Update to “What Could Lead to Interesting Results in Wisconsin”
Update: It appears that this is a topic that has really sparked the attention of the Journal Sentinel, which means that this is probably something that is widespread in the state.
But, its interesting to note the different rationales and strategies.
Take Audrey Murray, a 74-year-old registered Republican. She said she voted for Barack Obama at Glenwood Elementary School in Greenfield – but not because she likes him.
“I don’t want to see Barack Obama get elected president,” said Murray, a retired banker. “I don’t want to see Hillary Clinton anywhere near the election.”
Murray said she believes a lot of Republicans are voting in the Democratic primary in order to weaken the challenge to McCain.
To any Wisconsin Republicans reading this who still haven’t voted yet: voting for Barack Obama is probably not the best move. Hillary Clinton is the candidate that the GOP wants to take on and is the candidate that the party has been preparing for since there was talk of her announcing.
Obama brings a dynamic to the election that the RNC and the McCain campaign is going to have a tough time attacking, aside from the fact that he is relatively young and doesn’t have all that much experience. Unfortunately, Barack Obama can usually convince voters to look beyond his shortcomings with his well crafted, sometimes borrowed speeches.
Hillary Clinton on the other hand, has a suitcase full of dirt that people don’t even know about yet. I have no doubt that the RNC has a treasure chest of dirt on Hillary Clinton that she’ll have a hard time backing up.
Furthermore, John McCain would annihilate Hillary Clinton in the debates, because luckily, she doesn’t have the charisma that Barack Obama has to reassure her supporters when she falls.
So, my suggestion to Wisconsin Republicans who want to increase the odds of a Republican winning in November, vote for Hillary. Its tough, but I truly believe that when it comes to match ups, she’s the best fit to ensure a McCain victory.
There are a few things that I’ve always found fascinating about Wisconsin campaign politics. First, pretty much anyone can vote. Wisconsin is a state where you don’t need a photo ID, and something as simple as a piece of mail or a friend verifying that you live somewhere will usually get you a ballot. But second, in Wisconsin you can vote in any Primary that you want. What does this mean? There are a lot of Republicans who might be trying to rain on Barack Obama’s parade today:
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Blog:
Huckabee supporter crosses over
By Crocker Stephenson
Tuesday, Feb 19 2008, 11:02 AM
Mike Burlingame, a 48-year-old corrections officer, is a Mike Huckabee supporter who voted for Hillary Clinton at Lincoln Elementary School in Cudahy.
Here’s his reasoning: He really doesn’t want Barack Obama. He thinks his vote would be wasted on Huckabee, so he’s crossing over and voting for Clinton though he plans to vote for McCain in November.
Bottom line: “I want to knock Obama out.”
Burlingame said the last Republican he voted for in a presidential race was Ronald Reagan.
Now to the surprise of many, this isn’t something that is going to be isolated to a few people. There have been many Republicans in Wisconsin, primarily those who aren’t comfortable with John McCain yet, and I guess a Huckabee supporter or two, who see this as an opportunity to make their vote count and make it one hell of a race for the GOP at the same time.
Many Wisconsin Republicans, as well as many others across the country see that Barack Obama would be a serious threat for John McCain, simply because he can reach out to the young voters, actually get the them to turn out, as well as take a good stake of the independent vote away from McCain.
How do Wisconsin Republicans chose to handle this one… vote for Hillary. I can’t say its what I would do, but you cant hate them for shaking it up a bit.
Cheers to Wisconsin Republicans for making this race even more exciting!
…Though I do find it odd that a Huckabee supporter is crossing over… its not like Huckabee is leading in Wisconsin polls…
In a move that was expected for some time now, Fidel Castro has now formally issued a letter of resignation to the Cuban people.
Some interesting excerpts from his letter:
For many years I have occupied the honorable position of President. On February 15, 1976 the Socialist Constitution was approved with the free, direct and secret vote of over 95% of the people with the right to cast a vote.
Thus, my first duty was to prepare our people both politically and psychologically for my absence after so many years of struggle. I kept saying that my recovery “was not without risks.”
To my dearest compatriots, who have recently honored me so much by electing me a member of the Parliament where so many agreements should be adopted of utmost importance to the destiny of our Revolution, I am saying that I will neither aspire to nor accept, I repeat, I will neither aspire to nor accept the positions of President of the State Council and Commander in Chief.
Those are just a few highlights, and there is definitely more to the letter worth reading. This is one of those historical things that I think everyone should read in its fullest context and then analyze later.
I hope to get back to this in the next day or two and see what impact this has in Cuba.