Seriously. Stop voting for this guy. He’s creepy. He’s got awful policies on everything that matters. He needs to just go away, and I’m getting the sinking feeling that that’s not going to happen. Somehow, he’s stolen all of the momentum his GOP opponents seem to be missing.

With that notable exception, however, this campaign is shaking out pretty much like I thought it would:

I’ll predict that not only won’t Ron Paul won’t get the nomination, but I don’t think he’ll run as an independent (though the primaries may make the case for him to try). McCain has surged lately, but he’ll fade back into obscurity. Giuliani, like Clinton, will begin to fade away more and more. Huckabee has muscled ahead, but he’s got too much working against him, and he’ll burn out early. Thompson has made a stronger showing of late, but he doesn’t have momentum. My guess is that Romney will get the nod, and while Huckabee would have otherwise looked like a strong candidate for Vice President, the animosity between he and Romney will prevent that from happening.

Some reevaluation is in order. McCain’s surge has been sustained, and now he’s shaping up to be a strong front-runner. It’s true that he didn’t beat Romney by much, so the race still could belong to either of them, but my gut is telling me this trend is going to continue. Clinton won Florida but I’m still not convinced that she and Bubba aren’t going to self-destruct. I expected a Giuliani fade, but not the utter humiliation with which he was ignored. (Maybe now Ron Paul should derisively laugh at Giuliani, like he’s the crazy idiot whose ideas aren’t viable. Only Paul wouldn’t do that. He’s too nice of a guy.) Ok, I admit it. I’m savoring Giuliani’s defeat. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Huckabee is done. His early rise to prominence has, as I said it would, burned out. If Romney gets the nod, he’s still toast as a VP contender, and I wonder if we’ll ever hear from him again. If McCain gets the nod, I have a hard time imagining him on a ticket with Huck (Giuliani fits better here) but the other man from Hope strikes me as such an opportunist that if given the chance, he’d cling to the coattails of whoever would bring him to the White House so he can have another shot at the Presidency in the future, rather than fading into political obscurity. And Thompson? Well, he’s folded like a house of cheap cards.

I still think the Dems will pick Obama. Hilary will put in a strong showing, but he will edge her out. Remember, no Florida delegates have been awarded yet. I don’t understand the Primaries any better than I understand quantum singularities, but I’ve read that Florida’s far from over, so I’m guessing it’s true.

Oh, and Ron Paul? Well, he’s as feisty as ever. In my e-mail from his campaign this morning, he makes a rousing appeal:

Now, as the focus shifts to Super Tuesday, Rudy’s campaign is crushed, Huckabee is losing momentum by the day, and McCain and Romney are fighting over who is the most liberal.

We’ve been here before. In 1776, despite a courageous effort at holding onto the city, George Washington ceded New York and quickly retreated to New Jersey.

1777 brought the British recapture of Fort Ticonderoga, as well as American defeats at Brandywine and Germantown.

And then, during the winter of 1777-1778, Washington and his army faced perhaps their most humiliating moment, forced to endure a harsh Pennsylvania winter with limited supplies at Valley Forge.

The American revolutionaries dealt with their defeats, focused on their goals, and emerged from Valley Forge as a force that would defeat the most powerful nation on earth.

Our momentum is building. Each one of us, from Dr. Paul himself down to the grassroots supporter who donates the last $5 he or she can give, is focused on the goal.

Early in the struggle for American independence, George Washington wrote: “Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.” Even then, Washington realized that a fierce struggle for self-government can only be won with a spirit of determination equal to the challenge.

Today, in the midst of our new revolution, let’s consider Washington’s words once again. The task before us is enormous. The foes of liberty are deeply entrenched, and they will not relinquish their power without a struggle.

But fighting in our favor is the unconquerable human spirit, the innate desire to be free. We must embrace this inner strength, dig in our heels, and persevere, just as Washington and his rag-tag colonials, the first American grassroots patriots, did before us. And if we must pass through a Valley Forge or two along the way to victory, let those times of testing temper the steel of our determination.

You’ve gotta love this guy. Too bad I can’t vote for him in the Virginia primary. I realized too late that I had missed the deadline for registration. I’m going to be kicking myself on Super Tuesday.

In the end - even though it’s too close to call for the Dems - my money’s on an Obama/McCain Presidential race, with Giuliani on McCain’s ticket. I wouldn’t have guessed this a few months ago, but really, who would have?

It’ll save me the trouble of voting, that’s for sure.

Filed under: Politics