What Were They Thinking?

What exactly was the New York Times thinking when they decided on this cover illustration for the upcoming July 21st issue:


If its not already been distributed, then I hope this public's outcry today will make them decide against it. I mean, what were they thinking! Sure they wanted to poke fun of the rumors and stereotypes against Obama, but to put this image on the cover of a national magazine, is totally irresponsible.

The March to 538

With Barack Obama all but securing the Democratic Nomination, the focus of the 2008 Presidential Election will turn to the General Election. With it will come countless polls, news articles, and, of course, guesses on how many Electoral College votes McCain or Obama will get. Remember, to win the U.S. Presidency, a candidate must win a majority of the Electoral College votes to win the White House.

Until now, it has been difficult to play along in this fun guessing game. Keeping track of Electors on a state-by-state basis is not fun and difficult without a spreadsheet. Luckily for you, me and any other politics lover, there is a new site called PredictNovember.com. It's free and fun, letting you make your electoral college prediction by clicking states on a map. Track your predictions, share with friends, or even embed your prediction on your blog or website. Here's my first guess:

Who is McCain's VP?

It's only a matter of time before John McCain clinches the Repuiblican nominee for President, so who will be his VP? I previously have written that I think it will be a Guliani / Romney ticket, but now that's certainly not going to happen. So who will it be? It came to me in a dream last night! Has anyone else written about it yet? What do you think about:


Retired General Colin Luther Powell!


The 65th United States Secretary of State, many thought Powell might make a run of the Presidency back in 2000. He also has been the National Security Advisor under Reagan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Can Either Democrat Win Before the Convention?

While the Republican race is pretty much over with John McCain well in the lead and his main competitors out (Sorry Huckabee... you will make a nice VP candidate), the Democratic race is hot, hot, hot. There is a very real chance that neither Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will have the necessary amount of delegates to cinch the nomination before the convention. What could that mean for the party? Will it be a unifying event? A coronation? A fight? Will the attention give the eventual nominee a huge boost going into the general?

How Much Money?

How much money can Barack Obama raise? He is really on a tear. After reporting a $32 million dollar month (January 2008), reports out today are that Obama in on pace for another $30 million plus month in February. Check out the article at Politico.com. The article also goes on to state that only 3% of Obama donors have given the Federal maximum. It is shown to be a good thing, but I'm not too sure. Many of those donors probably cannot give any more money. Hitting them up for more donations could lead to less than stellar results. I know that if I had already given, I wouldn't necessarily be able to give more. It's a misleading statistic. Let's see what the future brings for Obama and Clinton.

Bye Bye Rudy

Oh boy, the Republican field is certainly narrowing. Sure Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee are still in the race, but their chances are slim to none. Perhaps one of them will be the Vice Presidential candidate. Would Rudy Giuliani take it if offered? I think so. It seems to be right up his alley -- big title, not so much work. Kidding! Oh, let's see the Giuliani supporters comment now.

Are You Ready For Tomorrow?

And so the primary season begins tomorrow with the Iowa caucuses tomorrow, January 3, 2008. All eyes will be on the state to see which Democrat and which Republican win the first race of the election cycle. One the Democratic side, there is a three way statistical tie for the lead between Obama, Clinton, and Edwards. On the Republican side there are two front runners in Romney and Huckabee. Let's see what happens!

The Beginning of the End is Nigh

Well after months and months of pre-election rhetoric, we are finally within 3 weeks of the first caucuses. January 3 is the big date and we'll soon see which Republican and which Democrat takes the first votes for the 2008 Party Conventions. The race on the Democratic side is very close with a virtual 3-way tie between Obama, Clinton and Edwards. On the Republican side, it's a constant mix-up with Huckabee in the lead sometimes, other times it's Romney, with Giuliani following behind. Where's Fred Thompson? Don't ask!

The Ticket

Any predictions on the 2008 Presidential Election? Here's my picks and we'll check back after the conventions:

Democratic Party
President - Senator Hillary Clinton
Vice President - Senator Barack Obama

Republican Party
President - Rudy Giuliani
Vice President - Gov. Mitt Romney

What do you think about these picks? As far as the 2008 winner? I think it will be the Democrats, as long as the Poison Pill Redux does not occur. Then 8 years later, VP Obama would be the nominee for the Democrats.

The Ron Paul Miracle

Did you hear how much money Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Paul took in in a single day this week? Try $4.3 million dollars in a single 24 hour period. The day was Guy Falkes Day, November 5th, and Paul used it to drum up a load of cash from over 37,000 donors. He even had a website for the event -- ThisNovember5th.com -- to publicize and galvanize the base. I just watched the video and.. well... I liked it!

Will Obama Accept the VP?

If things continue as they are now, Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic Nomination. Then the big question will be, Who will she ask to be the VP nominee? The customary choice is the runner up, which in this case could be Barack Obama. Would he accept? I think he should. His presence on the ballot could help Clinton win the Presidency which would keep his chances for a future Presidential bid alive. Think about two terms of Hillary, and then the VP getting the nod. Obama doesn't seem to have the experience to be elected President, but with 8 years of VP under his belt, he would look that much better.

The Biggest Comeback to Come?

Sure it looks like it will be either Hillary or Obama as the Democratic nominee for President. The rest don't have a chance. On the other side of the isle, it sure looks like no one can stop either Rudy or Fred Thompson (or maybe Mitt) from earning the Republican nominee. No big surprises there...

But remember what happened to Howard Dean last time?

During his concession speech after placing third in the 2004 Iowa Democratic caucuses, Howard Dean went crazy:

Not only are we going to New Hampshire, Tom Harkin, we're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we're going to California and Texas and New York … And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan, and then we're going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House! Byaaah!!!

Yeah, the aftermath, as his campaign fell apart around him, is the stuff of political lore.

So I think that given the huge amount of time before the first primaries (7 months to Feb.2008) there are many, many chances for a Dean-like meltdown by one of the leading candidates. That's the risk in running an 18 month primary season. This means that we could end up with a second tier candidate ending up as their party's nominee. I call it "The Biggest Comeback to Come" and it is a real possibility in either or both parties in the coming months.

A Big Money Coup

Yesterday it was announced that Senator Barack Obama raised an amazing $32.5 million last quarter in fund raising. Add that to his previous quarter contributions of $25 million and you get a whopping total of $57.5 million in six months. That's the second best ever to this point. How was number one? None other than President George W. Bush. Senator Clinton came in second this quarter (whereas last quarter she was first) bring her 6 month total to $53 million. From the "1984 Hillary" video to the "I Got a Crush... on Obama" music video, Senator Obama is hot and seems to be getting hotter.

Getting Into the First (or Second) Tier of Decision 2008

It’s difficult for third tier Presidential candidates in the current U.S. primaries to make any headway. It seems some will try anything. First you have Ron Paul who is saying, some would say, scandalous things at the debates (see quote below) and is campaigning on the platform to abolish the IRS:

PAUL: They attack us because we've been over there. We've been bombing Iraq for 10 years. We've been in the Middle East [for years]. I think [Ronald] Reagan was right. We don't understand the irrationality of Middle Eastern politics. Right now, we're building an embassy in Iraq that is bigger than the Vatican. We're building 14 permanent bases. What would we say here if China was doing this in our country or in the Gulf of Mexico? We would be objecting.

GIULIANI: That's really an extraordinary statement. That's an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of September 11, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I've heard that before, and I've heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th. And I would ask the congressman to withdraw that comment and tell us that he didn't really mean that.

Now we have former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel making experimental videos on YouTube:


Check out how his aides explain it.

Who Will Step Up The Domestic Policy

With almost 7 years of U.S. focus on foreign policy (Wars, Terror, Trade Deficit), the next American President needs to focus on the domestic side of the equation. My top issues, in order of importance are:

1. Health Care
2. Education
3. More Health Care
4. More Education
5. Immigration
6. Economy

A Message From President Clinton

This new YouTube video will be talked about a lot in the next few weeks -- see it now and tell me what you think: