Spectacular crashes are a regular feature of the non-points, all-star Budweiser Shootout at Daytona race that kicks off the NASCAR season tonight in Florida.
Similarly, the national Democratic Party held a non-points contest in Florida last month devoid of crashes after the Party decreed that Florida violated their rules on scheduling. Team Obama decided to skip the delegate-devoid derby, but the Clinton Race Team showed up to run practice laps.
NASCAR race teams begin counting points in the Great America Race, aka Daytona 500 two weeks from tomorrow. Many race fans have complained for decades that the difference in points awarded to drivers that win races versus those awarded to the rest of the pack is not large enough, thus putting more of a premium on avoiding crashes rather than going all out to win.
The rules of the Democratic Party regarding the allocation of delegates, on the other hand, appear to ensure a major crash at its party convention when two candidates survive its early contests in relative parity.
Politics’ junior circuit, by contrast, with its numerous winner take all delegate rules in many states, almost ensures a crash free GOP convention.
The Democrats are finally being bitten by their politically correct, feminized, rules that were born at the beginning of the McGovernite era in the early 1970′s.
Other versions of this construct may be found in the T-ball and soccer games in which mommies and new castrati “men” refuse to keep score lest anyone’s feelings are hurt.
I well remember my frustration when I was a leader in the party from 1980-1998, with the rules that require precinct positions be filled with members of “gender” and racial groups. For example, if the Chair of the precinct is a white male, then the vice-chair must be woman. I recall many instances of involuntary servitude of women to meet this rule, sometimes against women that showed up for the caucus and sometimes by sending kidnappers outside to snatch a female over 18 off the streets.
Well now, the Democrats are in quite a pickle with their NASCAR-like rules, but, unlike the racing circuit, the world’s oldest political party has a little totalitarian detour on the way to the nomination.
NASCAR settles all its points on the tracks.
Democrats, on the other hand, borrow from Figure Skating and the old Politburo, with elitist judges holding ultimate coronation power.
Many Obama supporters have given notice that they will not abide winning the “standard” delegate race only to lose due to “super” delegate votes.
It appears that it is near impossible for either candidate to amass the needed majority of delegates via only standard delegates.
But then, there is Florida squared.
In 2000, the Democratic Party considered itself aggrieved when it lost the presidency despite the fact that Gore got the most national popular votes.
No matter that the rules have been in place since 1789 that make such calculations irrelevant. Also, no matter that they they tried to change the rules in Florida.
So, now the Dems find themselves rhetorically committed to exalting mob-rule pure democracy.
Add to all this the Clintons extreme ambition and the religious fervor of the Obama-ites, and one sees the makings of a convention that could make 1968′s look pedestrian.
One more thing. The match that lights the fire could well be Hillary’s attempt to change the rules to go back to Michigan and Florida, where she ran test laps. Obama relied on the rules at the time and did not campaign in those states.
Between tonight’s Shootout in Daytona and the Democrats shootout next fall, there will be hundreds if not thousands of car crashes on the tracks. But a crash of Hillary and Obama could look more like a mushroom cloud.
P.S. Go Little E and McCain
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
The HinzSight Report
The Minority Report
Huck is history in the Race 4 2008
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
February 9th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I was kind of hoping the GOP would switch to the DNC’s porportional delegate rules – it would preserve Conservatives as the dominant force in the party, and protect the Republicans from winding up with another McCain.
Besides, split conventions are interesting – as long as the other side is also having one.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
#2 Interesting, tell me why.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Actually, anybody from Rousch-Fenway Racing is better than Little E.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
* there
* their
* they’re
February 9th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Why no front page post concerning the huckster’s win in Kansas???
I thought Bob Dole was coming out in support of JMac.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
As probably the only Northern NASCAR fan on the site, go Little E (though one may argue whether central Pennsylvania actually qualifies as the South or not).
February 9th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Adam – I think I’m about 350 miles North of you. Last time I checked NH was north of PA.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Since Romney only suspended his campaign, is he still being removed from the ballot in these upcoming states?
February 9th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
AdamPSU, Pennsylvania is in no way Southern.
I live in Maryland and I’m not sure whether we quality as being in the South or not. People from the South think that we’re Northerners, but people from the North think we’re Southerners.
Maryland didn’t take a side in the Civil War, either.
We try to stake out our own ground with this “Delmarva” crap (Delaware/Maryland/Virginia), but, pfft.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Did you know that NASCAR is actually an acronym? And a pretty good one, too: National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing.
Pretty good, car? Car Auto Racing = CAR.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
TLG,
I’m pretty sure AdamPSU means that Central PA is culturally southern. Trust me – it is. Someone once said that Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with a whole bunch of Alabama in between. There’s definitely some truth to it.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Western Maryland is pretty culturally Southern.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Sorry to threadjack Gamecock, but I don’t have anywhere else to post this plea:
Kavon, I know everyone wants to “close ranks”, but I for one would like to see this site finish covering the primaries the way it has done it all along, without any official “spin” based on the front-pagers desired outcomes. Lets cover this as a primary battle until it no longer is one.
I know Huck has very little chance of attaining a majority of delegates, but there is a real chance (say 10%) that he could deny McCain an outright majority and take his fight to convention floor.
I’m not saying I would like to see such an outcome. I am saying it’s odd that the Kansas results have been known for hours and nothing’s been posted (but the Paul withdrawl hit the headlines immediately). Will there be a further blackout should Huck take a majority in LA and all the delegates? I hope not, because Race 4’08 has been a fun debate throughout. And I don’t want it to end until it’s actually over.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
FYI, people in Kansas are still voting for Mitt.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I mean, we’re not going to be mistaken for redneck hicks, but…yeah. Haha.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
fredo, McCain is the nominee. Please get over it.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
TLG,
If I took a random person from my hometown of Selinsgrove, PA, and someone from Alabama, you would be hard pressed to tell who was whom. That’s all I was getting at.
Adam,
That quote is widely attributed to James Carville. People in my department at Penn State affectionately refer to our area as Pennsyltucky.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Jamie McMurray all the way!!
February 9th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
fredo #13,
It is mathematically impossible for anyone other than McCain to get the needed amount of delegates to be the Republican nominee.
However, I am also a bit concerned as to how sloppy the reporting on this blog has gotten since Super Tuesday (i.e. failing to report Huckabee’s huge win in Kansas… improperly reporting Paul withdrawing, which is false info… etc.). Regardless of whether or not anyone but McCain will be the nominee, continuining to report the goings-on of the race accurately is important because we are watching history unfolding.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
TLG, there are Southern accents on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and in Southern Delaware.
When I would go to Lancaster County I’d be accused of being a hick from the Deep South.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Go Tony.
Go Huckabee.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Go Dale Jarrett!!
Louisiana Primary polls close at 9PM.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I would imagine that should the Dems go to a brokered convention, the party will peacefully close ranks around a Clinton-Obama ticket. The big difference from 1968 is that back then, the respective camps despised each other. That convention was also held in the midsts of a more violently anti-war movement, as opposed to today’s living-room protests. Today, the vast majority of Dems like both candidates, and will be satisfied with either one as their nominee. The two candidates’ camps will go behind closed doors and come out with a united ticket.
And guys, unless someone from Greenland shows up here, I’m pretty sure I’m the most northern Nascar fan. Go #20!
February 9th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Go, er, Andrew Lloyd Webber!
February 9th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
TLG, there are Southern accents on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and in Southern Delaware. When I would go to Lancaster County I’d be accused of being a hick from the Deep South.
Hah. I have a friends that have moved from Hagerstown (Washington County) and have been accused of having southern accents.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
“Go, er, Andrew Lloyd Webber!”
Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Phantom of the Opera = Amazing shows
February 9th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
I used to live in York PA. Trust me. . .we were all southern rednecks, whether or not we liked to admit that.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Obama wins WA Caucus.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
At the National Review blog they are saying Huckabee could continue through the March 4th primaries. The Republican establishment will of course be horrified if Huckabee wins Texas.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
“Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Phantom of the Opera = Amazing shows”
Yup. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Sarah Brightman sing the main theme from Phantom.
Elaine Page was always my favorite Evita, from the limited clips I’ve seen and heard of her performances.
February 9th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
DaveG — I completely agree on both counts. Elaine Page is fantastic in all that she’s in.
I’ve heard four different versions of the Phantom theme and none of them compares to Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford’s. It’s my #19 played on my iPod…64 plays. Her voice is sickeningly good.
February 9th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
#4 What is your fee? I’ve needed you since third grade!
I charge $200/hr for legal work, you will pay it and enjoy it!
February 9th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
#4 corrected?
February 9th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
#13 I agree, and If I knew how, I would post this video of Huck’s C-PAC speech, as it is THE BEST of the campaign.
http://www.hucksarmy.com/videos/HuckCPAC2008.html
February 9th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I am unfamiliar with these southern accents. I have heard some northern accents!
February 9th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
#88 LITTLE E RULES AT DAYTONA!!!