Down To Four & One Day 'Til Super Tuesday

As I wrote in this post last Sunday,

"So the highly-probable match-ups for November are now clearing appearing. Candidates will now more likely be evaluated for their ability to win against known opponents, as well as their positions and records."

And, in concert, most of the past week's media coverage has been about electability, rather than issues, for each candidate.

Today's Wall Street Journal has a lead article discussing the various candidates' strengths, as they approach a potentially decisive voting day tomorrow.

My own handicapping goes thusly:

Hillary: A known quantity, ambitious, ruthless, socialistic. Will probably attract fewer women voters and Bubba-lovers than she'll draw opposition voters for whomever opposes her.

Obama: Totally unknown, totally lacking in experience or relevant accomplishments. On the latter point, Bubba was right to call his 'record' a "fairy tale." All sizzle, but no steak. Still, as Dick Armey said on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell this morning,

'When you get up every morning singing Kum Bah Ya and talking about coming together, it's hard for anyone to hate you.'

Obama is, by far, I think, the more dangerous Democrat for Republicans to face in November. Either it's a landslide for the GOP candidate, as America wakes up to the fact that Obama has no governmental clothes, or it's a landslide for the novice from Illinois, as the nation's voters lose their sense of reality and stampede for the cotton-candy-pink-cloud dreamspinning of this empty suit.

Romney: He has no principles. Period. What at first seems beguilingly attractive, his consultant's focus on 'the data,' is, in fact, a lack of a priori principled belief in anything that hasn't been polled and calculated to give him an edge with conservative voters. Reagan had principles. He already knew what the relevant data were on the issues that mattered to him. Precious few consultants actually make effective CEOs. As this year's campaign's sole reigning technocrat, he has the market cornered on wonkism and likelihood of bumbling badly in office- just like Jimmah Carter and Herbert "Wonder Boy" Hoover.

McCain: His 90+ year old mother is right- just "hold your nose and vote for him"- as she stated in an interview last week. McCain isn't too bright. Who could be, and co-author McCain-Feingold and McCain-Kennedy? He gets angry, testy and irritated when, after a primary win, someone asks him a piercing, thought-provoking question, the answer to which is likely to embarrass him. He, too, has few core principles. Thus, his 'maverick Senator' reputation. He'll sell out conservatives at the drop of a Senatorial hat. Then, again, he'll sell out moderates, too.

Fair is fair.

He's mean, ornergy, old, and quasi-embittered. As I wrote many months ago, there's a lot of Bob Dole's informal Presidential campaign slogan in him,

'I've waited long enough, it's my turn, dammit!'

This time, though, McCain has now Bubba with whom to contend. My guess is McCain is the better Republican choice to probably defeat either Democrat.

As a Senator, he's way more experienced than either Democrat, if you believe Senators even have relevant experience. Other than profound windbaggery.

As a bona fide war hero- by the way, a bomber pilot, not a fighter jock- and former POW, he's got the potential to sway and get the middle class, bluish-collar Democrat vote. This guy is a real patriot. Unlike the two Democrats, one of whom is merely ambitious, the other totally naive, McCain has a lot of knocks, dings and dents, but is undeniably patriotic.

Plus, if you liked Rudy, you might get him as the second half of the ticket with McCain, come November.

Were some likable, credible, visionary Democratic governor running this time, s/he'd be able to sweep all before her/him. Same with the Republicans. But Romney's not all that credible. And he was more an East Coast moderate Republican governing a blue state. West of the Ohio, we would call that a Lindsay Republican, which is nearly the same as a moderate Democrat.

So as Super Tuesday looms less than twelve hours away, I am voting for electability. Like so many other Presidential primaries and general elections, I'll vote for someone whom I know can't be the best we have to offer.

But McCain's mom is persuasive. I'll be heading for the polling booth with my clothespin and my sample ballot.....