Candidates Fall Down Go Boom

If you can’t figure out why I chose Konfetti Ka-BOOM as today’s fractal you probably shouldn’t be reading my blog. Ah well--on with today’s commentary. . .
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It seems the Presidential race is down to two candidates on both the Republican and Democratic side with the departure of John Edwards and Rudy Guiliani. Yes, Mike Huckabee is still in the race (for now) but I don’t think he has a real chance to win this election. (He may well end up being the VP Candidate if McCain wins the nomination). There are also a few candidates still on the fringe of things but none of them ever had a real shot at the Presidency.
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Did John Edwards ever have a real chance at becoming the next President? I doubt it. He seems like a nice guy but when his former running mate John Kerry endorsed Barach Obama then I knew it was pretty much over for him. Rudy Guiliani couldn’t even get his own children to endorse him. Add that his one claim to fame was his anti-terrorism record (which suddenly nobody cares about) and he was pretty much doomed. (Still, I found his views some of the more reasonable of the Republican candidates: personally I'm sorry to see him gone fro the race.) I’ll leave it to wiser, more in tune, political observers to discuss the bad choices both men made in their campaigns. Both races are still worth watching.
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On the Republican side John McCain is disliked by may of his party who call him a “Rhino” (Republican In Name Only). He’s strong on defense but admits he’s weak on the economy (which seems to be the driving issue in this year’s election.) Mitt Romney is beloved by the Republican right but he doesn’t seem to be resonating with centrist Republicans and Independents. Also, as of yesterday (January 30) I heard he had chosen NOT to buy expensive TV time for “Super Tuesday” (and that isn’t a good sign for his campaign.)
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Hilary Clinton and Barach Obama are beating the crap out of each other. (Frankly BOTH of them need to heed Ronald Regan’s “Eleventh Commandment”--thou shalt not run down a fellow party member.) Clinton has the machine and the experience but she is hated with a passion by many (Republicans and Independents alike) for reasons I could never fathom. (Lance!) Obama brings youth and a new voice to the political discussion (and personally I approve of his long-time vocal stance against the war in Iraq.) Still his lack of experience in international politics could be trouble down the line. I also worry about another “Jimmy Carter Presidency” (he was a political outsider that ended up getting hamstrung by both Democrats and Republicans alike because he didn’t play the political game).
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Whoever ends up running this is going to be the most interesting (not to mention VITAL) election in my lifetime. Democrat or Republican, it won’t really matter WHO wins the election it won’t really affect the average American all that much. In the end the wrangling between the President and Congress won’t allow huge changes in law to be made (since the days of bi-partisan cooperation seem to be long over). HOWEVER--four, possibly even FIVE Justices may well retire from the Supreme Court. Whoever fills those vacancies could change the course of law in the United States for the next forty years--and THAT is of vital importance to all of us. Whichever way you lean it is vitally important that you let your voice be heard in this year's election.