Honestly, for a pseudo hockey fan, like myself, this time of year is terrible in terms of sports action. The NBA is in its second half, which means absolutely nothing because the playoff teams were pretty much set about two months ago. The hockey season is probably in full swing, but who really knows? I only follow the Sabres in the standings box and during the playoffs. They're the only team I can watch because it reminds me of the days when beer was cheap, the ladies were sexy, and living was an afterthought. Soccer is awesome in my book, but its a chore to watch in the US. College basketball is only fun when there's pride/money invested in a bracket which ultimately busts.
So what the hell is left? Well, its an ELECTION YEAR. So lets do a biased breakdown of the candidates with some sort of statistical analysis following. As a disclaimer, these statistics were brought to you by CNN and their exit polls from the most recent primaries. If you didn't follow the 2000 election, these things have about a 55% chance of being bullshit. Basically, I'm saying any crappy prediction I make is more insured during this presidential campaign than during a legitimate sports season. Also, I'm a Democrat who sways towards classical liberalism in terms of economic thought. That means I like free trade and outsourcing. As a bonus, I agree with the Republican candidates on their view of the war in Iraq. Now that you know where I'm coming from, here's my analysis.
John McCain
Ah, the war hero. Everyone loves him, but his party hates him. He's a rare type of candidate that the public and his opponents cannot publicly hate because he's a goddamn war hero. This guy refused to leave a prisoner of war camp until his fellow POWs were released. That seriously takes some balls. And all he was left with was the inability to raise his arms above his shoulders. Sorry, but trying to garner public hatred toward McCain is like trying to convince an Indian girl to give you a blowjob. Damn near impossible and probably not even worth the effort in the end.
McCain poses a lot of problems for either Democratic candidate this summer. He's a self avowed moderate and social Republican. I have no idea what social Republican means but I'm guessing he believes in Darwin's theory of evolution and doesn't hate minorities. In fact, McCain's immigration policies are probably more liberal than Hillary Clinton's. This may be the result of pandering to his Arizona constituency, but I honestly believe McCain doesn't want to close the borders like the rest of the GOP. His stance on free trade supports his immigration reform policies. McCain is the only candidate left that is willing to let globalization take its course and let the economy work its way out of the slump. While this may put him on bad terms with most voters, it is probably the best solution to our current economic crisis. However, its too early to make that call and the nation might be in need of some Keynesian adjustments.
The one major hurdle that McCain faces is his lack of support from the GOP base. The true conservatives of the party view him as being too far left of center to be an effective representative of Republican ideals. There is much talk among pundits that preaches that many conservatives will vote for Obama instead of McCain in a general election. They feel that Obama reaches across the abyss of partisanship to effectively work with Republicans in constructing solutions. Whether or not true right wingers will cross the line and vote for a liberal like Senator Obama is questionable at best, but it provides for an interesting storyline. McCain needs to find a vice presidential candidate that the Republican base can support. Mitt Romney may be the best choice, but unlikely because of their verbal feud in the primaries.
Hillary Clinton
Senator Clinton has gone from being the inevitable Democratic nominee to the also ran who is struggling to keep her head above water. She's definitely the most polarizing candidate of the remaining three serious contenders who might actually have the hardest time convincing independents and moderate conservatives to cast a ballot for her in the general election. She admirably appeals to the sensibilities of her supporters and the voter base. Her speeches are more substance than flair and her policies resonate with the Democratic base. In other words, she talks about what she wants to do and it makes sense.
Her biggest weakness is that she's running against a candidate that channels charisma on the levels of Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy. In comparison, she looks bland and vanilla. In any other year, Senator Clinton would probably have the nomination locked up by now. But against a candidate like Senator Obama, who certainly has as much content as Clinton and ten times as much speaking skill, her support has dwindled. Additionally, it's been reported that the Clinton campaign was so confident that they failed to set up any sort of political infrastructure for the primaries. In essence, they have been out-hustled by the Obama campaign in every facet. And now they are struggling to keep up.
If Senator Clinton wins the nomination from the Democratic side, her chances of beating Senator McCain look decent. I think that particular match up is a coin toss. Independents are weary of Clinton because she represents the old guard of politics. She is effectively the establishment in this election and McCain is sort of the firebrand in this contest. He refuses to conform to the Republican school of thought whereas Clinton is a cookie cutter Democrat in terms of her stance on the issues. And as the primaries show, Obama and McCain have been winning the independent vote in their respective primaries. Furthermore, Clinton's initial support on the war in Iraq makes her seem like a hypocrite. She voted for the war but now wants to pull out. McCain and the Republicans will nail this issue into the coffin during the general election and make the public question her effectiveness in generating foreign policy. If the Democrats nominate Clinton, they virtually forfeit any advantage they had on arguably the biggest issue in this election.
Barack Obama
I'm a huge supporter of Senator Obama and will do a follow up article this weekend on why the American electorate should seriously consider him for the presidency. I feel like I've given the other candidates a fair shake in this extra long post, but personal bias rules this day and Obama will be given his own feature. Also, for you Hillary supporters, I'll give you a bonus posting on why she isn't the candidate that should garner the Democratic nomination.
So what the hell is left? Well, its an ELECTION YEAR. So lets do a biased breakdown of the candidates with some sort of statistical analysis following. As a disclaimer, these statistics were brought to you by CNN and their exit polls from the most recent primaries. If you didn't follow the 2000 election, these things have about a 55% chance of being bullshit. Basically, I'm saying any crappy prediction I make is more insured during this presidential campaign than during a legitimate sports season. Also, I'm a Democrat who sways towards classical liberalism in terms of economic thought. That means I like free trade and outsourcing. As a bonus, I agree with the Republican candidates on their view of the war in Iraq. Now that you know where I'm coming from, here's my analysis.
John McCain
Ah, the war hero. Everyone loves him, but his party hates him. He's a rare type of candidate that the public and his opponents cannot publicly hate because he's a goddamn war hero. This guy refused to leave a prisoner of war camp until his fellow POWs were released. That seriously takes some balls. And all he was left with was the inability to raise his arms above his shoulders. Sorry, but trying to garner public hatred toward McCain is like trying to convince an Indian girl to give you a blowjob. Damn near impossible and probably not even worth the effort in the end.
McCain poses a lot of problems for either Democratic candidate this summer. He's a self avowed moderate and social Republican. I have no idea what social Republican means but I'm guessing he believes in Darwin's theory of evolution and doesn't hate minorities. In fact, McCain's immigration policies are probably more liberal than Hillary Clinton's. This may be the result of pandering to his Arizona constituency, but I honestly believe McCain doesn't want to close the borders like the rest of the GOP. His stance on free trade supports his immigration reform policies. McCain is the only candidate left that is willing to let globalization take its course and let the economy work its way out of the slump. While this may put him on bad terms with most voters, it is probably the best solution to our current economic crisis. However, its too early to make that call and the nation might be in need of some Keynesian adjustments.
The one major hurdle that McCain faces is his lack of support from the GOP base. The true conservatives of the party view him as being too far left of center to be an effective representative of Republican ideals. There is much talk among pundits that preaches that many conservatives will vote for Obama instead of McCain in a general election. They feel that Obama reaches across the abyss of partisanship to effectively work with Republicans in constructing solutions. Whether or not true right wingers will cross the line and vote for a liberal like Senator Obama is questionable at best, but it provides for an interesting storyline. McCain needs to find a vice presidential candidate that the Republican base can support. Mitt Romney may be the best choice, but unlikely because of their verbal feud in the primaries.
Hillary Clinton
Senator Clinton has gone from being the inevitable Democratic nominee to the also ran who is struggling to keep her head above water. She's definitely the most polarizing candidate of the remaining three serious contenders who might actually have the hardest time convincing independents and moderate conservatives to cast a ballot for her in the general election. She admirably appeals to the sensibilities of her supporters and the voter base. Her speeches are more substance than flair and her policies resonate with the Democratic base. In other words, she talks about what she wants to do and it makes sense.
Her biggest weakness is that she's running against a candidate that channels charisma on the levels of Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy. In comparison, she looks bland and vanilla. In any other year, Senator Clinton would probably have the nomination locked up by now. But against a candidate like Senator Obama, who certainly has as much content as Clinton and ten times as much speaking skill, her support has dwindled. Additionally, it's been reported that the Clinton campaign was so confident that they failed to set up any sort of political infrastructure for the primaries. In essence, they have been out-hustled by the Obama campaign in every facet. And now they are struggling to keep up.
If Senator Clinton wins the nomination from the Democratic side, her chances of beating Senator McCain look decent. I think that particular match up is a coin toss. Independents are weary of Clinton because she represents the old guard of politics. She is effectively the establishment in this election and McCain is sort of the firebrand in this contest. He refuses to conform to the Republican school of thought whereas Clinton is a cookie cutter Democrat in terms of her stance on the issues. And as the primaries show, Obama and McCain have been winning the independent vote in their respective primaries. Furthermore, Clinton's initial support on the war in Iraq makes her seem like a hypocrite. She voted for the war but now wants to pull out. McCain and the Republicans will nail this issue into the coffin during the general election and make the public question her effectiveness in generating foreign policy. If the Democrats nominate Clinton, they virtually forfeit any advantage they had on arguably the biggest issue in this election.
Barack Obama
I'm a huge supporter of Senator Obama and will do a follow up article this weekend on why the American electorate should seriously consider him for the presidency. I feel like I've given the other candidates a fair shake in this extra long post, but personal bias rules this day and Obama will be given his own feature. Also, for you Hillary supporters, I'll give you a bonus posting on why she isn't the candidate that should garner the Democratic nomination.
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