Posts made in February, 2008
Does Hillary really wonder why she lost Wisconsin so badly?
That was the question of the day last night, on CNN… trying to find answers as to why Hillary Clinton was beaten so badly in the Wisconsin democratic primary. (The final result was Obama 58%, Clinton 41%)
There were any number of strategic errors cited, most of which I agreed with. (Including, how her campaign never “introduced” her in terms of her unique early choices and specific accomplishments, which is one big thing that sets her apart … but it’s too late now to back up the train and say, “Hello America, meet Hillary Clinton.”)
But there was one thing mentioned that I felt distinctly all last week/weekend:
Hillary blew us off.
Barack was here for the better part of 5 days. Starting Thursday, he was holding rallies across the state, starting with a huge rally (attended by 17,000 people) in the state capital at UW-Madison. He hit many other spots, held gatherings of all kinds. He quickly sold out 4,000 tickets at UW-Green Bay. On Sunday he was going to hold a Town Hall meeting at a school in Kaukauna, but it (and every other activity scheduled by living, breathing humans) was canceled due to a huge snowstorm that dumped a thick coat of ice, then upwards of a foot of snow across the state on Sunday.
John McCain was basically a figment of our imaginations. Nobody uttered a peep about him. Did he even visit the state? I don’t know. Mike Huckabee’s ads were the most personable, one-on-one, sensical things I saw for the 2 weeks before we voted. But the Republicans really aren’t my deal, so we’ll leave ‘em at another topic entirely. ;)
The result was that I felt like Hillary blew us off. I felt like she didn’t care about us. She couldn’t be bothered to spend time here, listen to us, talk to us.
But Barack cared. He spent the time. He visited big cities and little towns. He talked, he listened, he wasn’t in a rush to get outta here and move on to his next target. He gave us the respect of his time and focus.
At least in our state, it bit Hillary in the butt. Her delegate deficit grew, Barack Obama gained still more momentum, and exit polls showed a swing in public opinion about Obama’s vs. Clinton’s electability. Hillary’s support base is eroding across the board. In my opinion, she is in big trouble.
And the sad thing is, she (her campaign) has brought it on herself. It’s a shame, really, because Hillary is a great candidate. It’s just logistical missteps and simple marketing failures that have been totally flubbed up her efforts. And now it might be too late for her to salvage it, even if she was to do everything absolutely perfectly starting tomorrow. :(
Time will tell. ##
Read MoreHello, Newman!
Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman netted a lovely $1.5 million as a result of his victory Sunday. However, Jayski reports that Ryan’s Dad has proclaimed that Ryan’s Alma Mater, Purdue University, will not be getting one red cent of Ryan’s winnings… because Purdue didn’t recognize Ryan’s athletic commitments the same way they honored other on-campus sports.
Newman’s dad reveals grudge vs. Purdue: If Greg Newman has anything to say about it, none of the $1.5 million his son earned for winning Sunday’s Daytona 500 will be going to Purdue University. #12-Ryan Newman graduated from Purdue in 2001 with a degree in vehicle structural engineering. But his father, who made a college degree a prerequisite for supporting Ryan’s racing aspirations, said Purdue doesn’t deserve to share in Ryan’s good fortune. Ryan was racing on weekends and won the 1999 U.S. Auto Club Silver Crown title while attending Purdue. But he wasn’t recognized by the school as being a student-athlete, his father said, and thus wasn’t allowed any scheduling flexibility with his assignments. “They should have helped him, but they didn’t cut him any slack,” Greg said. “They didn’t recognize him as being a racer. Now they do.” Purdue assistant athletic director Tom Schott said he wasn’t sure how to respond to the elder Newman’s complaints. “We have 18 varsity sports here, but we don’t have varsity auto racing,” Schott said. (Source: Jayski)
Really. Now why doesn’t it surprise me that the real mental giants at Purdue are apparently in… athletics? Thank you, Mr. Schott, for proving the age-old stereotype that the people in athletics generally aren’t the brightest bulbs in the box.
Auto racing at the level Ryan was doing it, was beyond any varsity athletic program you could have had, Mr. Schott. Beyond. Ryan was no less an athlete than any of the “varsity” athletes in existing programs at Purdue; so why didn’t Purdue accommodate and assist him the same way other athletes were helped, when Ryan needed assistance?
(OK, I will answer what everyone else is answering rhetorically: because Purdue did not recognize Ryan’s athlete status. This goes back to the old “racecar drivers aren’t athletes” misconception. And now that Purdue has caught on that Ryan Newman is a famous, accomplished athlete, now they are all eager to chum up and hop a ride on the Cashing-In Train. And wisely, Greg Newman is having none of it. Go Greg!!)
Congratulations, Purdue: you’re reaping precisely what you sowed.
And Mr. Schott, take a dip in the clue bag before you open your mouth the next time you speak on behalf of your school. ##
Read MoreFought off the shingles!
It would seem I’ve successfully fought off the shingles!
I reported unreachable, incessant, maddening itching in this post. It started at 1 AM Monday, and went for 12 hrs straight. It was still there, although greatly diminished (due to meds), at my 1 PM Dr.’s appt. At the appt, it had changed to half itch, half burning.
The Dr. didn’t prescribe any anti-virals, to my surprise, because he said they are just as effective until 3 days after the rash shows up. Oh!, I said… and given the timing, I still had 5-7 days before the rash would show up… which meant up to 10 days to get on the anti-viral. So if it wasn’t shingles,
Read MoreRandom Photos
The Healthiest Chocolate
I Have Integrity!
