And here we are...

Another couple of months, another period of blogger neglect. For that, I apologize. Let's update where were are, now that we're toward the end of February:

WttMH Political Ticker

Wow, after all of the political whining I did here in 2006, it's hard to believe that we've gone this far through the Presidential primary season without so much as a comment!

Both races appear to be close to a final decision, as John McCain has all but locked up the GOP nomination, and Barack Obama is riding an insane wave of momentum, including 10 straight caucus/primary wins. There are some huge primaries coming up in Ohio and Texas on March 4th (hey, it's great that our primary actually counts!). If Clinton doesn't win them both, she's all but done. If she does win both, the water gets pretty muddy. There is an issue with "superdelegates" (those delegates who have no obligation to vote along the lines of the primary/caucus results) and whether they will vote in line with the election results or strike out on their own. It would seem to me that if Obama's momentum continues and he wins Ohio and Texas, they have little choice as the writing will be completely legible on the wall at that point.

So, let's break down the (most likely to win) candidates through my own lens of bias:

Dems:
Clinton: Meh. I voted for her husband once (since I wasn't old enough to vote for him in 1992), and despite the best efforts of the "moral" majority in the late 90's I thought he was a good president. Yeah, he got his dick sucked by an intern and lied about it (or, tried to spin himself out of the way, at least). But, the country's economy was strong and we didn't have any stupid pointless wars. As for his wife, I vowed to give her a chance this primary season, as I wanted to form an opinion other than what the media has had to say (or the GOP has had to say). As time has gone on in her campaign and Obama has gained the momentum, she's tried about everything she and her husband could think of to knock him down. It hasn't worked. If anything, it's backfired. The whole "plagiarism" thing was a farce, and they couldn't get away from it fast enough after everyone realized that it was a farce.

The more I hear her campaign, the less and less I like her. The most telling evening for me was back in January during the New Hampshire debate, in which she all but pounded the table to get people to pay attention to her "campaign on her 35 years of experience" and seemed very pissed off when no one seemed to care. Her every move seems calculated, and as for her "35 years of experience" I find myself scoffing; Universal Health Care Cards, anyone?

Bottom Line: She tried to make herself the proverbial "last one standing"--not by setting herself apart, but by destroying her rivals to the point where despite not being that great a candidate she's somehow set herself "above" the others. Obama has not only weathered that storm, but has turned it on its head. This country IS ready for a woman president; just not THIS woman. Pass.

Obama: I want to rally around this guy. I really do. He's young, he really connects with people, he says all the right things, he seems honest enough (admitting to drug use is a refreshing stance, since those jackals on the other side hate gays and abortions but are busy molesting male pages and getting their mistresses abortions when nobody's looking). But, he doesn't have a lot of experience. I love that he's been a civil rights champion, and by God it's about time this country has a minority president. (Sadly, however, I believe I could name several acquaintances that wouldn't vote for him *just* because of his skin color, which is maddening.) And, the repeated promise to close off the Oval Office to special interests and lobbyists would be insanely great for this country and its policy.

But, beyond that, what foreign policy or economic experience does he have? He's campaigning on the "Change!" platform, which--believe me--sounds amazing to my ears. But, color me cynical: how's he going to make change with so little experience? If he were to be elected, I would take a great interest in the makeup of his cabinet, as a President with less experience is going to need to be surrounded by *good* people (as opposed to sycophantic yes-men who support pointless invasions and campaigns of making people afraid of everything, thus allowing them to erode civil liberties in the name of patriotism and corporate greed).

He has the momentum; 10 straight state wins, and the power to get the vote out in the key states coming up. The best thing about his campaign that I can cite is that he has gotten SO many people involved in the process of democracy. The voter turnout in the primaries and caucuses this year has been simply mind-blowing, and for that he deserves credit. He may not be able to run the tight ship (no lobbyists, no special interests) that he promises to, but he's gotten people's attention, and gotten them off of their collective ass to get involved in the process of selecting a leader and being involved in government. If nothing else, that's a HUGE step in the right direction for America.

Bottom Line: He's got a bright, bright future. I think in a vacuum he'd be the perfect Vice President, but as we've discussed above, that would imply that there's someone who's more ready to be President. Can this country afford a learn-on-the-job guy? The best part is he's getting people involved, he's a breath of fresh air, and THAT'S a great start. As a registered Dem, he's probably going to be my guy on 3/4/08.

GOP:
Skeletor: Of course, I mean John McCain. John McCain is about 8 years too late. He wants us to stay in Iraq, which is a deal-breaker for me. The phrase "100 years" was used. To be honest, I would have given McCain a very fair shot back in 2000, but I lost all of my respect for him in the aftermath of that campaign. The Bush campaign put him through the wringer; they were just awful to him, and he basically rolled over and took it. And then, in 2004, he basically sold out. It seemed to me that the Bush camp basically went to him and said, "if you ever want a chance to be President in 2008, get in line NOW." And he did.

The biggest issue I have with McCain at this point is that he's basically now focused his campaign on Barack Obama, as it's looking more and more like that will be the match-up in November. Obama's message is: Hope, Change, Yes We Can! McCain has basically implied that that approach just won't work. No Hope, No Change, NO WE CAN'T!

Bottom Line: McCain is selling "more of the same" for this country, and there can't possibly be a scenario where that's what we need.

Squirrely McGee: Of course, I mean Mike Huckabee. Holy shit, am I even giving this guy the time of day? No. He used to eat fried squirrel, for God's sake! Really, he said they should amend the Constitution to make it jibe more with Biblical Law. Wowzers. How this guy won *any* states is beyond me.

Bottom Line: Pencil him in for Secretary of Varment Eating if McCain wins the general election in November. Hi-yooo!!


WttMH Sports Ticker

Browns Finish at 10-6, Still Manage to Miss Playoffs!
The Browns exceeded everyone's wildest expectations from the beginning of the year, winning 10 games after the opening weekend debacle. They sent six offensive players to the Pro Bowl, including Joe Thomas (man, I'm going to puff my chest about being right on that one!!).

The Browns have some issues going into the 2008 draft and season:
1) Their defense was HORRIBLE. They won 10 games in spite of it. They are in dire need of defensive linemen.
2) They have no first round pick, having traded it for Quinn last year. However...
3) They have a restricted free agent quarterback in Derek Anderson, who may be worth a first round pick. They are actively trying to sign him to a three year deal, and possibly then work a sign-and-trade for someone willing to part with a first round pick.

Free agency starts next Saturday. It will be interesting.

Indians Head to Spring Training Trying to Repeat and Get Over That Shitty Hump
The Tribe was 1 game from the World Series. They then lost 3 in a row and went home. C.C. Sabathia is going to be a Free Agent. Detroit has gotten better (trading for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis) and the Tribe has basically stood pat (signed a Japanese Reliever, and some spare parts).

These are some of the issues facing the Tribe as Spring Training begins.

The Blue Jackets Suck
No surprises here. Tied for 8th place in the West at the All-Star break, they have gone 2-6-3 since the break. Nice work, guys. See you next fall.

Cavs Infirmiry Unit Hanging Around
Half of the Cavs players have been hurt at some point this year. They're hovering around 4th in the East, and there are rumors of a trade in the works. My hunch is that nothing will happen. Like usual. The Cavs will make the playoffs and lose in the second round to either Boston or Detroit.


Let's See... What Else?

Not much. This would be why it's been two-plus months since I updated my blog. I'll try to do better!