Thursday, February 7, 2008

Super Humongous Tuesday: The Aftermath

Now that the closest thing to a national primary is over and done with, have things really changed after the events of February 5, or are they more muddled than ever?
  • With Mitt Romney dropping out, the conservative Republicans have found to their horror that, trying in vain to derail the all-but-certain nomination of John McCain, they had been backing the wrong horse all along. They should have been paying attention to Mike Huckabee, an evangelical conservative whose message played better in the southern states where the GOP has a stranglehold anyway.
  • It's not over for the Democrats, but despite what every pundit in the world tells you, all signs point to a Hillary Clinton-John McCain matchup in November. Barack Obama may have the momentum, but at some point he's going to fade and Clinton's early advantage in the delegate count (which is what this is really all about) may be too much to overcome.
  • Super Humongous Tuesday was a huge hit across the country in spite of long lines, ballot shortages, faulty voting machines, and severe weather in some states. If you think it's bad now, just wait until Election Day.
  • In Minnesota, people swamped their caucuses to give Obama and Romney victories in their respective parties. There have been complaints about the way the caucuses were set up, which was intended more for party hacks and political junkies than the Great Unwashed, leading to calls for the state to bring back the presidential primary (the last one was in 1992). Sounds like a great idea--until you remember that this presidential campaign is an unusual occurence, with no incumbent in either party running. If you do put in a primary for 2012, what will the political climate be like then? Will the public be as interested then as they are today? And besides, if you cross party lines to vote, do you really want junk mail from a candidate you don't actually intend to support in November?

Remember, folks, this is not the only Super Humongous Tuesday in 2008. The next one will be in November, and this time all 50 states will participate.

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