My last post on Hillary reminded me of another rule I have observed in presidential elections.
During every presidential election campaign all the paid commentators forget what really happened in the ones before it. The nomination of a liberal Democrat from Massachusetts by the Democrats last time is just one more in this weary line of repeat mistakes.
Despite all the scandals and “Clinton weariness” the Democrats almost won in 2000 because they nominated a Southerner. The last Northerner the Democrats elected tothe presidency was Teddy Kennedy, and they had to steal that one and have Lyndon Johnson on the ticket specifically to the South.
Clinton is a political genius. He defied ALL the rules by picking Al Gore as his running mate in 1992. Rule 1 is that you need goegraphical balance. A Southerner was especially supposed to need somebody VERY un-Southern to balane him off.
Clinton made it very, very clear that his was a SOUTHERN ticket, because, unlike everybody else, he was aware of the presidential history of his entire lifetime. Even Harry Truman had Confederate ancestors.
Antoehr rule that will save you listening to lot of Learned Commentaries is the discussionof a Stop Nixon or a Stop Goldwater or a Stop Bush or a Stop Clinton movement that comes up a couple of months before the convention.
When a Stop X Movement gets under way, it means X has the nomination sewed up.
#1 by Peter on 02/05/2006 - 3:08 pm
You ought to discuss current changes in politics, specifically the Diebold machines.
As you know, it is no longer necessary to do physical work, to scout cemeteries for registrants, order that boxes of votes in certain precincts be misplaced, or monkey with absentee ballots. Now, with the flick of a finger, all votes everywhere can be changed without physical work or trace. The only work required is to make sure that there are no polls that will predict actual votes differing by more than 20% from the altered count. If there are no more polls, then this will not be a problem either.
How might the Diebolds affect upcoming presidential selection?
#2 by Anonymous on 02/05/2006 - 10:10 pm
Stop X reminds me of “anyone but Bush” that was used by everyone but Bush last election. Sure worked out for them, huh?
#3 by Tim on 02/06/2006 - 4:17 pm
I would actually like to see Hillary win. I believe Worse is better and she is as bad as anyone. It won’t matter to me personally. I am still going to be walking around giving folks the same lines:”They are not trying to import millions of non africans to africa and then demanding integration. They are not trying to send millions of non asians to asia and then have the UN commission for Racial Equality demand affirmative action. They are supporting the migration of millions of non-whites into white countries and ONLY into white countries. This is genocide.” And I will continue to get looks from White folks —like I just put a turd in their punchbowl. But as far as I am concerned –this is a BIG turd in the punchbowl. I could less who wins some election until I find someone real to vote for ——I will just stay on message.
#4 by richard on 02/08/2006 - 8:56 am
I was under the impression that Hillary’s sympathy for the Palestinians (since recanted, of course) ruled her out? You can’t be president if the you-know-whos don’t let you.
BTW, I never knew Teddy Kennedy was elected president!
#5 by Shari on 02/08/2006 - 11:07 pm
Is this blog abandoned?
#6 by Elizabeth on 02/11/2006 - 4:26 pm
Gore is barely a Southerner. He was born in D.C. and only went south as a kid
for summers on the family homeplace, and then, as a young man, for a while
to Vanderbilt for grad school.