Taking a break for lunch. Will go back to the precinct in an hour. A quick post to let you know why Hillary Clinton might pull it off in today’s Texas primary. The polls show that the race here is tight as a drum but a bit of right wing mischief may tilt the balance for Hillary. Rush Limbaugh has urged Republicans to cross over and vote for her. If she wins in Texas (she is ahead in Ohio) the Democratic nomination will go on much longer and whoever emerges as the winner will be tired and bloody and the Democrats divided and bitter. McCain, who is going to wrap it up for sure after today’s votes will be rested and ready in November to take on a weakened Democratic candidate with confidence and panache.
See some of the letters to the editor in today’s Houston Chronicle … this may be going on all over Texas. Sujatha, get ready!
Accidental Blogger 
5 responses to ““Rush” to Hillary”
“Why won’t they let me sleep in peace?” (Groundhog pokes its head out from the burrow.)”Grumble, grumble…now I need to prognosticate on Hillary vs. Barack… Yippee, yahoo, my prediction will actually count!”
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Sujatha, go back to sleep… and take the Groundhog with you.
Barring something unexpected happening to one of the three leading contenders of the two parties, you can wake up in November to greet President McCain.
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Do you really think it’s going to be a win for McCain, Ruchira? What about the re-energized and new voters added to the rolls for the Dem primaries- wouldn’t they overturn by sheer numbers any sway towards the Republican nominee?
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I agree with Sujatha — McCain is no sure thing — he has a lot skeletons in his closet, including the Keating Five and dumping his first wife for a hot 25-year-old beer heiress. Plus, he supports the Iraq War and the American people do not. Plus, whichever Dem wins, and I still think it will be Obama, will run against McCain by running against Bush. Change versus more of the same? No one wants more of the same, even Republicans!
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McCain is not a sure thing under “normal” circumstances. He is very weak on the economy, sickeningly hawkish on war, has a hair trigger temper, his age is against him and as Andrew pointed out, has many skeletons in his closet. (That 25 year old beer heiress is not the only “hot” number in his little black book. He used to be a hellion.)
My point is something quite different. Not that McCain is strong but that the Clintons will make Obama weak and bloody by the time they are finished. If the Clintons act according to pattern, they are going to go unbelievably negative on Obama (and his wife) with innuendos, plain lies and photo shopping. By the time the Clinton machine is done, Obama will be shaking in his boots unless he takes the offensive right now. As Elatia pointed out to me in an email, with the Clintons, you don’t even have to go negative with innuendos. All you have to do is go back to the newspaper archives. Also, what about the Clintons’ joint tax returns, the source and method of their wealth accumulation since they left the White House nearly indigent and in debt and Hillary’s White House papers which implausibly, she is now blaming George Bush of holding up?
But Obama has to bite the bullet and attack now. High roads and inspiration do not work with a competitor who can within 24 hours, go from “I am honored to be here with Senator Obama” to “Shame on you Barack Obama; meet me in Ohio.” She has no shame!
As you may have noticed, Hillary doesn’t just change the goal posts but she keeps re-setting the clock of this race. Now according to her, Ohio is the new Iowa and Texas is the new New Hampshire. Also, she is creating a caste system of states – those which matter and others that don’t. She will also gleefully play one minority group against another as she has already done. Nothing matters unless she wins.
At the end of such bitterness, African Americans and younger voters who have swarmed for Obama will be so deflated if she manages to win by playing dirty (super delegates, Florida, Michigan) that they will stay home in November. On the other hand, if Obama wins even after she has thoroughly discredited him and planted suspicions about him, the angry sisterhood of older women will take out their anger on him by not voting or voting for McCain. The Asians and Latinos will just vote for McCain if they can’t vote for the “White Lady.” That’s how McCain will win – Hillary Clinton will make it possible.
And no, I don’t want to see a Clinton-Obama ticket in any permutation.
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