Debating for 4 Hours

Last night, starting at 6pm Central time I hunkered down in front of my tube and turned to channel 8 to watch the New Hampshire primary debate marathon. First the Republicans, then the anti-Republicans. The debates ended a bit before 10, well past my usual bedtime. But I found them so over stimulating I ended up staying up past 11pm for the first time since I was stuck on a redeye flight from Phoenix that got me back here in Texas at 3 in the morning.

The Republican debate seemed to have more entertainment value than the Dems due to the amount of ganging up on Mitt Romney. The moderator, Charlie Gibson, let an actual free-wheeling debate take place. John McCain sort of sat above it all, for the most part, but he also got a zing or two in at Romney.

I love how the others debaters treat Ron Paul like he's some sort of addled grandfatherly nutcase channeling his inner hippie. Ron Paul spews raw common sense, stating what should be the obvious, while the others act as if he is just way too way out there to have what he is saying addressed with any level of seriousness. The annoyingly blowhardish Fred Thompson with his perpetual scowl and worst case of dark eye circles in human history was the most offensive with his condescending to the wonderfully woeful hangdoggy Ron Paul.

If I had to pick a winner of the Republicans in this debate I guess I'd go with John McCain. Huckebee, to me, comes across as a Richard Nixon type with better social skills. I think Mitt Romney came out the worst in this debate. I don't like how he projects himself. He looks like he belongs in movies. I really can't get behind a presidential candidate who is better looking than me. That is just unsettling, even more so when I think I'm more consistent on issues than he is.

Now, the Democrats. Hillary did real well at this debate, it seemed to me. She was actually funny a couple times and not in a way that seemed pre-planned. And she was quite forceful in describing how she'd unleash a nuclear retaliation against any nation-state which harbored terrorists who exploded a nuclear bomb on U.S. soil. Few things are more stirring than listening to a woman describe how she would use nukes to wreak havoc on our enemies. I will admit I was aroused by her rhetoric.

John Edwards I did not like in this debate. His over the top me against the bad guys populist shtick bordered on sounding kookybananas. It is real hard to hear some guy yammer on about how he is going to take on evil corporations and all the bad guys who are keeping the poor downtrodden and miserable while he gets $400 haircuts and lives in his new gazillion square foot home that he bought with money, some might say ill-gotten gains, from successfully bringing lawsuits against deep pockets on behalf of supposed victims. I'm thinking if you care so much about the downtrodden why not take that 400 bucks you spend on a haircut and take a few hundred kids out for a Happy Meal? Personally I would feel much more comfortable doing that than sitting in a barber chair knowing it was going to cost me about a half thousand dollars once I was done tipping. And on another John Edwards note, how do you spend that much on a haircut and end up with that unusual part in your hair that appears to go where no normal part goes???

I'm liking Barack Obama. Previously not so much. I was sort of the opinion that he has not done anything except give a rousing speech at the last Democrat Convention. But last night he seemed presidential. And I liked him. Even Hillary admitted he is very likable. Last night he also seemed more detailed on specifics than I'd heard before, where previously I'd thought all he did was spew a bunch of empty platitudes, like any run of the mill politician.

But, of the four Democrats in this debate (thank God the powers in charge decided to leave that pipsqueak Kucinich and that ridiculous Gravel guy out of it) the candidate I liked best of both the Republicans and the Dems is Bill Richardson. He is likable, he's experienced, he's smart, he's articulate, he's funny, he seems genuine. And I particularly like that he is a bit over weight and his wife does not look all glammed up. He looks like a president. He seems like he could be a great president. He is who I would vote for if I was voting in Tuesday's primary. Which means he does not have a ghost chance of winning.

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So, there is my political diatribe for the day. Now it is time to go out and enjoy this January day in Texas that is heading to a predicted high of 82. That is almost HOT!

To Vote or not to Vote

It is appalling another 4 years has come around with today being the Iowa Caucus. Or as America's Biggest and Most Amusing Blowhard, Rush Limbaugh, calls it, the Buckeye Cauci. Now, just because I mentioned Mr. Limbaugh do not go thinking I'm an arch conservative. I listen to him because WBAP is the only radio station that comes in clear on my cheap headphones I wear sometimes while biking and hiking. And if you've formed a negative opinion about Limbaugh, but have not actually listened to him, give yourself a break and do so. You may find him quite amusing.

It this is an election year it must also be an Olympics year, another event that seems to come around way too soon. It's too early to guess who is going to win the Olympics, but with this election thing it would appear we are going to be stuck with either Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama, Mr. Romney, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Guilliani or maybe Mr. McCain as our next president. Anyone of whom would seem likely to be a fresh breath of competence after what we have endured since 2000.

I went to a caucus once. In Washington. The year Bill Clinton won. Washington has since switched to the primary method. I'm not sure I approve of the caucus method, based on my own personal experience. It amounted to being about 20 people in a stranger's living room, one or two self-appointed know-it-alls, but in actuality know-nothing yappers, dominating the discussion with ignorant blather while the rest of us sat in pained silence. At some point I couldn't take it anymore and interupted with a string of facts that refuted the nonsense I'd been listening to. The details of what was spewed that night has long left my memory banks. But my disdain for the caucus method of selecting candidates remains.

I'm sure you are wondering who I voted for at my one and only caucus. Well, it was not Bill Clinton. At that point in time I could not believe he could go far with what seemed to me to be his sort of phony ways. As often is the case, I was wrong. I voted for Paul Tsongas. I don't remember who actually won our local caucus. I'm fairly certain it was not Tsongas since the only time I've voted for a winner was the second time Reagan won. And the second time Nixon won. Quite a track record.

My guesses as to who is going to win the Iowa Caucus today, thus insuring they will lose, is Barack Obama for the Democrats and Mike Huckabee for the Republicans.

But I don't think Mike Huckabee is going to win next week as he keeps making weird mistakes. Like his reaction to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto when Huckabee said we need to secure our southern border to stop the Pakistanis from entering from Mexico because they are our #2 illegal alien invaders. This is not even remotely accurate and no artful spin could make it so. So, Huckabee somehow thought it logical that of all the nations in the world that somehow poor Pakistanis made it all the way around the world, wandering up through Mexico in such large numbers that they out number people's from other Central and South America nations entering our country. He somehow thought that millions of Pakistanis were invading us, likely for some long-planned jihad that would make 9/11 pale by comparison. And yet the first he raised this dire Pakistani invasion issue was in reaction to the Bhutto killing?? No, I do not think we really need another out of touch, albeit nice guy, being our president. In other words, I am shocked Huckabee won the Iowa caucus, all things considered, even though I thought he would, I just somehow thought the common sense of all those solid midwesterner Iowans would prevail. But it didn't.

So, with my track record of being wrong it'll probably be Hillary and John McCain tonight, with Hillary turning into a steamroller express making the rest of the election on the Democrat side into a big bore.