Wednesday, February 06, 2008


Clintons Claim Super Tuesday Victory

Present circumstances often remind one of wonderful anecdotes from the past's trove. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's economic advisor, John Kenneth Galbraith, was sent to debrief Albert Speer after Germany's surrendur. Speer had been his "opposite number" in terms of wartime economic planning. In an aside, Speer mentioned that it was perfectly obvious to him since 1943 that Germany would lose the war. By what economic metrics, Galbraith asked, did he arrive at the conclusion? Was it grain prices? Synthetic oil costs? The lack of rubber? "No, no, not at all," Speer answered. "It was because our heroic victories kept getting closer to Berlin."

After steady and nearly complete erosion of a seemingly insurmountable early lead, the Clinton camp's claims of victory on Super Tuesday bear comparison. It was the Clintons who had pushed for a Super Tuesday in the first place, planning it as a knockout punch. Crying "hooray!" while hauling ass off the terrain of your choosing is always incongruous, often unbecoming. The same day it claimed victory, the campaign announced it wouldn't cover most upcoming states, rather planning to concentrate its resources on Ohio. Today staffers started passing rumors that the Clintons believe caucusing is undemocratic cheating, and one described an atmosphere of desperation and rage. While dipping into their personal fortune for a $5 million loan and asking staffers to go unpaid, the Clintons started openly pointing at all the Florida and Michigan delegates, saying they're way ahead if you count those.

Question...why would Dims in Florida and Michigan knowingly violate their own party's bylaws, thereby invalidating all their delegates? And why would Clinton be the only name on the ballot?

7 comments:

Naj said...

Okey this is waaaaay beyond me!
But here's what I think, and I say this SADLY:
Clinton looks like one of teh stepford wives (mccain's wife is the other) ... the woman is like a rubber-faced machine!

Obama looks like robocop!

Both these dudes are just way too theatrical and unreal! I can't believe them! McCain looks more human to me! :)) I think I shoudl go volunteer for the repugnicans!

isabelita said...

Good grief; McCain looks "human" because he's nuts. Clinton and Obama are undoubtedly exhausted from all the campaigning.
Maybe it was a deliberate mysogynistic ploy by blue dog dems down to Florida. It's the cheatin' state, after all.

Naj said...

isabelita, I do believe that too!

A woman or a black maan, whooohaahhaaa let get the white dude elected!

But between a black man and a white woman who acts, sounds, feels, speaks, aspires to be a man, I am sure America's SUPER DELEGATES will keep the old gal!

MarcLord said...

It's a totally surreal process, especially at this point in a longest-ever campaign. We did see Obama in Seattle once, and although tired, he was loose. By comparison he doesn't come across as well in a debate, that's for sure (neither would I).

McCain is human, Naj, very much an adult steward of his party. For the Presidency, Republicans tend to nominate the one who has "earned it," and McCain has waded through mountains of crap for his party.

However, he has fairly bad infirmities, much worse than is commonly known. For example, he can't lift his arms far enough to comb his own hair, and his wife helps him down airplane ramps. More importantly, he is a war candidate, and also is known for having a life-long volcanic temper. He was once was very prone to physical violence, and partially for that reason he finished 894th out of his Anapolis Naval Academy class of 899.

MarcLord said...

Iz and Naj,

I just heard that Michigan and Florida are toying with the idea of becoming caucus states. In other words, they're thinking of a do-over; difficult to not interpret this as backing away from B/Hill.

Naj said...

Bhill did sound exhausted last night, for sure!

Good for Florida!

MarcLord said...

The Natural is human. Man, that guy is a good politician. (I didn't say a good leader.)