New Hampshire post-mortem
January 11th 2008 06:10
The winners were Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary and John McCain in the GOP primary. Hillary was a surprise winner as most of the polls had Obama winning big. I'm always a little amused when the pollsters and pundits and media wind up with egg on their faces. Maybe this will remind them that the voters actually get the final say in deciding the winners and losers.
On the Republican side, McCain was predicted to win and did in a state with a lot of independents. Perhaps some of the independents who were going to vote for Obama opted for the GOP primary instead and threw their support behind McCain. I'm not sure. New Hampshire has a reputation for liking straight talkers and mavericks. If that's true, then McCain was the logical choice for them.
Where do we stand? Well, we've had five caucuses/primaries and five different winners. For the Democrats, Obama won in Iowa and Hillary won in New Hampshire. For the Republicans, Huckabee won in Iowa, Romney won in Montana, and McCain won in New Hampshire. Clearly, neither party is remotely close to crowning a winner. I think that's a very positive development. Many more states will have an impact in making the final decision. That's the way it should be. It's very possible that both races could be decided on or after Super Duper Tuesday. Twenty-four states vote that day. If the contests last that long, a solid majority of the country's voters will have had a chance to weigh in.
Up next is Michigan. Because Michigan moved up its primary date, the DNC has stripped it of its delegates. Similarly, the RNC has taken away half of Michigan's delegates. Those actions sort of devalue Michigan, but the candidates will still be interested in what happens there (especially the GOP candidates). Being an amateur political junkie, so will I. I'll talk to you again after Michigan.
On the Republican side, McCain was predicted to win and did in a state with a lot of independents. Perhaps some of the independents who were going to vote for Obama opted for the GOP primary instead and threw their support behind McCain. I'm not sure. New Hampshire has a reputation for liking straight talkers and mavericks. If that's true, then McCain was the logical choice for them.
Where do we stand? Well, we've had five caucuses/primaries and five different winners. For the Democrats, Obama won in Iowa and Hillary won in New Hampshire. For the Republicans, Huckabee won in Iowa, Romney won in Montana, and McCain won in New Hampshire. Clearly, neither party is remotely close to crowning a winner. I think that's a very positive development. Many more states will have an impact in making the final decision. That's the way it should be. It's very possible that both races could be decided on or after Super Duper Tuesday. Twenty-four states vote that day. If the contests last that long, a solid majority of the country's voters will have had a chance to weigh in.
Up next is Michigan. Because Michigan moved up its primary date, the DNC has stripped it of its delegates. Similarly, the RNC has taken away half of Michigan's delegates. Those actions sort of devalue Michigan, but the candidates will still be interested in what happens there (especially the GOP candidates). Being an amateur political junkie, so will I. I'll talk to you again after Michigan.
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Comment by S.L. Bradish
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate