Wednesday, January 9, 2008

The Conventional Wisdom Was Wrong! Hillary Strikes Back in New Hampshire

The results for the New Hampshire primary are in, and it looks as though Sen. John McCain has for the most part preserved his popularity in that state, and that by shedding crocodile tears just before voting took place, Hillary Clinton proved once again how manipulative she can be. The fact that last-minute polls were as much as 10% off introduces a note of uncertainty; at least there will be enough material to keep all souces of news & commentary (MSM and alternative) busy until the 4th of November and beyond.

McCain - Can expect an improvement in cash flow, since people like to back a winner. How ironic it is that his ability to raise the millions required to conduct a national campaign is severely limited by McCain-Feingold! Will continue to cooperate discreetly with Gov. Huckabee to get Romney out of the way, but not one second longer.

Romney - Still not finished off yet; hopes to do better in Michigan, where he was born, and the state where his father, George Romney, served as governor. He will need to revamp his campaign advertising, since negative campaigning has been so ineffectual for him.

Huckabee - Will be working hard to sway voters in Michigan as well as South Carolina. At least he has Chuck Norris covering his back.

Thompson, F. - South Carolina could be his first big break, unless he runs out of money and throws in the towel. Can expect stiff competition from Huckabee, who is busily cultivating the evangelical vote.

Giuliani - Still laying low until Super Duper Tuesday.

Paul - Can't overcome the image of being a fringe candidate, and recently-released newsletters written by him with racist sentiments could sink his already small chances of running as a Republican. He does have enough money to keep on going as an independent.

Clinton, H. - Her campaign got a boost from New Hampshire, but there are many more states to go. One thing about her that's indisputably world-class is her ambition, and she will have numerous opportunities to prove that she has only begun to fight.

Obama - South Carolina may be the place where he can exploit his victory in Iowa. His public appearances with Oprah Winfrey were very well received, and he will be sure to take advantage of the goodwill generated. Ironically, many black Democrats are inclined to vote for Hillary, because despite her negatives, she's part of an established brand, not an inexperienced and untested politician.

Edwards - South Carolina could be his last chance to score something. If he can't make it there, he can't make it anywhere.

Richardson - He is quitting the race and returning to New Mexico.

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