Archive for the “U.S. Affairs” Category

The Democratic nomination process continues to be exciting to watch as we saw Obama trounced Hillary by a huge margin in South Carolina. Without doubt, Obama and Hillary will fight it out for a long while to come. Each side have their merits but I have to admit to being more moved by Obama than Hillary.

On the Republican front, it was comforting to see McCain beat out Romney by a large margin. But again, as much as I want to see Romney out, he is still very much in on the Republican fight.

Now, we move on to Titanic Tuesday on February 5!

I continue to think we are living through history in the making.  I think it is amazing that Bernanke and the Federal Reserve decided to surprise the world with their unannounced .75 percent rate cut.  From what I know, this has not happened since 1994 when the last big boom occurred.

This rate cut is making investors go crazy especially in the stock market.  Personally, I love cheap money.  It makes investing in real estate and business projects much easier and more attractive.  However, it remains to be seen how much of a trickle down effect there will be if lenders are afraid to loan money out so soon after being burned by risky credit users.

On Jan. 30, when they have their official meeting, there is a chance for an additional minor rate cut.  For me, I say let’s bring it on although I am certain it will not save anyone who are about to lose their homes to foreclosure through those wonderful ARM loans.

It is going to be a very interesting, albeit, economically tragic year.

Another wow. I cannot believe Romney beat McCain by such a big margin in the Republican Michigan Primary. Like it or not, I guess the game is still on. Huckabee, McCain, and Romney are still full on.

And what the heck is the deal with the Democrats doing with Hillary vs. “Uncommitted”? That is just plain weird. Something about Democrats “punishing” Michigan for moving the primaries up? Good grief.

Well, at least we are down to 3 Democratic players: Obama, Hillary, and Edwards.

The Republicans still have a mess of contenders.

Onward to South Carolina. This is going to be pretty important. And Super Duper Tuesday? All hell will break loose there.

Wow, it was another exciting night watching the numbers come in for the 2008 New Hampshire Primaries.

I was very happy to see McCain come out on top by a significant margin on the Republican side. Romney keeps trying to buy the election and he shifts his talk every time the wind shifts. I don’t know how long I have to wait before he drops out. Mike Huckabee is still in the fight and it will be interesting to see how he performs in South Carolina.

On the Democratic side…

Although I thought the media underestimated Hillary by predicting a huge loss, I was also incorrect in thinking that Obama would win by a small margin. It turns out Hillary won by a small margin. I fell into the media trap thinking that Obama popularity meant winning votes. That is not always the case as New Hampshire has shown.

John Edwards had a tough fight. I was hoping he would do a little better but he is clearly struggling. If he does not turn around on some of the Southern states, he is going to be out. With Obama in the race, he will end up as a Presidential or Vice-Presidential nominee. It would be stupid for the Democrats to ignore Obama even if he did not win the Democratic nomination.

My attention will turn to Michigan and South Carolina next.

I haven’t been too productive today. One of those reasons is my flipping through the 3 national news channels: CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC. I have been following the New Hampshire Primaries like I have never done before.

It has been a great show. On the Democratic side, Hillary had a touching emotional moment. Either she has gotten worn down or it was just a moment of weakness. It was interesting to see that side of her. I didn’t see much of John Edwards but he is going all out as the self-appointed underdog. And the rock star named Obama? Damn, people are inspired by him. And I cannot say I am immune. I was inspired since I first heard him speak in 2004 on the televised Democratic National Convention.

On the Republican side, Romney continues to offend my sensibilities. That is all I have to say about him. I am rooting for McCain on the Republican side. When I hear him speak, he really is very wise. I just wish he didn’t look so old. It makes me feel like he won’t last long enough to make a difference even if he were elected. I am not trying to be insulting but it is how I feel. With Giuliani, I like how he took accountability for his past and admits that he is not perfect on the GOP NH Forum.

On the Democratic side, although I would still like to see John Edwards come out on top, it looks like Obama will win. It seems like he is now a rock star. How can anyone compete with someone who has become a political rock star? Hillary will likely come in at a close 2nd to Obama. Unless she has ticked off a ton of voters in the last few days, Hillary is still a force to be reckoned with.

On the Republican side, I think McCain will win, thank goodness. But Romney will likely come in at a close second. Ugh, that means he will continue on and I have to listen to him yak more. Huckabee is a great talker and will come in 3rd.

I am looking forward to the results tomorrow night.

I have to admit I was quite surprised at some of the results.

The biggest surprise for me was that Obama won by such a wide margin in a state like Iowa. Not only did Obama win by a huge margin, Hillary came in 3rd place. Wow. Obama is really going to be a force to reckon with. It is very difficult for me not to be inspired him. I really like what he represents. Edwards came in 2nd again. I am wondering if he would be willing to be VP to Obama.  It looks like it will be a tough fight for Edwards to stay in.  It might be that the best he can hope for is become VP to Obama like he did 4 years earlier for John Kerry.  That would really be something if that happened.

I was also a bit surprised how well Mike Huckabee did. But the good news is that Romney was put in is place. All the money in his warchest didn’t mean jack for him. As the leading Republican hypocrite, Romney really needs to get knocked aside so that McCain can gain some momentum. I was very disappointed that McCain did so poorly.

New Hampshire will be fun to watch in a few days. I want to see what unfolds in the next few days before I put in my 2 cents.

If I was in Iowa (which I am obviously not), these are the ways I would go.

In the Republican camp, it is a no-brainer. I would have to go with John McCain. Both Huckabee and Romney are out. If they were to win, I will sooner choose a Democratic candidate than Huckabee and Romney. Yes, it is a strong statement but that is an indication how much I am against seeing Huckabee or Romney in the high office.

In the Democratic camp, this one is very, very tough. I think I will have to choose John Edwards over Barack Obama by a very thin razor. I don’t hate Hillary but I think she is too entrenched and part of the “old school”. I want to see an “outsider” given a shot. However, I would rather see Hillary win the Presidency over Huckabee or Romney.

Those are my positions for now until some of the candidates start conceding their run for the Presidency.

Let’s see how Iowa votes! It will be exciting to find out the results.

Continuing my previous post on “Pondering the 2008 Presidential Candidates – Republicans”, I now focus on my take on the Democratic candidates.

As I said in the last post, my inclination towards Republican views are a bit on shaky grounds based on my growing social and environmental concerns. In many ways, I wish there is a third major political party but for now, I am a realist. I am “forced” to make my choice from the current base of political candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties. Quite simply, I am not afraid of admitting that I am making choices based on the philosophy “the lesser of many evils”. I wish I had someone that I really wanted but for now I cannot say that.

The Democratic Presidential candidates have been very interesting to watch. For me, more interesting than the Republicans thus far.

Joe Biden – He has not had as much press coverage as some of his Democratic peers. Most of my impressions have been based on the two debates where I saw him speak. I think he is very experienced in Washington and the political process. My concern with him is that he has been in public service almost too long. From what I know, he started at a very young age. I tend to think that people who enter public service should spend some solid time as a private citizen in the private sector to better understand what “normal” citizens go through in life. In that regard, I think he has lived the “public life” for many years shielded and never having experienced the uncertainly of being a private citizen.

In any case, Mr. Biden seems to have very little momentum or popularity and he may be a non-issue.

Bill Richardson – Like Mr. Biden, he doesn’t get a lot of air time except for the Democratic debates. The biggest problem I have with Mr. Richardson, is that he lives in la-la land where the Iraq war is concerned. Quite frankly, I am not a big fan of the war but I also understand why it needs to happen. What has shutdown my consideration of Mr. Richardson is not that he is against the war. I can live with that. What he said in one of the debates is that he would bring almost every soldier home within a year. That is simply unrealistic and would have extreme negative consequences. Terrorists would have a field day and Iraq would likely fall into anarchy affecting the neighboring nations by plundering the area into a volatile hotspot. If he has other redeeming qualities, I am willing to listen but for now, his extreme views on foreign policy just does not suit me.

John Edwards – There is something about John I really like. I want to support the guy, I like what he says. I think his family keeps him grounded. He came from humble beginnings and became a self-made man. Without a doubt, he has made some mistakes during his campaign like moving into a huge mansion and getting a $400 haircut. But there are worse things he could do. He has the money, he earned it, so why shouldn’t he enjoy it? He wants to be President and it won’t be for the money. His chances of winning seem slim this time around but I can definitely see him become a VP for someone. John Kerry was a terrible candidate in 2004. I don’t blame John for distancing himself from Kerry now. I would like to see John Edwards do well.

Barack Obama – This guy is very charismatic. I saw him speak for the first time on the televised 2004 Democratic Convention. I was stunned by his speech then. I thought to myself, this guy is going to go places one day. How the heck would I or anyone else know that he would shoot for the Top Spot in only 4 years? And with the Oprah factor backing him, Obama is a serious force to contend with. I like that he is a bit of an outsider with a fresh perspective. But I think him being a first-time Senator might make him a bit naive of what he can actually do if he can become President. I also don’t think he has a very wide view of the world or foreign policy. Like John Edwards, I find Obama likable, passionate, and inspiring. I respect what he has accomplished thus far in his relatively young political life. I would also get behind him as President if the people were to elect him. But would I personally implore people to vote for Obama? I am not sure. I don’t dislike him or what he brings to the table. But I have some concerns of his naivete. Like Edwards, I think Obama would make an excellent VP if he did not win the nomination.

Hillary Clinton – Ok, here we go. The big elephant in the room. I think she is very smart and has worked hard since she was young. I think life has hardened her and it affects her. From an intellectual point of view, I think she definitely has the presence and brains for the job. Being a prior First Lady and Senator definitely puts her upfront in experience. Having Bill Clinton as an advisor is a huge plus. Hillary has built up a huge financial war chest. There really is so many things going for Hillary and it is hard for me to ignore.

However…. Hillary brings baggage on a personal and emotional level. She is like Joe Biden in that she has been involved in government for a very long time. I don’t think Hillary is all that innocent of the things that came up when Bill Clinton was running for and was President. She is not spontaneous and she is very strategic. It isn’t all bad but it does make me think everything is scripted with her. It is hard to tell who or what the true Hillary is. I could easily see her getting caught up in some government cover-up or scandal and being dishonest about it. I am not saying she would be immoral but I could she where she might become ethically challenged based on her past incidents.

All in all, the triad of Obama, Hillary, and Edwards makes the Democrats so interesting to watch. I can get behind all of them if I had to. I lean towards Edwards but I just don’t think he can win. That is the problem I have in supporting Edwards. My view of Obama and Hillary is even. They both have pros and cons they bring to the Presidency.