After the dust settled and the last piece of confetti fell, the McCain camp has Romney against the ropes and ready to throw the knockout punch. After John McCain finished, the "winner take all delegates" in Florida Republican Primary, with a win at 36% he had a more than warm welcome at his headquarters. However, the blood was all over the floor. Rudi was supposed to win in a landslide, Romney was the economies savior, and Huckabee has been from 1% of a joke to front-runner in an Iowa minute, but it is now it is McCain standing tall, as the solid front-runner in the Republican Party.
The Democrats have their own set of wonders and problems. The Democratic National Party declared that Michigan and Florida would be stripped of all delegates, making both primaries window dressings, also stating that democratic candidates could not roll across either state showboating their similar visions for the country. Barrack Obama won over the "Clintonian Machine" in South Carolina (receiving 23% of the white vote, in the first southern primary) and also received the John Kerry and [more importantly] "The Kennedy's" endorsement, he spent Tuesday night in "Memorial Hall," in Kansas City, Missouri looking to shore up some Democratic votes. The "Show Me State" air waves were filled with Obama "official commercials," narrated by Democratic flip flopper extraordinare Claire McKaskill, Tuesday night. Not to be out done, the Clintons made both headlines and speeches just after the South Carolina Obama win. First, Bill Clinton comes out and compares Obama to Jesse Jackson, stating, "Well Jesse Jackson won the South Carolina Primary in 1984 and in 1988." Obviously, "Bubba" Clinton had not learned his lesson, or else Hillary has not been in the same room to smack him over the head yet, but the American people are not thrilled with Clinton trying to reduce Obama to "just another black candidate." Then within minutes of the polls closing in Florida, Hillary Clinton landed in Florida and had a celebration, of sorts, declaring victory in a state that has no delegates. Hillary stepping in to claim zero delegates, was a classic political move to put her face into the camera, give a handful of interviews on cable news channels, and to overall make the ten o'clock news shift and morning papers, for the people who do not follow politics closely. Finally, there is John Edwards, who pulls in another third place, gets no delegates, and is planning on staying in the race until the end. However, he did cancel two stops on his "presidential tour," before the democratic debate later in the week, for a large speech on poverty in "Katrina Struck" New Orleans.
Aside from, the "Audacity of Cloak" Clintons, Obama's "Show Me" stop, and the nonexistent John Edwards on Tuesday night, the real story came from the Republican side of the tape. Even though John McCain won, Mitt Romney declared another "silver" and to "continue the fight, because there is a lot of time left." Before the Republican debates this Wednesday night will be Rudi Guiliani and Mike Huckabee. Rudi put all of his eggs into the Florida basket, which was really the only play, because of his lack of real conservative credentials and overall sketchy past. By Guiliani being steadfast in Florida, during the Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina Primaries he was able to stay out of the spotlight, hopefully America would just be looking at the credentials of his 9/11 role and "Mayor of the Century" title, without putting his family, liberal social constitutions, and maybe in the meantime some of the republican candidates would either drop out (like Fred Thompson did), or else they would have beat each other up enough for him to still be the front runner. However, that did not happen and Rudi now cannot lose, be criticized, or have any more bad press than he has already received, or his "legacy" will be taking a massive hit. Therefore, he will wait until the correct moment, and go in head long for John McCain. This will not only save face for the former mayor, but will also allow him to go back onto the speaking circuit and become a presidential prognosticator for the next eight months on Fox and around the country. Although that still leaves Mike Huckabee, the "little Arkansas Governor that could," still in the mix and vowing to stick it out till the end. His quote after his 14%, fourth place finish in Florida (which he received no electoral votes) was, "this is just one inning, and we are going to play thru the ninth inning of the game." Why would Mike Huckabee keep on trucking? Simple, he still has the third most delegates, just behind Romney, and if he does have a decent showing in the southern part of the country and in the always overlooked "fly over country" (Missouri, Arkansas, etc.), then two things could happen. First, McCain, Romney and Huckabee can go into the Republican Convention with a deadlock, or not a clear cut winner. The second option could be that Huckabee can hand over his electoral votes to McCain and possibly receive a vice presidential nomination in the process (like in the Franklin Delanor Roosevelt election), or at least get a cushy cabinet seat if McCain wins the general.
After California's debate today, at the Ronald Reagan Library, you can bet that there will be fireworks to say the least. There is not any love loss at all between John McCain and Mitt Romney. Huckabee and McCain should paddy cake themselves through the evening, as neither will want to show the other up. Although, Ron Paul is still in the house and will be throwing as many wrenches into the political debate, as he possibly can, the other three remaining will just roll with the punches and basically ignore the shots over the deck. On Thursday though, the democratic debate should also have it's moments, as well. Being that Barrack snubbed Hillary at the Presidential Address to the Nation, turning his back on her from one to two feet away, and making sure that the press knew that he would not even consider a VP spot on her ticket, "If she was to win." Hillary cannot afford to be to strident and also can't be to passive either, at the debate. Therefore, no matter what pant suit Hillary chooses to wear and how forceful the Obama camp comes out to play, on Thursday, even though the campaigns are basically identical in their theory on the way the country should be going, there will definitely be fireworks before and after the debate. After all, it is crunch time now, with less than one week for both the republicans and the democrats to make their push, for their parties nod and possibly their shot at the White House.
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