Wednesday, February 10th, 2016
My Dear America:
Its the day after the New Hampshire Primary and after numerous debates by both the Republican and Democratic Candidates for President, After much hard work by many Campaign Workers and after much soul searching on the part of Political Pundits and Voters in the "Granite State" we finally have some idea of who the First Front Runners are in the first actual State Primary Election in the Race to find the Democratic and Republican Candidates for President who will run against each other for the Biggest American Political Prize in the fall of 2016.
And The Winners Are:
Republicans
The New Hampshire Republicans have chosen Donald Trump who ended up with over 35 percent of the votes cast in the NH Republican Race for President. Trump's victory was no surprise to anyone following the New Hampshire Race. What did prove surprising was the fact that Ohio Governor John Kasich came in Second. Kasich was a distant second at nearly 16 percent of the vote but he was strong enough to outdistance his seemingly better known Republican Rivals including Ted Cruz at 11.7 percent, Jeb Bush at 11 percent, Marco Rubio at 10.6 percent. Chris Christie, had gambled that his brash debate bullying of Marco Rubio, who had come in 3rd in Iowa, would help him catch fire in New Hampshire. Despite his high hopes for success in New Hampshire he spent a great deal of time there trying to build his campaign Christie came in at 7.4 percent.
Once again Marco Rubio, although clearly damaged by his Saturday Night Debate Massacre by Christie still outdistanced The New Jersey "Bridgegate" Bully by over 3 percentage points, enough to give Rubio, along with Cruz and Bush, 3 delegates apiece to the Republican Nominating Convention later this year. Christie went back to New Jersey after the New Hampshire Primary and ABC Television Reports today are predicting that Christie will be announcing soon that will be suspending his Presidential Campaign.
Carly Fiorina, who was not even included in last Saturday's debate did even more poorly than Christie. She got only 4.1 percent of the vote. Ben Carson, who apparently had not heard his name called at the last debate and stood around like a fool while other candidates flew by him like he was a wounded bird. Only Trump waited with Carson in the wings when the ABC Hosts finally pleaded for him to come out. The hosts also almost forgot to announce Kascich but JK made less of a fool of himself than Carson did.
So for Democrats, Liberals and Reasonable Voters everywhere in the United States Of America, as William Conrad used to announce at the beginning of a Quinn Martin produced Television show called "The Invaders" back in the day:
"The Nightmare Has already Begun."
Democrats
For Democrats The news out of New Hampshire is quite a bit simpler to understand, although for many establishment Democrats it may still not be very easy to accept.
The Democrats didn't have 17 candidates starting out on the Campaign trail. For a good while it seemed to Democratic Politicians as though there might only be one Candidate and that Candidate was Hillary Clinton. Hillary announced online after prepping the media as to when to look for it. Quite frankly, I was thrilled when Hillary announced. I thought that with as screwed up as the world had become and the fact was that she had become a Grandmother that she might just say to herself and her family "Who Needs this, Not Me." Of course it was a big deal when Hillary announced and it appeared to many Democrats, including me, that Hillary had it in the bag and that was, at the time, just fine with many Democrats, Including me.
There was for awhile some rumbling about other challengers for the Democratic Nomination for President. Martin O'Malley and Elizabeth Warren were two of the names bandied about. Eventually O'Malley, the former Baltimore Mayor and Maryland Governor did announce that he was running for the Democratic Presidential Nomination and participated in several Democratic Candidate Debates. Two other Candidates, Jim Webb of Virginia and Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island also participated in the first Democratic Debate but poll results after that debate showed that neither Webb nor Chaffee seemed to be showing any strength so, mercifully for everyone, especially themselves, they dropped out of the race.
Although Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley still remained in the race for the Democratic Nomination and on the debate stage for several more Democratic Debates, they had been joined on the debate stage by a little known Senator From Vermont named Bernie Sanders. Bernie had been one of the few politicians who had been elected first to the House of Representatives and later on to the Senate not tied to the label of either party. He was elected to Congress as an Independent. While Bernie caucused in the congress with Democrats and held important committee positions Bernie Sanders advertised himself as a Democratic Socialist in Congress and still advertises himself as a Democratic Socialist.
How, Democratic Voters asked, could an avowed Socialist Democrat be successful in 2016 running on the prospect of promoting a voters revolution in America.
Clearly, the powers that be in the Democratic and Republican Parties have underestimated this energetic Old Guy who has shown himself to be not only a strong candidate with a resounding message but a candidate who has turned the Democratic Party upside down in Iowa first where he tied with Hillary Clinton but especially in New Hampshire, where Bernie Sanders leaves the Granite State with not only a win under his belt but a decisive win of 60.4 percent compared to Hillary Clinton's showing of 38 percent. O'Malley, although he had already bowed out of the campaign and the debates got a few votes in New Hampshire but not enough to make a difference.
Clearly anyone looking at the results of the New Hampshire Primary needs to realize that it has not always been won by candidates who marched on to victory at their party conventions or victory in the fall elections.
But Political observers need to look at the New Hampshire results and realize that in the case of both the Republican and Democratic Vctories in New Hampshire the Outsiders, The Rebels, The Candidates not endorsed by many Party Leaders Won resounding victories. Clearly Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are two completely different outsider candidates.
In my opinion Trump is a reckless fool who has shown himself to be a dangerous candidate who plays on American fears. Mexicans, Muslims are bad people to Donald Trump. Why are people voting for him? I don't know.
Bernie Sanders, on the other hand I can understand and support. He is promoting ideas that liberals and reasonable people can believe in. As he has often pointed out he started out as a candidate who registed at less than 3 percent in the polls and now he has tied Hillary in Iowa and has beaten Hillary by a wide margin in New Hampshire.
Clearly a Revolution in the United States of America has begun and clearly it is going to be a long, sometimes dangerous and often interesting journey along the Presidential Campaign Trail this year.
Batten down the hatches people. The Broncos are just beginning to buck and its going to be a long ride to the finish line this year.
Sincerely Yours
Jerry Gallagher
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