No Mo' Joe Part II

Over almost as soon as it started Joe Biden and Chris Dodd both dropped out out of the race for the President last night. As most know I was pulling for Joe Biden to make more headway than he did, first because during many of the debates he seem to come across as the adult in the room when issues of foreign policy were discussed, and secondly having grown up in Michigan watching the Detroit Lions for all these years, I've been subconciously programmed to root for the team with no chance of ever winning. Perhaps that's why I'm a liberal? :) Oh well.

I thank Dodd and Biden for their time and efforts on our behalf and all the best.

As life generally works, one door closes and another opportunity comes along, so hopefully this just gives Dodd more time to organize his philibuster of the FISA bill and run for Senate Majority Leader. Go team Dodd!

Really though, why would anybody agree to give immunity to the Telecoms if we aren't even allowed to know what they did in the first place? Oh well...... another time.

Obama and Huckabee

Everybody knows the results of the Iowa Caucus by now. Obama and Huckster took home the gold. But what is amazing is what an amazing rebuke this was for George W. Bush. What a rebuke it was for the Iraq War. Things are going better in Iraq yet still the candidates that were able to realize that even given that Americans still haven't forgiven George W. Bush for the war. They haven't forgiven the Republicans for being so cavalier in their treatment of our national security and our troops.

I get frequently assailed over at Ankle Biting Pundits for making the claim that Republicans don't really care about our troops, but you can't possibly be for the troops and be so callous to the plight of the troops and our returning veterans. If you care for the troops then you care about giving them the proper equipment, a proper strategy for victory and the proper medical care when they get home.

The campaign of Mike Huckabee scares the Republican party. The conventional wisdom is that Mike Huckabee scares the Republican party because he can't win. He can't win because he is a religious nut. There is something bigger though that is running as an undercurrent here. Mike Huckabee is threatening to bring the evangelical vote back to the center.

I honestly wouldn't want someone in the charge of our government who has religious views as conservative as Mike Huckabee, be we should be rejoice in his victory, because if the further Mike Huckabee goes the more likely that this represents the shattering of the Reagan coalition and the resurrection of the FDR coalition. And American will Progress once again.

So congrats to Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee!!!!

The Huck Man Cometh

Listening to the popular median one would think that Mike Huckabee is a one trick pony. He may just win Iowa but the conventional wisdom seems to be that it is over from there.

But looking at Real clear Politics seems to tell a vastly different story. He is trailing the pack in New Hampshire polling at a RCP average of 9% as compared to McCain's 32%.

But after New Hampshire the campaign moves to Michigan where Huckabee is in a statistical dead heat with Romney. 18.8% for the Huckster as compared to 19.8% for Romney.

From there it is on to Nevada where Huck is at 15.7% as compared to Romney and Rudy tied at 23%.

Then it is South Carolina where Huck is leading Romney 25.8% to Romney's 19.3%.

Finishing off the month of January is Florida where Huckabee is trailing Rudy 25.3% to 23.3%.

No wonder Romney and McCain are going so hard after the Huckster. It is a very easy to image a scenario where Huckabee leaves January having won 5 of 6 primaries and leading the delegate count by a mile. Ofcourse then comes California where Huck is again second only to Rudy.

These numbers will must have the Rockafeller Repubs squirming.