed.

I could also vote for a Edwards/Obama ticket too. Who knows maybe will have 2 good choices in Nov. '08 rather than poor ones!!

McCain does have body language problem. From time to time put the TV on mute and watch them all for a few minutes --- it tells a lot.

I don't think even Edwards wants to be at the bottom of the ticket this time since he's done that once before.

Eric, people still love your music. I blasted out GATW at Brewsters ( karaoke Sunday night ) in Marietta, GA. last night and the bar-flies & bikers alike got pretty fired up about it.

You have a good evening!

[The Kiwi Connection]

Hey translation please for us Kiwi's....what does GOP mean?

[Raspyrock]

GOP is Grand Old Party or Republican Party even though the Democrat-Republican ( Democrats today ) party goes back to Thomas Jefferson. The current day Republican party started to gain power as a 3rd party back in Lincoln's day as he

was the 1st GOP president elected.

Check out this link:

http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/

and maybe pick 'general election by year'

to say -- look at 1860 when Lincoln was elected

or 1800/1804 for Jefferson elections.

Hope this helps.

[Paulie Mississippi]

On the road yesterday, driving through Missouri on up to Nebraska... two different radio stations in two different states...

Authorized Mitt Romney for President advertisements.

The fun has indeed begun...

[Raspyrock]

Romney & Edwards are 3rd in nationwide polls but both are 1st in Iowa!

[LC]

No question that this is the most important election in decades. And the man or woman we put in office will have an impossible job, in a way, when you consider (in no particular order) the economy, oil/gas prices, the environment, the state of health care, education issues, crime.... Oh yeah --- there's the war, too. That *&$#ing war.

Raspy, Eric, and others, I'm still hoping against hope that Al Gore runs, but it seems like he's having so much fun being "the president that never was" that he'll keep away. And I don't blame him. Whoever runs on the Dems' side is sitting duck for the kind of Republican smearing that even finger paints don't get.

If Gore stays away, I'd classify myself as "undecided" (if not "confused").

I'm still finding it hard to believe...

A) that a woman can win (not saying a woman shouldn't win --- just that America is so old-fashioned in that respect);

that a minority can win (I like Obama, but too much prejudice will make it tough for him, sadly);

C) that Edwards has enough substance underneath the pretty face, although I like him more than I did in '04;

D) that Romney has any substance at all;

E) that McCain (the Republican I'd at least consider) can get past the aforementioned "image" drawbacks;

F) that Guiliani is all that bright, what with his use of TERROR as a campaign theme.

I just keep coming back to the man who has the most applicable experience; is electable; has momentum; knows more about the biggest issues than any of the other candidates; and seems like a decent, ethical person. (That would be Gore.)

I honestly don't know much about Chuck Hagel, but I'm going to do some research, based on your recommendation, Eric. I like what you've described.

[Raspyrock]

LC,

I could still vote for Gore this go-round

(did so in '88 primaries & in 2000) but he's

not my 1st pick this time. I lean a little bit

towards Edwards but who knows -- a little too early.

Hagel, Lugar & Weld were the only Republicans

from the 90's I liked before GOP got on the 'win at all costs' bandwagon.

I sent money to the Clinton campaign in '92

( is that what generated a Christmas card from the White House?? ) and Lugar in '96 primaries

because of Lugar's stance on alternative tax system --- still voted for Bill in '96 general election.

Fellow GOP'ers were chiding Lugar about his concern on terrorism --- had he made it to the WH we'd have a better tax system & Osama 6' under now. Oh well. Hagel still intrigues me but we have to take the announced list as it is.

[Raspyrock]

Edwards National Security/Foreign Policy credentials looking a little shakey now.

Richardson's polling numbers are starting to come up now. My dyed-in-the-wool conservative relatives in Alabama actually like Richardson.

He has a decent resume and he is worth watching now.

[Raspyrock]

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail...re?hpid=topnews

AHEM.

Will any candidate garner 50% of the delegates??

Could be brokered convention(s) because no candidate able to gather steam ( or snowball effect ) w/ such a front-loaded system now.