I haven't watched one of them yet. It is still too early in the game for me and I think that all of the debates will just be repetitious as time passes. I will watch more closely as time goes on.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Well, just rember that the first primaries are only in a couple weeks. They're pushed up to the first or second week in January, and this was the final Republican debate before the primary. Democrats will be on tomorrow.
Ellen Goodman Keep sexist hangup over aging out of campaign Ellen Goodman is a nationally syndicated columnist.
And so we gather to praise the old feminazi hunter himself. Rush Limbaugh has single-handedly brushed aside the blinding snow on the windshield and let us have another clear view of the double standard running down this campaign highway. This week, our man Rush offered a lengthy monologue about an unflattering photo of Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire cold. He ended by asking the question: “Will this country want to actually watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?” EEEEK! Hillary has wrinkles! Somebody call the exorcist! Remember last summer when the nation was treated to a bit of fashionbabble about Hillary’s cleavage? This alerted us to the startling news that the senator had breasts. Two of them. News at 11. Now we are being treated to a psychodrama titled, “The Candidate Has Crow’s Feet.” Let me stipulate that the photo was not one she’d put on Match.com. These days, candidates are like celebrities stalked by the sort of paparazzi who can find cellulite on Jennifer Love Hewitt. Anyone who wants to run for the presidency should first imagine herself trying on bathing suits in a fluorescent-lit dressing room while six of her worst enemies point their cell phone cameras. Hillary made mocking note of this when she mounted the stage at an Iowa auction barn. “I’ve been to cattle barns before,” she joked, but “I’ve never felt like I was the one being bid on. I know you’re going to inspect me. You can look inside my mouth if you want.” The now-infamous photo ended up on the Drudge Report with a caption reading: “The Toll of a Campaign.” Rush then picked up the old bat, I mean, baton, and ran off (at the mouth) with it. The svelte and charming 56-year-old talkmeister framed his words about the 60-year-old Clinton who is getting older before our eyes on a daily basis as a cultural comment. He bemoaned the reality of a country “addicted to physical perfection.” He cited the laments of aging actresses. He oozed special sympathy to women, since older men look “more authoritative, accomplished, distinguished.” Do you believe that this was a prowoman rant? Then you also believe that Limbaugh’s routine about Hillary Clinton’s “testicle lockbox” is a paean to female leadership qualities. What a long way we have come already in this campaign. Ten months ago, opponents were asking whether America was ready for a woman president. Now they’re asking whether America is ready for a woman getting older before our eyes on a daily basis as president. Meanwhile, it’s become retro, maybe even feminazi, to notice the teensiest whiff of sexism. Hillary was accused of playing the gender card for merely mentioning that presidential politics was an “all-boys club.” If you complain about the heat, you’ll end up back in the kitchen. So when Limbaugh talks about the older woman as a kind of Doriana Gray — a figure of such terrifying croneishness that we don’t even want her portrait in the Oval Office — we are required to acknowledge the talk of John Edwards’ hair and Barack Obama’s swimsuit. Not to mention the grimacing Giuliani and the robotic Romney. Well, we do notice what both genders are wearing. But we have not yet passed the Equal Right to Be Scrutinized Amendment. Haggard still comes from old hag, which comes from witch, which rhymes with you know what. If Romney tears up, he’s sensitive; if Hillary cries, she’s toast. In Phase One of this campaign, Hillary was the experienced candidate. No gender need apply. In the last tense stretch to the first primaries, the headlines tell us she’s being humanized, which is a political synonym for “feminized.” When Hillary campaigns with her family, the media sometimes react as if she found Dorothy Rodham at Rent-a-Mom. So it bears repeating, alas, that women still have to negotiate the Scylla and Charybdis of political life. If you’re seen as an authority figure, you aren’t seen as womanly; if you’re seen as womanly, you aren’t seen as an authority figure. By the time you tack through that narrow channel, you have — ohmigod — wrinkles! In the 1990s, Hillary tried on more looks than Madonna. Now that she’s arrived at a comfort zone, she’s still studied for signs of cleavage, cackle and crow’s feet. Since there’s no whining allowed, she has to tough it out. At which point she’s accused of being too tough. What a business this is. Come to think of it, maybe I’d prefer that bathing suit photo op. Only Rush, ol’ buddy, you go first.
Mona Charen’s Dec. 18 column [“Romney’s religion is no obstacle, and neither is his record”] lauding the public and private successes of Republican Mitt Romney is most notable for the unfortunate exclusion of any mention of the current frontrunner in Iowa — Mike Huckabee. While Charen is careful to extol the virtues of Romney, and even — to a lesser extent — Fred Thompson, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, Huckabee’s spectacular rise in both the Iowa and national polls did not receive even an honorable mention. This glaring oversight is further proof that, despite Huckabee’s recent surge, he remains a relative unknown to many potential voters, especially in the Northeast. Rest assured, there are a growing number of Huckabee loyalists here in New York who are working diligently to educate the voting public about this outstanding candidate, and I urge you to learn more about the former Arkansas governor at http://www.mikehuckabee.com. Mike Huckabee has a proven track record of doing what is right — not what is politically expedient. His personal, low-key approach has resonated with voters nationwide and serves as a refreshing alternative to the big-budget choreography of machine politics. The governor’s reliance on volunteers has given average Americans, like myself, an opportunity to play a pivotal role in the next presidential election, and it is a challenge the members of the “Albany for Mike Huckabee” team and other Meetup groups across the state welcome. Regardless of the outcome, Gov. Huckabee has already accomplished what most national candidates never do — he has inspired legions of supporters who now believe that we can help him win the Republican nomination and even the White House with a true grass-roots movement focused clearly on faith, family and freedom. PATRICK S. ZIEGLER Burnt Hills The writer is assistant organizer for “Albany for Mike Huckabee Meetup.”
The new year is here, and politicians are really cranking up the heat. I hope that the citizens of this country really put a lot of thought and research in their choice for our next president. A candidate’s race, gender or religion should not play any part in who will be our next president. A candidate who exhibits intelligence and experience and the ability to handle stressful and dire circumstances with reason and diplomacy is what is called for — especially in these trying times. Sen. Hillary Clinton has all those attributes. She is an intelligent woman, with an impressive background in politics. She has shown that she can handle any situation with dignity and genuine regard for the law and the rights of a free society. Former president Bill Clinton will be an asset to Hillary. He has the experience of a former president and the wellearned respect of leaders from around the world. This is a win-win team. Sen. Barack Obama is a good man — he’s young and intelligent — but I think he needs to get more experience. There is no shortcut for the kind of experience that Hillary Clinton has. All the money in the world cannot buy this kind of expertise. He will make a fi ne vice president and future president. Our next president, whoever he or she is, will have a long tough road to travel — but that is what makes this country so great. MARTY SHANTY Charlton
Huckabee victorious in Iowa GOP contest By DAVID ESPO, Associated Press Last updated: 9:34 p.m., Thursday, January 3, 2008 DES MOINES, Iowa -- Mike Huckabee, a Baptist preacher turned politician, rode a wave of support from evangelical Christians to victory Thursday night in the Iowa caucuses, first test in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards struggled for supremacy in a close Democratic contest.
Huckabee handily defeated Mitt Romney despite being outspent by tens of millions of dollars, and deciding in the campaign's final days to scrap television commercials that would have assailed the former Massachusetts governor. Returns from nearly half the state's 1,781 precincts showed an almost impossibly close Democratic race, with Obama, Clinton and Edwards each holding about a third of the support in a multi-candidate field. Romney sought to frame his defeat as something less than that, saying he had trailed Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, by more than 20 points a few weeks ago. "I've been pleased that I've been able to make up ground and I intend to keep making up ground, not just here but across the country," he said. The words were brave, but already, his strategy of bankrolling a methodical campaign in hopes of winning the first two states was in tatters -- and a rejuvenated Sen. John McCain of Arizona was tied in the polls in next-up New Hampshire. Iowans rendered their judgments in meetings at 1,781 precincts from Adel to Zwingle, in schools, firehouses and community centers where the candidates themselves could not follow. In interviews as they entered the caucuses, more than half of all the Republicans said they were either born-again or evangelical Christians, and they liked Huckabee more than any of his rivals. Romney led handily among the balance of the Iowa Republican voters, according to the survey. About half the Democratic caucus-goers said a candidate's ability to bring about needed change was the most important factor as they made up their minds, according to entrance interviews by The Associated Press and the television networks. Change was Obama's calling card in the arduous campaign for Iowa's backing. Fewer voters cited experience, which Clinton said was her strong suit, or a candidate's chance of capturing the White House or ability to care about people like the voters themselves. While Republicans and Democrats both looked to Iowa to pass the first judgment of the election year, there was a key difference in the way they ran their caucuses. Republicans took a straw vote, then tallied the results. Democrats had a more complicated process in which one candidate's supporters might eventually wind up backing another contender. Clinton, Obama and Edwards had all urged voters to consider them if their own candidate fell short. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio publicly urged his backers to line up with Obama on a second round, and two Democrats said aides to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson did likewise as the caucuses unfolded. Those two spoke on condition of anonymity, citing private discussions. The Democratic race was as close as the Republican contest was not.
Obama, Huckabee victorious in Iowa By DAVID ESPO, Associated Press Last updated: 9:42 p.m., Thursday, January 3, 2008 DES MOINES, Iowa -- Sen. Barack Obama, bidding to become the nation's first black president, captured the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, opening test in the race for the 2008 Democratic nomination. Mike Huckabee rode a wave of support from evangelical Christians to victory in the Republican caucuses.
Obama, 46 and a first-term senator from Illinois, eased past a high-powered field that included Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, the former first lady, and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee. Among Republicans, Huckabee, a preacher turned politician, handily defeated Mitt Romney despite being outspent by tens of millions of dollars, and deciding in the campaign's final days to scrap television commercials that would have assailed the former Massachusetts governor.
Clinton goes on offensive; Edwards espouses change BY NEDRA PICKLER The Associated Press
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democratic presidential front-runner no longer, accused campaign rival Barack Obama of changing his positions on health care and “a number of issues” Saturday night in a debate three days before the New Hampshire primary. “I have been entirely consistent in my position,” countered Obama, adding that he and Clinton have a philosophical disagreement over her proposal to require Americans to purchase health insurance or face a penalty from the government. Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses last Thursday, and his top remaining rivals — Clinton, former Sen. John Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson — can ill afford for him to gain a victory in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary as well. “You said you would vote against the Patriot Act. You came to the Senate, you voted for it. You said you would vote against the Iraq war, you came to the Senate and voted for” funding, she said. “I think we should get into examining everybody’s record,” she said. Obama’s candidacy has soared on his pledge to bring change to Washington, and Clinton sought to blunt his advantage while sticking to her own campaign-long theme. “I have 35 years of experience making change,” she said. Edwards, second-place finisher in Iowa, worked throughout the debate to align himself with Obama as an advocate for change in Washington and described Clinton as a defender of the status quo. “Every time he speaks out for change, every time I fight for change, the forces of status quo are going to attack,” Edwards said. “I didn’t hear these kind of attacks from Sen. Clinton when she was ahead,” he said. “Now that she’s not, we hear them.” There were a few moments of humor. “I’ve been in hostage negotiations that are a lot more civil than this,” Richardson, a one-time diplomat, said at one point. Asked what she could say to voters who don’t find her likable enough and seem to like Obama more, Clinton drew laughter. “Well, that hurts my feelings. ... But I’ll try to go on.” She said she agreed that Obama was likable, then added, “I don’t think I’m that bad.” That drew a wry response from Obama, who said, “You’re likable enough, Hillary.” The debate unfolded as a new poll showed a close race between Clinton, the one-time national front-runner, and Obama. Her aides debated privately how forcefully to attack her rival, and the campaign distributed a mass mailing that criticizes him for voting “present” on legislation while he served in the Illinois Legislature rather than in favor of measures backed by abortion rights groups. With the first primary only three days away, the former first lady had little time to make the case she hoped would knock Obama off stride. Challenged on health care, Obama acknowledged that he has said that if he were designing a system from scratch, he would set up a single-payer system that would give coverage to all. He said that is impractical, given the current system in which so many people receive their insurance from employers. Obama’s health care plan relies on government financial incentives and cost-cutting to help the uninsured afford coverage. But unlike Clinton and Edwards, he does not require adults to buy coverage or pay a penalty if they don’t. “I disagree with that because as I go around, I don’t meet people who avoid getting health care. The problem is they can’t afford it,” he said. The opening moments of the debate produced agreement on Obama’s summertime statement, controversial at the time, that he would take action against terrorist leader Osama bin Laden if he had actionable intelligence that he was hiding in Pakistan and the government there did not act. “As much as possible,” the United States should seek agreement from Pakistanis, Obama added. Edwards agreed. “If I as president of the United States know where Osama bin Laden is, I would go get him,” the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee said. Likewise, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said that if diplomacy failed and the Pakistani government was incapable of moving against the terrorist leader, “then you do take that action.” Clinton agreed, saying, “At some point, probably when the missiles have been launched, the Pakistani government has to know they are on the way.” She said that was important to make sure Pakistan didn’t jump to the conclusion that it was under attack from India, its longtime rival in southwest Asia.
Romney rips Huckabee, McCain in N.H. debate BY LIZ SIDOTI The Associated Press
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney clashed with Mike Huckabee on foreign policy and John McCain on immigration Saturday night in a high-stakes presidential campaign debate three days before the New Hampshire primary. “It’s not amnesty,” McCain shot back after Romney criticized his plan for overhauling the immigration system. “My friend, you can spend your whole fortune on these attack ads, but it still won’t be true.” Earlier, Romney criticized Huckabee for having written that the Bush administration was guilty of an “arrogant bunker mentality” on foreign policy. “Did you read the article before you commented on it,” asked Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor. “I read the article, the whole article,” retorted Romney. Romney’s aggressive demeanor reflected the stakes in the wide-open race for the Republican presidential nomination. Huckabee defeated him in the Iowa caucuses on Thursday with an underfunded campaign. Now Romney faces a strong challenge from a resurgent McCain in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday. Former Sen. Fred Thompson, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Texas Rep. Ron Paul also shared the stage, but they were largely eclipsed for significant portions of the 90-minute debate as Romney, McCain and Huckabee struggled for advantage. Romney walked on stage with his first win under his belt, a triumph in the scarcely contested Wyoming caucuses. The former Massachusetts governor, seeking to become the first Mormon president, said the outcome was “just the beginning.” A pre-debate poll suggested Mc-Cain’s momentum had carried him into a narrow lead over Romney in New Hampshire, and that Huckabee was in third place. It also suggested Huckabee had not yet profited from his victory in Iowa, but the results of an election in one state often take several days to show up in surveys in another state. Both Huckabee and McCain jabbed at Romney for having changed his position on numerous issues such as abortion, gun control and gay rights. “You are the candidate of change,” McCain said with a laugh. And Huckabee, admonished not to characterize Romney’s position on the Iraq war, replied, “which one.” Romney’s aides were at work challenging Huckabee’s truth-telling even when their candidate himself did not. As the debate unfolded and Huckabee said he had supported President Bush’s decision a year ago to increase troop strength in Iraq, Romney’s campaign quickly e-mailed reporters with a Huckabee quote to a different effect. “Well, I’m not sure that I support the troop surge, if that surge has to come from our Guard and Reserve troops, which have really been overly stretched,” it said he told MSNBC last January. The event was part of a rare debate doubleheader, Republicans first, Democrats second, in the same hall at Saint Anselm College. Intermission brought White House hopefuls from both parties onto the stage at the same time, an unusual occurrence that left McCain chatting with Democratic New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. McCain, whose candidacy appeared at the point of collapse last summer, sought to stress his national security credentials against major rivals whose political resumes are limited to governorships. He said he had been the first one in the race to say the president’s initial strategy in the war in Iraq was not working, “And I again say that I’m glad to know that now everybody supported the surge.” McCain added that “I was criticized by Republicans at that time. And that was a low point, but I stuck to it. I didn’t change. I didn’t say we needed a secret plan for withdrawal.” Immigration emerged again in the debate as an issue that divided McCain and Romney. McCain has long backed a path to citizenship for millions of people living in the country illegally provided they meet certain requirements. Romney is running an ad that says McCain “wrote the amnesty bill that America rejected.” “I’ve never supported amnesty,” McCain said, taking issue with the characterization and describing several steps immigrants must meet. Romney allowed: “What he describes is technically true, which is his plan does not provide amnesty because he charges people $5,000 to be able to stay.”
In a news conference Deanna Favre announced she will be the starting QB for the Packers this coming Sunday. Deanna asserts that she is qualified to be starting QB because she has spent the past 16 years married to Brett while he played QB for the Packers. During this period of time she became familiar with the definition of a corner blitz, and is now completely comfortable with other terminology of the Packers offense. A survey of Packers fans shows that 50% of those polled supported the move. Does this sounds idiotic and unbelievable to you? Well, Hillary Clinton makes the same claims as to why she is qualified to be President and 50% of democrats polled agreed. She has never run a City, County, or State. When told Hillary Clinton has experience because she has 8 years in the white house, Dick Morris stated "so has the pastry chef".
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