Election Result 2008

There’s a new site that promises to be really handy.  Well, I say that mostly because I’m making it myself and I really hope I can make this a self-fulfilling prophecy.  If I tell enough people I’m building it I’d better damn well make it an awesome site.

MultiPartySystem.com is being designed as a vote-trading site where Republicans and Democrats ‘partner in their dislike of the two-party system’.  The idea is that I as a Democrat will be able to find a Republican who will join me in voting for any parties other than the big two.  The person I’m partnered with might vote Libertarian, I might vote Whig.  It doesn’t matter, as long as we’re avoiding the natural polarizing effect of the two-party system.

It’s going to take a LOT of cooperation among everybody to make any sort of difference in an election that’s why I’ve put up a temporary home page - just enough to collect email addresses to notify people of when I launch.  So, if you’re reading this, I could use your help over at MultiPartySystem.com

As it’s a long way to the presidential primaries even there’s a lot of room for people stepping into and out of the presidential race. It’s been difficult to accurately predict who’s even in the running.

That’s why I’m glad to be able to say that Tom Delay has no chance for the presidency. Granted, he may have preferred his position in Congress because in many ways it has as much power as the executive branch (plus he gets to live in a much bigger house). So I can’t say that he even wanted to run. But I can say that he won’t.

The charges of money-laundering, the house ethics charges brought against him have been pressed by Repubicans as much as Democrats so he has little to stand on for claiming to be the victim of conspiracy.

Howard Dean, while speaking at a breakfast in West Hollywood for a gay rights group, suggested that the Democratic Party will use the Terri Schiavo incident to define the stances of the two major parties.

Dean has taken some, but far less than the normal Dean level, of criticism over this comment and has made no move to clarify. It sounds as though he meant for this to be an issue useful for taking back the ‘moral values’ that many Democrats are talking about since the 2004 election.

President Bush’s approval rating is now the lowest it’s been for any president in a second term since WWII. His approval both at home and abroad is so dangerously low that he’s been sending the First Lady overseas to do diplomatic work.

This poses a problem for Republicans for the 2008 election. Their nominee must now define him/herself in terms contrary to Bush’s image. With Hillary moving so far to the right on her positions, it’ll be hard to find that narrow space between Bush and Hillary in which to place a new Republican presidential nominee.

Howard Dean, the favorite of many in the last Democratic Primary, was officially removed from the pool of potential presidential candidates when he became the chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Deans position came to him not through politicking himself through the traditions of congress nor by appeasing lobbyists. His grassroots support was so broad and firm that the democratic leaders did not see it possible to find a more profitable man for the job. The accepted him as chairman of the committee because accepting him sends a message to his supporters that they (and their money) is also accepted.

This is what many have been waiting for - a nod from politicians that what they’ve worked so hard for through grassroots campaigning can hold some sway in the capitol.

From Fosters:

“The 2008 election is 1,350 days away, not that I’m paying attention,” Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman told activists at a recent fund-raiser.

“The victory in 2004 was the result of planning in 2001 and 2002 and 2003. It’s all going to start here,” he said.

There are many reasons to go to Iowa, but there seems to be more people finding those reasons now than last winter. John Edwards, Mitt Romney, and Steve Forbes have all made stops through Iowa lately finding excuses anywhere from vacationing to visiting friends - but managing to stop and give a speech at anyplace that will take them.

Condoleeza Rice finally got wind of the rumor that she will run for president in 2008. According to The National Post she has officially denied that she will run.

Only two months into her job as the Secretary of State she’s dogged by rumors and encouragement to run.