2008 Presidential Campaign
Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee are surging in the polls and changing the dynamics of the 2008 Presidential Race. On the Democratic side, all the experts were discussing Hillary Clinton's inevitability until she stumbled in a debate in Philadelphia in late October. Her disciplined campaign suddenly started to make mistakes, and she has since suffered in the polls. Many polls have Obama ahead or close in Iowa, and now he's also surging in New Hamshire and South Carolina. Meanwhile, John Edwards is within striking disctance in Iowa. He needs to win or place a close second to have any chance at staying in the race.
On the Republican side, the rise of Mike Huckabee has been remarkable, unless you consider how unhappy most Republicans are with the field. Huckabee
has no money, but his sunny demeanor and courtship of the evangelical vote have driven his rise in the polls. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney is dropping like a rock. His campiagn is in jeopardy as he spent millions in Iowa counting on an early win. He also courted evangelical voters, but they seem to be going with the real thing in Huckabee. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani's poll numbers are also slipping. His national lead is narrowing as Huckabee rises, and his poll numbers in the four early states are terrible. The "Driving Miss Judy" scandal is not helping him.
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2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES - DEMOCRATS:
Barack Obama
Barack is catching fire. He was criticized by all the pundits for not getting tough enough with Hillary, but his campaign pointed out there was plenty of time. After Labor Day he sharpened his campaign, and now he's surging in the early states.
Hillary Clinton
She's had a tough month. Her disciplined and programmed style seemed to work for a while as all the experts discussed her inevitable win, but then she stumbled in a debate, and her attack-oriented campaign started with a silly counter-attack that made her look like a fool. Can she recover?
John Edwards
Edwards has completely transformed himself since the 2004 campaign. He used to be the cautious candidate, but now he's letting it all hang out. What made the difference? It might be his realization that he completely screwed up supporting Bush's war, and his admition that he made a mistake probably freed him to be more candid. Elizabeth's cancer situation also seems to have liberated him. He can't be counted out.
Bill Richardson
The resume candidate is hanging in there but he hasn't made a big impact.
Chris Dodd
Good man, but no one seems to be listening.
Joe Biden
He's been incredibly disciplined given his tendency to talk too much, but he hasn't caught fire. Yet he's been invaluable in the debates as an experienced voice of reason on foreign policy.
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis has no chance, but he contributes to the debates.
2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES - DEMOCRATS:
Mike Huckabee
His rise in the GOP field has been spectacular. He's the optimistic, feel-good
candidate, and he's the favorite of evangelicals.
Rudy Giuliani
Fear and 9/11. It's a shame that this practical moderate has resorted to such a lame strategy.
Mitt Romney
He's dropping like a rock. All that money bought him a lead in Iowa as he tried to woo religious voters, yet he seems to have lost them all to Huckabee.
John McCain
His lame campaign still has some life and he's trying to revive his "straight-talk" reputation.
Fred Thompson - coming soon
Not living up to all the hype.
Ron Paul
What a breath of fresh air! Paul proves that there are some small-government conservatives left in this country.