See John Smile

The Democrats are in a pickle. It now appears that neither of their presidential candidates can gain enough delegates in the remaining primaries to claim the nomination, so the so-called super delegates will have a big say-so in picking the winner this year.

The ordinary concern of these party leaders would be to choose the person who has the better chance of beating the Republicans in the Fall. Early on, it seemed Barack Obama was that candidate, but it is now clear that much of the bloom has gone from his candidacy. Fairly or not, serious questions have been raised about him and the direction in which he wants to take the country, and it appears that he is being marginalized as the candidate of blacks and the young. Limited in that way, he cannot win.

But no Democrat candidate can win WITHOUT the black vote, and there is reason to believe African-Americans may boycott the November election if their man is denied the nomination after doing so well in the early going. Or they could rip the party asunder at its August convention, reminiscent of 1968 when there was blood in the streets of Chicago and virtual blood on the convention floor.

Hillary Clinton steadfastly refuses to withdraw, and why should she? Lately she has been winning and has captured all but one of the big swing states. Meanwhile the contested votes of Florida and Michigan dangle just out of her reach. If she could somehow claim them, the game would probably be over. She would win…but what would happen to the party?

See John smile.

Lucky John

My wife observed the other day that John McCain may be the luckiest politician in the world, and I agree. Last summer he was out of cash and forced to lay off staffers, he seemed to have no prospects, and all that was left was a formal announcement that he was quitting the presidential race. But plucky John hung on, still thinking he had a shot at beating the GOP glamor boys, Rudy and Romney, and winning the nomination.

Then look what happened: Rudy’s bad judgment in passing up the early primaries did him in, and all of Romney’s cash couldn’t convince Republican conservatives that he was one of them. The stars dropped out of sight and who was left? Ageless John McCain, plugging along and winning the primnaries that really mattered, finally swatting his last rival, Huckabee, aside as if he were just a bothersome gnat.

Perhaps you can credit grit and experience, rather than luck, for John’s winning of the Republican race. But wait. How do you account for the fact that presumptive Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton is now locked in a desperate struggle with virtual unknown Barack Obama, both of whom are flubbing like mad to the benefit of McCain in a year when it seemed clear that the Republicans were destined to lose. The early polls had so indicated, but now look at them: McCain is running neck-and-neck with each Demo candidate, and if they continue to make donkeys out of themselves old John will doubtless take the lead.

So luck it is. There’s just no other way to explain it. Plucky John is now Lucky John and may become our next president. The question is, will the people of the USA be lucky to have him in the oval office or is all this some kind of mischievous prank that Fate is playing upon us.

Stay tuned…

Batter Up!

Well, the baseball season is underway, and it looks to me as if the Texas Rangers might finally be the team to beat in the American League West. They are way overdue for a big year and, judging by the way they just played “my” LA Angels, this could be it. The Rangers not only have their usual batting power, but their pitching seems especially strong, as well. In fact, the team shows excellent balance on offense and defense. So what do I have to say about all that? Go Angels!

Help!

Gasoline and diesel prices have escalated to a point where they are seriously impacting the general economy. Combined with the collapse of the real estate and mortgage loan markets, they have put us on a path to recession. What can or should the government do to protect the public?

The answer seems to be very little with respect to real estate. It must find its own level. But gas prices are something else. The fact that the big oil companies are making record profits while the public is straining to pay record prices at the gas pump shows that something is out of kilter. Market conditions are not controlling prices, speculators are, and common sense tells me that the big oil companies have a heavy hand in that.

Why do we allow rampant speculation in this segment of the energy market anyway? Why should gasoline be treated differently from natural gas? Both are essential commodities. Gasoline should be regulated like other public utilities.

I am a capitalist, but unfettered capitalism is not always in the public interest. A hundred years ago President Teddy Roosevelt stepped in to protect the public from the robber barons. We need a president like TR today!