Buyers Remorse Redux

An amazing 51% think McCain is a moderate. http://news.yahoo.com/s/rasmussen/20080225/pl_rasmussen/ideologyfeb20080225;_ylt=AhHG8N9mrp9PFuo_Bm0.0jKs0NUE Although he has his differences -- largely on personality and a few issues -- with some of the conservative leaders, his positions and beliefs are very very conservative. I worry that just as folks were surprised at how conservative Bush was when he got elected (thinking he was just a rerun of his dad), we will have a lot Independents and even Democrats voting for him and then being very surprised with what they end up with.

With Friends Like These

As a rational human being, I am always amazed at how stupid the extremes can be in their determination to lose. According to an article in Politico, groups on the left want to recreate 1968 at the Democratic Convention with anti-war protests and civil disobedience. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8710.html

Perhaps their plan is to insure the future of the anti-war movement by electing McCain -- then the movement could last 100 years. Or perhaps it is sixties envy gone wrong by people who missed the decade.

Another article in this issue of Politico made the point that Nader did not lose the election for Gore -- the people who voted for him did. So that there are groups silly enough to call for recreating the 1968 protests is one thing, if they actually get people to show for it would be another.

McCain's Running Mate

The New York Times had an article saying that McCain might try to balance his ticket by trying to pick a younger running mate. Of course he will -- how could he pick an older running mate? Strom Thurmond is dead and Senator Byrd is a Democrat.

How did she miss out on being a talking head?

Another mystery of the Vicki Iseman story -- given how she looks, why has she never been featured as a Republican talking head on any of the cable shows? Or is that her future now that she has been noticed?

She was his mistress

How else can you explain the Vicki's meteoric rise -- she comes to DC with a degree in primary education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She gets a job as receptionist at lobbying firm and with no Hill or other experience is a Partner at the firm (probably pulling down a half a million a year plus) before she is 30. That doesn't happen. Check out the profile of her in her alumni magazine -- she's probably their most accomplished or at least today most famous grad. http://old.www.iup.edu/publications/iupmag/backissues/Fall02/iseman.shtm

Of course the fact that she is the spitting imagine of a younger Cindy McCain is more damming evidence -- guys have types and clearly McCain has his.

Obama Luck

Is history repeating itself? In 2004 Obama was able to waltz into the Senate because after he secured the nomination, his Republican opponent had a sex scandal and had to drop out. If that pattern holds then like in 2004, the Republicans will replace their presumptive nominee with Alan Keyes.

Cheeseheads at the Convention

Seeing a clip of Hilary saying she loved Cheeseheads in a speach in WI, in which you could see some Wisconsinites wearing cheesehats reminded me of Democratic Convention in 1988. Wisconsin had been a key state in Dukakis's nomination battle and was going to be a key battleground in the general election so they gave the WI delegation a prime location. It was right down in front of the poduim. They were in literally every shot of a speaker and they wore those damn cheesehead hats.

Dukakis lost, and not one blames the cheesehats, but in 1992 the WI delegation was in the nose bleed seats next to American Samoa.