blueZhift Blog

Just some more idle speculation. If the Republican party goes down in a crushing defeat, will divisions within the party finally lead to a split resulting in the formation of a viable third party? It’s no secret that the blame game has already begun between moderate Republicans and the far right religio-conservative wing of the party. But does the leadership and vision exist to create a complete split?

Some have argued that the current two party system is too limiting for the kind of dynamic government that the U.S. needs in the 21st century. A major 3rd party could be just the lubrication needed to keep us moving forward. I for one would like to see moderate Republicans who believe in classic Republican values of limited government and personal freedom, freed of the religious and rightist elements that have highjacked the Republican party. In the past, John McCain would have been the most likely to lead this revolt, but if he does go down in a crushing defeat, it is unlikely that he could lead the split. It seems far more likely that the religious conservative faction will split off on their own with people like Huckabee and Palin leading the way. If that happens, perhaps the moderates will join up with the Libertarians.

With speculation mounting that Obama may win in a Democratic party landslide, I wonder if we may actually see what I’ll call the “Don’t Back No Losers Effect”. This is when people decide that they would rather throw their support behind whoever looks like they will win. No one likes to be on the losing side, and with the McCain campaign reputed to be in disarray, they are looking more and more like the kind of losers that anyone still on the fence is not likely to find very attractive.

I’ve long worried that the polls showing Obama to be ahead were inflated due to the Bradley Effect, but Frank Rich’s Op-Ed piece in the NY Times, In Defense of White People, has made me rethink that. Perhaps things really have changed. In a few days, we’ll have an answer to that question.

A few days ago I voted early and cast my vote for Barack Obama! I’m going to be on the road for Youmacon next weekend, so I wanted to be sure that nothing, like car failure, kept me from getting back to cast my vote. Early voting was pretty easy, I was in line for maybe 15 minutes at the board of elections. And being able to plan when to vote on my own schedule was nice too.

In other news, another former Bushie supports Obama! So get out there and vote Obama, everyone’s doin it!^__^

I’m watching the final Obama McCain debate, well sort of half watching, and one thing that is painfully obvious is that McCain’s tank is empty. For the most part, McCain is basically ignoring what Obama is saying to get in his digs. Admittedly, both of them are taking their opportunities to get in some campaign boilerplate, but Obama is a lot better at it. More importantly though, Obama has much more detailed plans, versus McCain’s collection of disjointed buzz words.

If McCain is hoping to shake Obama up and land some body blows, so far he is failing mightily. So I just wonder now, will the United States actually choose the man who appears to be so much superior to the other, or will we stumble over the twin specters of racism and stupidity.

While I’m excitedly awaiting tonight’s NASCAR race in Charlotte, the organization’s obvious Republican partisanship is beginning to turn me off. I just read that Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, is honorary race director for tonight’s race. If NASCAR is serious about expanding its fan base, then this kind of partisanship has got to stop. I don’t expect the drivers and teams to share all of my views any more than I would expect that of other fans. But for the parent organization to so obviously embrace the Republican party makes me wonder if they really want my demographic to feel at home in NASCAR at all. As it stands now, I may not be watching NASCAR come next season.

I made my mind up to support Barrack Obama for President of the United States a long time ago. So I really haven’t been paying all that much attention to the debates. But last night my dad came by, so we watched the Obama – McCain town hall meeting last night.

Needless to say, I’m still supporting Obama, but the thing that really surprised me was just how very very old McCain looked. I knew he was old, but wasn’t really prepared for the shock of seeing this on TV. He looked old, sounded old, and moved like a really old man. Not that being old is bad, in and of itself, but I really don’t think the town hall meeting format is doing him any favors now.

In a traditional debate, the candidates pretty much stay behind the podium and the viewer focuses on what they are saying and perhaps facial expressions. But in the town hall format, there’s no where to hide, body language is on full display. McCain’s body was just screaming, look at how old I am!