Quick Thoughts on the Coming Election

We are a bit less than a year from the 2008 election and I am struck with a couple of things.

First, the Hillary inevitability syndrome. In recent weeks we have seen all of the following - (besides the Stiglitz article discussed previously): 1) An attack piece from the New Republic on the Bush presidency which makes a series of charges but fails to call him the devil incarnate. 2) A series of rants from Paul Krugman which sound a lot like he has been taking mind-altering drugs. His most amusing one came in a NYT piece today where he said (in part) "But the “everyone” who knows that Social Security is doomed doesn’t include anyone who actually understands the numbers. In fact, the whole Beltway obsession with the fiscal burden of an aging population is misguided.", 3) A major misstep by Hillary in the 3856th debate in which she said she was both for and against immigrant driver licenses followed quickly by a plunge by NY Gov. Elliott Spitzer from high numbers to Bushlike ones. Followed by a couple of articles ranging from Peter Brown (assistant director of the Quinnipac poll) to Dan Walters (a Sacramento Bee Political Corrrespondent) who compared immigration to affirmative action. 5) A revelation that last night's debate was done with CNN pre-planned questions and a bizarre after debate where Clintonista James Carville was introduced in a way that would make one wonder whether he had made an endorsement in this election and then allowing a series of comments he made about the other democrat candidates to go unchallenged.

Second, on the GOP side quick endorsements of Paul Weyrich and Pat Robertson that at least some people thought were a bit strange. A slew of stories about this our that peccadillo from this or that GOP candidate.

What struck me was that a) the election is not at all decided and that b) if Hillary is nominated (and I believe she will be) she could slip up (even though all of the commentators suggest how "disciplined" she is (talk about discipline and then listening to the prattle she handed out on driver's licenses is a bit of a disconnect) but c) the GOP is also a rocky place to be (it seems that no one likes anyone) and d) that the voters are likely to be even grumpier when the actual election comes to pass.

Finally, the consultants who foisted this long campaign on us may get more fees by extending their role - but that will not make for a happy or engaged electorate. I grew immediately tired of OJ and Anna Nicole Smith - but I can see the same thing happening from the discussion of this campaign.