Which Candidate is the Underdog?
If there is one thing that is honest about politics in the good ol’ USA, it’s that anything can happen!
Going into Iowa it looked like Mike Huckabee was the underdog on the Republican side, with Mitt Romney sure to be victorious. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton’s well-financed and regimented campaign looked like the anticipated winner, with Barack Obama giving her a little trouble and John Edwards the clear underdog.
My, my, how things can change!
Prior to Iowa, watching the debates was like watching ping pong. Back and forth, back and forth, with a point to first one side then the other. Possibly the two most notable topics in the Democratic debates were the discussions about ‘building snowmen’ and John Edward’s pricey haircut. On the Republican side, candidates all seemed to think Rudy Guiliani was the man to beat, so he took the brunt of attacks by the others.
After Iowa, we had a different set of underdogs, and a more-substantive set of questions. ‘Change’ seemed to be the hot topic in both debates. After coming in third in Iowa, Hillary Clinton showed that she was a fighter and really attacked the positions of both of her opponents. Unfortunately, because she is a woman she risks having this backfire. (Male candidates are allowed to get down-and-dirty, but it not considered lady-like for females to do the same.) Each tried to show that their position and personna was best for the average citizen, with special emphasis placed on poor and ‘middle class’ voters.
On the Republican side, Mitt Romney was the chosen target. Supposedly a little rattled by the loss in Iowa, Romney was the likely underdog, as both Huckabee and John McCain, went on the attack. McCain especially went after Romney because he’s McCain’s biggest rival in the upcoming primary in New Hampshire. The Republican field hasn’t narrowed like the Democrats, so there was a full contingent of candidates ready to take a swing at the designated target. Fred Thompson and Ron Paul still are considered viable, if further back in the pack, and Rudy Guiliani (in my opinion, a Democrat masquerading as a Republican) continues to slide.
Well, it’s on to New Hampshire and the next step in this exciting jumble we call the ‘political process’. The results from New Hampshire may reveal clear winners, but it is just as likely that we will have another set of underdogs in the ongoing 2008 Presidential campaigns.
Tags: Barack Obama, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Clinton, Iowa caucus, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, New Hampshire Primary, Politics, Presidential, Presidential primary, Republicans, Ron PaulLeave a Reply
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