Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Super Tuesday

I watched with great interest, the results as they came in last night.As a somewhat centered Republican. (I know that I'm center, because politically, nobody agrees with me about much)

I came away with several thoughts. The first, was that in states that hold either state conventions or caucuses, tend to show extremes in the sense that the vote totals are so one sided. Incidentally, I'd like to congratulate Molly Quinn, for making sense of this nationwide mess in her graphics, shown today in the spokesman-Review.

Some examples are:

Republicans

West Virginia 52% 1% 47%

Colorado 13% 19% 59%

Democrats:

Alaska 25% 74%

Colorado 32% 67%

Idaho 17% 80%

Kansas 26% 74%

Minnesota 32% 67%

No. Dakota 37% 61%

All of these examples are essentially landslides. One wonders that if primaries were held in these states, the results would be different. Absent a well oiled political machine, and the power politics of party gatherings,(both) I think these results tend to skew the results, by in some cases, intimidation, lack of hidden ballots and the tendency of a tidal wave effect that can occur in these types of meetings.

Another conclusion I arrived at, perhaps the last, as I fell asleep listening to Barak Obama give his speech in Chicago at day's end. As I previously said, I'm not, at least by standards set by people not extremists, a liberal. I came away with the notion that this Dude is one fine orator. Maybe the best since guys like Everett Dirkson and Ronald Reagan, not to forget JFK. He speaks slowly, makes three or four word statements, mostly inane references to change, and other equally non-specific slogans. Every one of them sounded like they were written on tablets, carried down the mountain by a bearded man. The fact is, he doesn't have to talk policy. He just simply mesmerizes his audience. I thought at times that he sounded just like Martin Luther King, Jr. Others, sounding like John F. Kennedy.

If, Obama doesn't poop in his mess kit, or make a huge blunder,and he's able to avoid detailed discussions, and above all, avoids debating Hilary, he might be the Democratic nominee, or even, President of the United States.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You are right on with Obama being a incredible orator. Read his book, "Audacity of Hope" and you will find him to be decent, genuine and possessing truthfulness and integrity.