The past few weeks, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has been living in the spotlight of media attention because he is refusing to quit the GOP race for the White House. Put bluntly, there is no way for Mike Huckabee to win the GOP nomination after today's primary wins by John McCain in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Tomorrow morning, Mike Huckabee should call a news conference, bow out of the 2008 GOP race for the White House, and throw his complete support behind John McCain.
If Mike Huckabee continues to play the spoiler in the 2008 GOP nomination for President, he could become damaged goods to important people and voters in the party. Of course, right now it is hard for anyone to see who really is in charge of the GOP anymore. It certainly is not President Bush or conservative radio talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh. Put frankly, the GOP is in a whole world of hurt in 2008 and Mike Huckabee is making those problems even worse by continuing to fight against McCain when he has no chance to win.
Unlike the Democrats that have two popular candidates fighting for their nomination, the GOP is filled with turmoil right now and with the current bad blood among conservatives and moderates within the party still growing each day, prospects for a Republican victory in this years presidential contest look slim to none. In many ways, this years GOP race for the White House reminds me of when Bob Dole ran in 1996. That year, everything seem to be going wrong for the GOP and 2008 doesn't seem to be any better. Most Republicans remember 1996 all to well, even if they refuse to admit it.
Right now, most people believe that Barack Obama will win the democratic nomination for President and then win the White House in November. If the GOP has any chance whatsoever to put up a good fight against Barack Obama, they need to get united right away. That said, I do not see any reuniting happening in the Republican Party which will pretty much guarantee an Obama win in November. President Bush and other far right conservatives have damaged the GOP beyond repair in 2008 and in the next four years we will all see what liberalism is all about in Washington D.C..
The time for change has come and at the end of the day many Americans will not like that change, but none the less it is on it's way and it will change this country for decades to come.
Read more about Mike Huckabee:
Mike Huckabee Spoiler, Dividing Conservative Votes
Will Mike Huckabee's Poll Lead Turn Into Victory Tonight?
Mike Huckabee Aide Attacks Rush Limbaugh, Mistake?
Mike Huckabee's Religion/Foreign Policy Scares Me
Mike Huckabee's Weak Performance In Wednesday's GOP Debate
February 12, 2008 Archives
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Huckabee Should Quit The GOP Race Tomorrow
Hillary Clinton Toast As Obama Sweep Continues
While people that love Hillary Clinton are still hoping against hope that she will pull out a long short victory against challenger Barack Obama, in reality the Hillary Clinton campaign is all but finished and the odds now favor Obama even in upcoming large states like Texas and Ohio. In what I have referred to before as the Barack Obama movement, the Senator from Illinois has struck a cord with disenfranchised voters across the country. This year it matters less if a candidate is a Republican or Democrat, instead what really matters the most is that the candidate appears to be the exact opposite of President George W. Bush.
There is also the Bush/Clinton fatigue factor that is working against Hillary Clinton. Many Americans are just pain tired of both the Bush and Clinton families running the show in Washington D.C. and they are demanding a change of some sort in the White House. In this campaign season I do not believe that Hillary Clinton has made any major mistakes which have caused her fall from grace, but instead she has found herself on the losing end of a movement that more resembles an old fashion revival than a political election campaign.
I have watched the thousands of people that attend Barack Obama campaign stops across the country and the faces of the people listening to Barack Obama speak tell the story of why he is winning and Hillary Clinton is not. Many people are moved to tears which are followed by cheers at Barack Obama stump speeches. Not since Martin Luther King have I heard a man talk about the real potential of this nation with so much emotion. Dr. King was also able to bring people full circle with their emotions and that God given talent has also been provided to Barack Obama.
It's hard to see how Hillary Clinton or for that matter John McCain could stand in the way of a Barack Obama win in 2008. The American people believe our nation is on the wrong track and nothing short of a President that inspires as well as leads will do. I personally know life long Republicans that are also supporting Barack Obama for President. It is not his stand on the issues that is moving them away from the GOP, but the inspiring way he talks about America and the American people that is winning them over.
In some ways, Barack Obama reminds me of Ronald Reagan. Both of these men knew how to use the English language to inspire and lead and for many people Barack Obama is the democratic version of Ronald Reagan, recreated.
Read more about Barack Obama:
Obama Winning States As Clinton Fades Away
Oprah Helps Obama With Female Voters
Is Barack Obama Running Against Bill Clinton?
Will Barack Obama Win New York State Against Senator Clinton?
Hillary Clinton Barack Obama's Vice President?
Blue Cross Wants California Doctors To Spy On Patients
In one of the dumbest PR moves I have seen in years, Blue Cross of California sent a letter to doctors encouraging them to 'rat out' their patients. The aim of this new Blue Cross policy is to try and catch people that did not answer preexisting conditions questions correctly when they first applied for health insurance. While everyone should be honest on health insurance applications, the very idea that an insurance company is trying to get doctors to turn in patients that might not have been honest with the insurer is something that should be rejected.
What is happening here is that Blue Cross is trying to make doctors in California their employees, instead of the doctor working for the patient. Most doctors I know are very independent people that do not want to be considered the agents of insurance companies. Today's news that Blue Cross is trying to get doctors in California to spy on their own patients is taking the United States another step closer to a federally run health insurance program. While I have always been against a government run health care system, as big insurance companies look for more and more ways to keep people from obtaining insurance if they have a preexisting condition – the idea of at least some kind of government oversight might be needed.
The very idea that Blue Cross of California would try such a stunt during a presidential election season where one of the main issues in the campaign is putting them out of business, is beyond my comprehension. Health insurance companies are already considered greedy by most Americans and this new decision by Blue Cross of California will further add fuel to that already burning fire. Since the beginning of medicine in the United States, the doctor patient confidentiality trust has been the biggest mainstay of the doctor patient relationship. Now Blue Cross of California is trying to break that doctor/patient confidentiality by encouraging doctors to 'rat out' their own patients in order to help an insurance company make more money.
As major insurance companies continue to push more and more people into HMO's, there will be a greater chance that some doctors will go along with this outrageous policy of 'ratting out patients'. Under an HMO system, the doctors pretty much do work for the insurance company and if they don't play ball with the company, they could find themselves out of work. Sooner or later private health insurance will become a thing of the past in the US and it will be replaced with a poorly run government program. A private market system works the best, but if insurance companies continue their greedy ways, then all of us will be forced into some kind of government run health care system which has been proven very inefficient everywhere it has been tried.
Read more about Health Issues:
Research Scientist Look Crazy With Dysfunctional Studies
Attacking Overweight People Different Than Cigarette Smokers
Antibiotic Resistant Staph 'Superbug' Threatens School Kids
Topps/Cargill/Sams Club - E. coli Meat Scare
Teen Suicide Rate Soars - Medicine Warnings To Blame?
Will Superdelegates Decide The Democratic Nomination?
In most presidential campaigns, party leaders do not play a role in selecting the person that will run as President of the United States. However, in 2008 the prospect that democratic Superdelegates will decide if Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama wins the race has caused much stress for the Democrats. In the old days, party nominations were decided in smoke filled rooms by party leaders instead of by the voters. That process of deciding which candidate will run in November was rejected years ago, but an old throw back to those days – Superdelegates – still remains.
Superdelegates are made up of present and former elected party leaders from Congress and the state level. Most of the time, Superdelegates are never part of the nomination process because the voters have already made up their mind by Super Tuesday. However, in 2008 the delegate race is so close between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that the potential winner could be decided by Superdelegates rather than by the voters. That prospect is feared by most in the democratic party because it could cause an outright rebellion among democratic voters that could cost them the election in November.
Howard Dean and other democratic party leaders are working hard to make sure that either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama win the nomination without Superdelegate votes. In fact, word has leaked out from the DNC that Hillary should withdraw from the presidential race if she does not win in Texas and Ohio in early March. The next big question is, will Hillary Clinton care more about the democratic party than her own ambition to be President of the United States? I believe if Barack Obama continues his winning ways tonight in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia and he is successful in the rest of the February democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton will drop out of the race.
This whole Superdelegate situation is something that will be taken care of before the next campaign for President. Being nominated as a Superdelegate was suppose to be a party perk to important Democrats around the country. However, that perk could still turn into disaster if this election remains close and neither Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton chooses to reunited the party over personal success. The days of Superdelegates will soon be coming to an end and party leaders will find some other way to offer perks to VIP Democrats which doesn't have the appearance of the nomination being decided by other politicians.
Read more about 2008 Elections:
Voters Want Change, Not Experience In 2008
GOP Tax Cuts Fail To Rally Base
Brokered Democrat Convention Possible This Year
Super Tuesday Polls, Obama/McCain Winners
Super Tuesday, 20 State Primaries Vote Next Week
'Project Lifeline' Joins 'New Hope' To Slow Foreclosures
Soon the US Treasury Department will announce another program that could help thousands of Americans that face potential foreclosure on their homes. This new program is called, 'Project Lifeline'. Project Lifeline encourages major mortgage lenders to give some people facing foreclosure an extra 30 days in order to find alternative financing. Most of the countries largest mortgage loan companies are said to be already on board supporting this new plan. Bank of America, Citibank and Wells Fargo are just some of the major names that have already agreed to participate.
Recently, the Bush administration enacted another program called 'New Hope' which temporarily froze adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) for some homeowners. The backdrop for all of these new programs to help homeowners prevent foreclosure is an out-of-control mortgage marketplace that lost it's head a couple of years ago and started making home mortgage loans to people that could not afford them. Right now the United States is in the middle of a presidential campaign where Democrats stand a very good chance of winning in November because of an ever slowing US economy.
My belief is that if the United States was not in the middle of a presidential election year, programs like 'New Hope' and 'Project Lifeline' would have been rejected by the Bush administration. What is going on here is the old Washington plan of 'kicking the can down the road' in order to not make the tough choices necessary to fix a problem. Neither 'New Hope' or Project Lifeline' address the core problems that got so many people into trouble in the first place.
Most people believe that the US is already in a recession and that the economy will get worse over the course of this year. I agree with that assessment and I also believe that the very foundation of the US economy could also be suffering cracks, that if not repaired could make things worse than they already are. Projects like New Hope and Project Lifeline will be welcomed by families facing emanate foreclosure of their homes, but in reality most of those foreclosures will eventually happen anyway. These new government programs are designed to slow down the foreclosure process until this years presidential election is over.
Politics is a messy business where the only thing more important than taking credit when something goes right is to have someone else to blame when events don't go as planned.
Read more about the Economy:
Monday's BlackBerry Outage Effected Thousands
eBay User Strike Quickly Losing Momentum
Bear Market Out Of Hibernation, Big Bull Sleeps
Federal Reserve Stops Price Plunge For Now
BOA Joins Citibank With Huge Quarterly Loss
Is Hillary Finished As Obama Continues To Win?
For the first time today, word has been leaking out of the Hillary Clinton campaign for President that she might just be finished if she does not win Texas and Ohio during the first week of March. Today, Barack Obama is expected to easily win primaries in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia further continuing his winning momentum toward the democratic nomination for President of the United States. It is amazing how far and how fast Barack Obama has come since he first announced his bid for President.
Nothing on the American political scene is more exciting to watch than the political primaries where millions of party loyalist place their bets as to which candidate will have the best chance to win a general election. Really, that is exactly what we are seeing right now in the democratic party. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have the support of about half of the democratic party's rank and file voters, but someone in the end will win. Right now, it appears that the odds favor Barack Obama in a squeaker against Hillary Clinton. However, things can and do change fast in political contests.
I would have never guessed in a million years that a candidate of the stature of Hillary Clinton would find herself with a lack of money in a democratic primary race. However, that is exactly what has happened as the Barack Obama political machine/movement has run over her campaign like a steam roller the past couple of weeks. In reality, Hillary Clinton's only chance at winning the democratic nomination for President was using the coat tails of her husband former President Bill Clinton. Without her famous husband Hillary would have never run fast enough to get hot in this years campaign.
Frankly, I cannot see any possibility where Hillary Clinton will win the democratic nomination at this stage of the game and after Obama sweeps Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia later today – Hillary Clinton will be the democratic version of Mike Huckabee. When that happens Hillary Clinton will face tremendous democratic pressure to pull out of this contest and support Barack Obama as the democratic nominee for President. While that decision will be hard, in the end I believe that Hillary Clinton will bow out and let Barack Obama face the Republicans in November.
Hillary Clinton was always a long shot when it came to winning the White House because of her huge negative approval numbers among the American people. Right now, Barack Obama is in the best position to beat the Republicans in November and before long even Hillary Clinton will accept that reality for herself.
Read more about Hillary Clinton:
Hillary Cries Again, After Emotional Introduction
Hillary Clinton Campaign Officials Go After Obama's Race
Hillary Clinton Campaigns For Nevada Mexican American Votes
Hillary Clinton Barack Obama's Vice President?
Hillary Clinton Preparing To Drop Out Of The Race?
Monday's BlackBerry Outage Effected Thousands
To most managers, executives and sales representatives in the US, nothing is more valuable in their daily lives than their BlackBerry communications device. Yesterday, BlackBerry announce a severe outage that stretch from Canada to Mexico City and most places in between. From people that use their BackBerry devices to keep in touch with team members back at the office while traveling, to politicians that are trying to keep up with the latest news on the campaign trail, both found themselves in a 'no mans land' yesterday as their BackBerry's fell silent.
Last April, BlackBerry found themselves in a similar situation when their service faded to black for almost an entire day while busy business professionals tried to find other ways to keep in touch with the office. Recently, I was talking with a coworker about BlackBerry devices and he told me that he had decided that his life had more meaning than constantly being connected back to the office via his BlackBerry. I think he is on the right track because this little hand held device does have a tendency to cause it's users to feel completely lost without a BlackBerry in their hand.
My opinion is that BlackBerry devices are so popular and so needed in the world today that the company that owns BlackBerry, Research In Motion (RIM) is suffering with growing pains to provide the infrastructure necessary to keep all of these devices humming 24/7. I personally like the look, feel and operation of BlackBerry devices and I can see how people that use them on a daily basis could find themselves completely out of touch without them. However, there was a world of business and politics before BlackBerry's and a good fall back plan should be developed as future BlackBerry outages will most certainly happen.
In my present life I have no need to be connected at all hours of the day, night and weekends with my office. In fact, I enjoy having free time when no one has the ability to get in touch with me for a few hours. Instead of placing my cell phone on the 'meeting setting' while eating at a restaurant or watching a movie, I recently started turn the cell phone off on those occasions and guess what? Nothing bad has happened in the world that could not be dealt with when the meal or the movie was over.
Maybe people with BlackBerry's should try this same technique and see if their social life changes for the better?
Read more about the Economy:
eBay User Strike Quickly Losing Momentum
Bear Market Out Of Hibernation, Big Bull Sleeps
Federal Reserve Stops Price Plunge For Now
BOA Joins Citibank With Huge Quarterly Loss
Fed Acting Like Enron In Some Ways
