2008 Woodie Awards
And then there were seven
Matthew Howard
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Op/Ed
On Tuesday, former senator Fred Dalton Thompson officially ended his campaign to become the Republican Party candidate for President. With his departure, only seven "legitimate" candidates remain, vying to become the next President of the United States. John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani represent the Republican candidates, while Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama and John Edwards represent the Democratic Party. While officially there are eleven candidates seeking the office of the President, only those seven possess the resources and support to come out on top of their respective primaries. In fact, that number could be reduced to six, or even five, depending on how Mr. Giuliani fares in Florida and how Senator Edwards fares in South Carolina.
Considering that Mr. Giuliani put most of his time and resources towards winning in Florida, a loss in the primary could deal a fatal blow to his campaign. He is reportedly running out of money, so much so that he is letting members of his staff go, and in a number of polls, losing in Florida. Senator Edwards' campaign has yet to develop any momentum so far and he is losing possible campaign donations to Senators Obama and Clinton, who seem to be well ahead of Edwards in the polls. If he doesn't win in South Carolina there is a good possibility that he will drop out of the race.
What concerns me about this election cycle is the lack of a single unifying candidate for each party. When I discuss the election with friends, the question that always seems to come up is "Clinton or Obama." It's as if they have created a rivalry that is like the ones between the Rangers-Islanders or Yankees-Red Sox classic rivalry. If you like Clinton, then you cannot agree with anything that Obama says and vice-a-versa.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Republican candidates can't seem to agree on anything. McCain is arguing for the preservation of human rights, Romney is busy defending his change of heart on the abortion issue, Huckabee is busy practicing his round-house kicks with Chuck Norris while Giuliani is yelling "September eleventh" in the corner. I am not particularly impressed with the crop of candidates this election cycle seems to offer. Whoever wins will certainly have his, or her work cut out for them. The Iraq War, the economy, global warming and human rights are only four of the many issues facing this country, and the world. Hopefully whoever comes out on top will surprise me and bring this country back on track.
Considering that Mr. Giuliani put most of his time and resources towards winning in Florida, a loss in the primary could deal a fatal blow to his campaign. He is reportedly running out of money, so much so that he is letting members of his staff go, and in a number of polls, losing in Florida. Senator Edwards' campaign has yet to develop any momentum so far and he is losing possible campaign donations to Senators Obama and Clinton, who seem to be well ahead of Edwards in the polls. If he doesn't win in South Carolina there is a good possibility that he will drop out of the race.
What concerns me about this election cycle is the lack of a single unifying candidate for each party. When I discuss the election with friends, the question that always seems to come up is "Clinton or Obama." It's as if they have created a rivalry that is like the ones between the Rangers-Islanders or Yankees-Red Sox classic rivalry. If you like Clinton, then you cannot agree with anything that Obama says and vice-a-versa.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Republican candidates can't seem to agree on anything. McCain is arguing for the preservation of human rights, Romney is busy defending his change of heart on the abortion issue, Huckabee is busy practicing his round-house kicks with Chuck Norris while Giuliani is yelling "September eleventh" in the corner. I am not particularly impressed with the crop of candidates this election cycle seems to offer. Whoever wins will certainly have his, or her work cut out for them. The Iraq War, the economy, global warming and human rights are only four of the many issues facing this country, and the world. Hopefully whoever comes out on top will surprise me and bring this country back on track.