Google's Superbowl Ad
Simple Rules for Watching the Super Bowl
Pullin' Shots: Soulfood Books, Music and Organic Coffeehouse in Redmond
Sound Off! An Underage Battle
You Live By The Sword, You Die By The Sword
We have gathered some of the top political writers in the country and asked them to discuss the presidential race throughout the year. Today they review Tuesday's doings in New Hampshire.
Seattlest: Thanks for joining us again. We’ll start by asking what do you think made the difference for Senator Clinton in New Hampshire?
Jeff (The New York Times): Is what happened in New Hampshire a pro-Hillary movement, or is it a reaction by Stubborn Independent New Hampshire Voters Who Refuse to Follow the Mainstream? If Hillary had won Iowa, would New Hampshirians have voted more for Obama as a middle finger to 24-hour news coverage? After all, this is the state that twice went with McCain. They're like teenagers who rebel--is voting for McCain the primary equivalent of green spiky hair?
Luke (Washington Post): But seriously, New Hampshire? C'mon, they're a pretty progressive state. Even their cougars are vegetarians. I'm not surprised that Hillary won. But I'm not going to pretend that New Hampshire and it's .032 electoral votes represent some sort of national sentiment.
Tom (Chicago Tribune): All I really know is Hillary cried--all the trashy newspapers focused on this. "Look, she's a woman and women cry!" Other than that, what happened in New Hampshire?
Mark (Politico.com): My 3 year old cries when she can't have her blankie. I usually give in, because I can't stand the crying. I didn't think that would work on the entire state of New Hampshire. Maybe we can send Hillary to N. Korea, and she can cry until Kim Jong Il gives up his nuclear program.
Luke: Yeah? Well, women also make sandwiches, and this bed isn't going to make itself.
Tom: By "bed" you mean "the situation in the Middle East"?
Luke: Yes, Tommy. We need to get out of the bed with all possible haste. We just finished making love to a lady, and now we have to figure out how to get out of there without being awkward.
Jeff: Just do what I do after a one-night stand: send in Madeleine Albright to smooth things over.
Luke: Um yeah, but what if she's already there...you know what I mean? Look, say what you will, but I likey the older ladies.
John (Los Angeles Times): I'd like this roundtable to advocate--whilst secretly hiding--the use of 'New Hamp' as a nickname.
Mark: The New Hamp Rally that featured Maddy Albright was a sausage fest. Hordes of 20-something boys were trying to wait each other out. But you gotta hand it to Luke, he stayed to 2:00am and he took her home.
Luke: Just like in foreign policy...flowers and chocolate will get you everywhere. I think it was the Ayatollah Khomeini who said, "What? For me?"
Ryan (NBC News): Wait. Are we still speaking metaphorically or did Luke sincerely bone Madeleine Albright? Speaking of boning things sincerely, hey New Hampshire, I guess you showed us. What's next, a tribal armband tattoo? What a weak statement to make. If you're going to do it, do it right, shock some people. Or as the old saying goes: If you're going to rebel, think Mike Gravel. You know it's true because it rhymes. All those rhyming rules are ironclad. "Liquor Before Beer" has saved my life quite a few times. And once, my girlfriend went black, and I haven't heard from her since.
John: Why are we talking about bedding Ms. Albright when [White House Press Secretary] Dana Perino still has red hot blood pumping through her veins?
Ryan: Oh Dana! I have two words for her. "Helloooo" and "Nurse." Do you think she could take Kucinich's wife in a fight? A pillow fight? In my room? On my Jell-O Bed? This Friday? No, Saturday's no good, I have to work. Sunday afternoon? Wait, when do the Patriots play? We'll have to try for next week, but let's really try to make this happen.
Seattlest: What about on the Republican side? Romney’s early strategy was to score victories in Iowa and New Hampshire and roll from there, is he finished?
Luke: This is only my gut feeling, but I just feel like Romney lost his sense of validity. After that nonsensical explanation about what he meant when he "saw" his father march with Martin Luther King Jr. it feels like people aren't willing to buy into him. He kind of comes across like a car salesman or something. You just get a sense that he's feeding you bullshit from the moment he opens his mouth.
Mark: Even though Romney is much younger, bigger, and buffer, you still get he impression that McCain could whoop his ass.
Luke: McCain? Eh. The Republican side is too close to call. Of course Huckabee isn't going to play well as an evangelical in New Hampshire, so that's no surprise. On a side note, my grandma lives in New Hampshire, and she voted for McCain. She also drinks a lot.
John: I'm citing the McCain-repeat-NH-victory as the reason he took it, but all I really know is Romney hasn't a chance. Unless the Repubs try for the swimsuit and evening gown portion.
Luke: I'm just not willing to draw any conclusions after voting in one of the tiniest states in the country.
Jeff: Yeah, but the first one to the party gets to decide which dip gets opened.
Ryan: Anyway, I would agree that Ol' Willard Romney is looking worse and worse as the campaign moves on, and though I used to have a good deal of respect for McCain, he wasted that when he went on Jon Stewart and said that he was Bush's man through and through. It's a shame, he went through all that torture for nothing. Too soon? Also, Mike "Gay people are just making an immoral choice" Huckabee is getting scarier by the second. Jesus. Seriously though, Jesus. It's just too bad Ron Paul apparently has leprosy. He doesn't? Then why won't they give him any coverage? Oh right, he makes too much sense. I don't want to go too negative here, but let me be the very first to say that our political process may have some slight flaws.
Mark: Wait, what part of Ron Paul makes sense? The part where he believes the state and federal government should step in to prevent women from having abortions. The abolishment of public education. The dropping of an income tax and the end of the IRS. Wait, is he a Republican against the war? Well then he must be a maverick genius.
Luke: Nothing is more precious to me than the look on Ron Paul's face when one of the candidates during the debate says something like, "Have you forgotten about 9/11?", or "I hope you don't really mean to say that United States foreign policy has something to do with our damaged worldwide reputation." or "America only wants to spread goodness to people in the planet." You can definitely tell he's trying to dumb himself down in order to respond appropriately. It's like having a conversation with a 3 year old when you catch yourself saying things like, "Yeah, that princess has to comb her hair for the party." That's Ron Paul's entire life right now.
Mark: I used to like McCain, but I can't get that image of him hugging Bush and backing him in 2004 out of my head. I think Romney might get enough 2nd place finishes to win the nomination.
Seattlest: Thanks, fellas.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Perhaps the reason that Hillary's near-tear moment was such unbelievably big news is that every political writer is a man, and apparently men believe that every woman in New Hamp voted for Hillary because she came near tears the day before the primary. As though they all threw off the months of political discussion and debate and whatever decision they may have made prior to that moment and instead cast their vote for Hillary.
Because women are emotional like that.
1. Hillary didn't cry. She softened and got real for a second. There were no tears. Her face didn't even squirm like you do when you're choking back tears. Get over it.
2. Interesting the discussion of the woman frontrunner degraded almost immediately into b.s. about "boning" Madeleine Albright, whereas the discussion of the all-guy race included actual attention to strategy and politics. WTF?
I heard an interview last night on Canadian radio with the lady who asked the "how do you do it question"...her interpretation was Clinton started to tear up, then caught herself. interestingly, she said she voted for Obama. Weird!
I think it was just unexpected because Clinton always seems so stony.
I think it's fair to say that she didn't actually cry--but she wouldn't have been the first presidential candidate to do so--Edward Muskie supposedly cried in '72 after some newspaper wrote articles attacking him and his wife--one of which turned out to be a hoax!
I love how all the pundits keep calling New Hampshire a liberal or progressive state. It shows just how completely full of shit and clueless they are, by exposing just how little time they've spent there, or anywhere else north of Massachusetts. I mean, maybe compared to, say, Utah, but not compared to, say, Illinois.
New Hampshire is the crazy old codger uncle of New England, and has been notoriously so at least ever since this guy. It's the least remotely liberal place in the region; in fact, it voted for Bush in 2000.
I'd never heard anyone use the word "coon" as a derogatory term for black people until I spent a summer in New Hampshire. Jesus, it was like I'd walked into Deliverance. Some grizzled old native swilling beer from a can and talking about hunting "coons" *wink* "the two-legged kind" in the woods. I'm not particularly surprised Obama didn't win the state.
I love the jokes more than the next guy. But jokes have the tendency to educated the ignorant:
Hillary did not cry.
I believe it was Huckabee (or Romney? - I dunno, one of those crazy Reds) cried... TWICE at press interviews.
Nobody said shit.
Get off NH's back.
Yes, there are some "Deliverance" like places in the state, but most of the state (where most of the people live) is just as much of a city as Tacoma or Everett.
It's not Seattle, but then again Seattle isn't Boston, either.
Also, it's not Washington or Illinois liberal, but it's not Iowa or Tennessee conservative either. And with all the Massachusetts folks moving northward, it is becoming more and more liberal, especially in the larger southern cities like Manchester and Nashua.
To slam the entire state of N.H. because you met some redneck types is as fair as judging Washington because you spent time in Packwood or Hoquiam.
Like Washington, there are many different parts of N.H., and it has changed markedly in recent times. The south has a lot of Massachusetts refugees as well as an increasing immigrant population. And of course there are still plenty of rural areas that cling to the old ways.