Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Gametime: The Potomac Primaries!

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Welcome back to PNN -- The Political News Network!

First, here is Jason's take of last nights Primaries.

Here is the overview.

For the Democrats, Senator Obama won all three races.
For the Republicans, Senator McCain won all three races.

Can you say: SAAAA-WEEEEEEEPP!!!!

And here is the why:

1) The Beltway area has great food, such as Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street, Hard Times Cafe in Clarendon and Armands Pizza all over the area. Over these food places, the staffers and friends of the White House and Congress congregate. If anyone would know which Senator would best represent their party, this is the area. Notice how Senator Clinton did not do well, and they know her best in the Beltway.

2) The Democrats still have the two time bombs (Super-Delegates and the two Invisible Primaries) but Senator Obama is ahead. His secret? Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post figured it out: Senator Obama doesn't call those he disagrees with, evil; Senator Clinton thrives on battling (and destroying) Republicans.

3) Senator Clinton has not won since Super Tuesday. She is building a "firewall" in Texas and Ohio. They don't vote until March. Mayor Guiliani believed in putting all his eggs into one state before Super Tuesday. Notice how the Valley does not talk about Nominee Giuliani. If the Beltway, who knows the Clintons, won't vote for her, why should Texas and Ohio be any different?

My questions are:

A) Name you favorite DC Beltway restaurant and why.
B) Does the American Harold Saxon pull out a win before the Convention? How?



socialize it

8 comments:

  1. JSF, how could one pick just one favorite restaurant when there's such a wide variety? I've mentioned a few of my favorites here before, but there are always others. The South Buffet located in the basement of the Dirksen Senate Office is really good. We used to take the little subway from the House side when I worked at the DNC. Also, for the best Chinese food, City Lights of China in Dupont Circle was amazing.

    As for Hillary, while you and I both hope she's sunk here, those Clintons are fighters and they could pull something off in Texas, Ohio and/or PA. An Obama sweep of the rest of the states would kill the chances of any super-delegate shenanigans and make Hillary's stripped delegates irrelevant, so let's all hope he can ride the wave of momentum.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JSF, did my comment about favorite DC eateries not make it? That's one thing I never get tired of talking about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Being the history nut I am I love the Round Robin Bar in the Willard Intercontinental.

    For the Clinton's having Texas as a firewall is a risky and dangerous strategy because, Texas overflows with blue dog Democrats who love their conservative heritage. The ghosts of Rayburn, Shivers, Johnson, Connally, Yarborough, Tower, Gonzales, Wilson, Bullock, and Bentsen loom large.

    Gonzales, Bentsen and Bullock were during President Clinton's administration were wary of the Clintons, and many conservative Democrats here remain wary of the Clintons and keep them at arms length.

    I am reminded of the old saying God save the Tsar and keep him away from here, such are the feelings many blue dog Democrats have towards the Clintons.

    The decision made by the Clinton campaign to use Texas as a firewall is like trying to tame a diamondback rattlesnake a fool's errand.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The idea propounded by the Clinton campaign and its policy gurus such as James Carville to use Texas and the other March 4th primaries as a firewall is a proposiition that is not without risk.

    Texas is state where the Democrats will revolt en masse if their concerns are not addressed.

    Consider the election of 1952 between Stevenson and Eisenhower, in Texas the election turned on the issue of the disputed Tidelands and the oil revenues that they generated.

    The Truman Administration wanted to federalize the Texas Tidelands a position defended by the Democratic nominee Stevenson. Governor Shivers, Speaker Rayburn, Representative Johnson opposed the Truman Administration and broke with the party delivering Texas to Eisenhower in return for the Tidelands and its revenue.

    The recent polls commissioned by CNN illustrate the continuation of this school of thought the only way Clinton can achieve a decisive victory is by heeding the examples set by Bentsen, Bullock, Wilson, Jordan, Johnson, Gonzales, Rayburnm and Houston She must humanely address while embracing the bipartisan spirit of McCain-Lieberman, McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy and the Gang of Fourteen,

    ReplyDelete
  5. In the upcoming Democratic primary the districts to watch are the following

    TX 15 McAllen Velasco and Harlingen important border towns
    TX 16 City of El Paso and its surround
    TX 18 Inner City of Houston
    TX 20 Inner City of San Antonio
    TX 23 The majority of the between San Antonio and El Paso
    TX 27 includes Brownsville opposite Matamoros
    TX 28 includes Laredo
    TX 25, 21, and 10 which covers Austin and the surround.

    These areas have large populations of Hispanics and African Americans. Also, these areas have a more active youth demographic in this election cycle than in the past.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hhhhm, I tried twice to comment about City Lights of China in Dupont Circle, but I guess Blogger has something against the best Peking Duck in the District.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Being the history nut I am I love the Round Robin Bar at the Willard Intercontinental.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Obama's convincing wins in Wisconsin and Hawaii further decreases the likelihood that Senator Clinton will achieve a win in Texas by the 60-40 or 70-30 margins that she requires in both Texas and Ohio recapture the momentum she lost.

    Indeed the most recent polls in Texas have Clinton holding a two percent lead 50% for Clinton and 48percent for Obama with a margin of error of between plus or minus two and five percentage points.

    These polls illustrate that Clinton's strategy of using Texas as firewall may have been a grave error especially since Texas primary is an open one in which independents can vote for any candidate.

    A word on the unique nature of the Texas system

    In the morning and early afternoon the open Texas primary is held. This is first round of voting after this is completed. The parties hold a closed caucus during the late afternoon and evening, in which only those individuals who cast a ballot for a candidate in the open primary may by law participate. The function of the caucus is confirm the will of the people.

    ReplyDelete

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There is only one person (JSF) keeping track of comments, so as long as what you write is civil and close to the purpose of the post, you will see it.

Keep this in mind: Politics should not be Personal; then you have a place here.

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