Iowhatth'hell?

[sigma7]

Huckabee wins -- not altogether surprising, but by a suitably intimidating margin. This redraws the Republican battle lines significantly. Thompson doing surprisingly, too. Democrats clustered, as expected in the Edwards/Clinton/Obama troika; I imagine Obama to pick up the anybody-but-Hillary vote after Iowa and has the most to gain from the loss of competition outside the unholy trinity.

I'm just glad something's frickin' happening after months of empty meaningless blathering. Give me the empty meaningless happenings.

Comments

[querldox.livejournal.com]

It's hard for me to think of a worse VP choice for Obama than Edwards, at least that'd be considered at all viable. Because other than being a white male, Edwards brings zilch to an Obama ticket.

Primary issues Republicans would bring up against Obama would be general lack of experience and specific lack of foreign experience. Edwards has what, four more years of an undistinguished Senate term than Obama and is not known for international knowledge/experience.

And we've seen how Edwards does as a VP candidate...not well. He didn't carry his state in 2004, and Chaney's generally felt to have won their debate.

If he wants to go with another candidate for VP, Richardson's probably his best bet with respect to filling in holes. Honestly not sure whether from a national perspective having what's perceived as another minority on the ticket would matter, or whether it would matter more than the Hispanic vote Richardson might help with.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten the Cheney/Edwards debate. In retrospect, he's lucky to have gotten away from the podium alive. (I meant Edwards, but I guess it works both ways....)

I figured it'd be part-reward for his finishing and also a statement to the base that the Edwards agenda wouldn't be forgotten. Then again, Edwards defectors will go...where else? Certainly not Huckabee -- really, nobody except McCain will be able to draw Dems away from whoever their candidates happen to be (though Hillary could have a repelling force, were she included).

Richardson's pull on this Hispanic vote is a good point, especially given Huckabee's recent Bible-thumping. I want to hope that if Obama gets the nod that there won't be a fear-of-a-non-white-planet effect, but humanity has let me down before.... (I think Al Gore's happier now blowing up golden Death Stars in the 31st century to come back to the fold, and I think everyone's good with that, too. Lieberman? Not on your life. Kerry, same, but less with the crazy.)

It's an intriguing question. I don't see Obama not being on the Democratic ticket, one way or the other -- the other person, however, makes for some interesting theories.