Horse Race

I don't agree with the common sentiment that seems to be echoing around, that the networks had been hoping for Obama to run away with the New Hampshire primary and lock in the Democratic nomination before it even started getting warm in New England. I think the networks are in much better shape right now. There are a dozen different storylines to track for them, and a weekly horse race all the way through mid-February. This is cable-news gold.

I don't think anyone really expected Barack Obama to take New Hampshire by storm as was widely predicted. Unlike Iowa, the Democrats and Republicans are fighting for the same pool of independent voters, and a sudden shift to a candidate in one party can have a pretty irritating ripple effect on candidates in the other.

Another note: Lou Dobbs excoriating "the arrogance of the pundits" makes my head spin. If Lou Dobbs is sick and tired of hearing from pundits, he should probably start by shutting up. Actually, the sound of his voice is turning my stomach, too. Everybody wins.

I also don't think that Hillary Clinton's little display of emotion the day before the primary had much of an impact. Yes, women figured prominently in her success, but I think it's damn near an insult to assume that a couple of tears are going to sway adult Americans to vote one way or the other. If it's actually true, then I am truly saddened.

Finally, I retain my distaste for Iowa and New Hampshire having such an disproportionate role in selecting a president. Think about it. Less than four million people in a country of 300 million have a massively larger say in selecting that nation's leader than the other 296. I understand the goal of having early primaries in small states (less cost to reach voters, gives more people a chance to meet the candidates proportionally) but I regard that as a convenience.

In the end, a primary voter in New York is valued less, courted less and generally pandered to far less than one in Iowa or New Hampshire. What makes the Iowa or NH voters more valuable? What makes their sacred position so valuable that it's worth punishing voters in Florida or Wyoming to protect it? Tradition and convenience do not outweigh the fundamental rights of voters in the other 48 states.

Okay, now I'm gonna watch me some Stewart and Colbert.