Republican candidate Fred Thompson dropped out today after finishing third in South Carolina last Saturday where he was hoping to invigorate his campaign. Thompson finished third in Iowa, fifth in Michigan and Nevada, sixth in New Hampshire and a distant second to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Wyoming. After much hype, Thompson's campaign couldn't gain traction when he entered the race. He has been described as lackluster with no energy despite, albeit late, a good showing in recent debates. Five candidates remain in the Republican race: John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Rudy Giuliani.
My Take
Odds are his votes will spread between Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney who have been running campaigns on traditional conservative views, perhaps leaning towards Huckabee given Romney's shift on the issues. This can potentially hurt Rudy Giuliani further in Florida.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/22/thompson.out/index.html
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Quote de Jour
"And on the eve of the bus boycotts in Montgomery, at a time when many were still doubtful about the possibilities of change, a time when those in the black community mistrusted themselves, and at times mistrusted each other, King inspired with words not of anger, but of an urgency that still speaks to us today:"Unity is the great need of the hour" is what King said. Unity is how we shall overcome.
What Dr. King understood is that if just one person chose to walk instead of ride the bus, those walls of oppression would not be moved. But maybe if a few more walked, the foundation might start to shake."
-Senator Barack Obama in his speech at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
What Dr. King understood is that if just one person chose to walk instead of ride the bus, those walls of oppression would not be moved. But maybe if a few more walked, the foundation might start to shake."
-Senator Barack Obama in his speech at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Update
Hello bloggers!
First of all, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I sincerely hope you have at least watched King's "I have a Dream" speech (found easily on Youtube) or given some thought to the ever continuing struggle for equal rights of both a political and spiritual nature for all people in the United States and more importantly around the world.
Second, please enjoy the two posts Chris put up yesterday. The Know Your Candidate he constructed was flawless and extremely informative, so please be sure to comment on it with your thoughts.
Third, three more Know Your Candidate posts will be up and running within the next week or so; John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton posts will be available for your viewing pleasure.
Finally, please note that February 5th is "Super Tuesday"; what this means is that 24 states in the Union will be holding their primary elections on this date. For the Democrats, 24 states is equal to 52% of the delegates needed to win their Presidential nomination, and for the Republicans, 42% of the delegates needed will be up for grabs on this day. I highly suggest tuning into either CNN or MSNBC for coverage of Super Tuesday, but you can always count on our blog to have full coverage either way.
Thanks for reading.
First of all, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I sincerely hope you have at least watched King's "I have a Dream" speech (found easily on Youtube) or given some thought to the ever continuing struggle for equal rights of both a political and spiritual nature for all people in the United States and more importantly around the world.
Second, please enjoy the two posts Chris put up yesterday. The Know Your Candidate he constructed was flawless and extremely informative, so please be sure to comment on it with your thoughts.
Third, three more Know Your Candidate posts will be up and running within the next week or so; John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton posts will be available for your viewing pleasure.
Finally, please note that February 5th is "Super Tuesday"; what this means is that 24 states in the Union will be holding their primary elections on this date. For the Democrats, 24 states is equal to 52% of the delegates needed to win their Presidential nomination, and for the Republicans, 42% of the delegates needed will be up for grabs on this day. I highly suggest tuning into either CNN or MSNBC for coverage of Super Tuesday, but you can always count on our blog to have full coverage either way.
Thanks for reading.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Know Your Candidate - Mitt Romney
Candidate #2: Willard "Mitt" Romney
Background: Mitt Romney was born on March 12, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan. His father George was a successful businessman and chairman of American Motors Corporation. He went on to be governor of Michigan from 1963-1969, and ran for President in 1968. His mother was a Michigan candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1970. Romney is a member of the Church of Latter-day Saints, or, Mormonism. He was a Mormon missionary in France for two and a half years after leaving Stanford University after two quarters. He married Ann Romney after returning from his missionary work in 1969 and both attended Brigham Young University; Mitt later attended Harvard Business and Law School, completing his formal education. He was vice president of the Boston firm Bain & Company, Inc. for several years before co-founding Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm. His investments yielded 113% annually, and he invested in or bought out many companies such as Staples, Brookstone, Domino's, Sealy Corporation and Sports Authority. He later returned to Bain & Company where as CEO he completely turned around the company. In 1999, he took over the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee and turned that around as well, saving the Olympics from bankruptcy by turning a near $400 million dollar deficit into a $100 million surplus. After the Olympics he ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and held the position from 2003 to 2007, when he decided to run for President.
Education: He attended Stanford University before his missionary work in France. Afterwards, at Brigham Young University, he earned his B.A. and was valedictorian, graduating summa cum laude. He graduated cum laude with a joint Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration program coordinated between Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School.
Political History: His first foray into politics was in 1994 where he ran against incumbent Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts for a U.S. Senate seat. It was Kennedy’s greatest challenge as senator further hampered by an anti-Democratic party trend in 1994, but Romney was soundly defeated in the election by a margin of 58%-41%. Fresh from his work at the 2002 Winter Olympics, Romney was “drafted” by the Massachusetts Republican party to replace unpopular and scandal-ridden Jane Swift. Helped by the efficiency he instilled in the Olympic turnaround, Romney won the election by a 50%-45% margin. He chose not to run for reelection in 2006 and entered the 2008 Presidential race in early 2007.
The Issues
Foreign Policy
Iraq
Romney believes in staying in Iraq as long as success is a possibility but thinks that President Bush gave inane reasons to invade. He believes that if Iraq is left unstable it would cause chaos within the country and neighboring countries: the Kurds would destabilize Turkey, Iran would swallow the Shia region, and the Sunni region would become an al-Qaeda base. He supported the 2007 troop surge and believes that those troops should be kept in the region as support based from Kuwait. He has said that if a withdrawal is planned it should be kept secret between the U.S. and Iraqi governments. He does not believe policy should change in step with polls.
Iran
Romney believes that in response to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s comments on Israel the Secretary-General should present an indictment under the Genocide Convention for threats against Israel, and that failure to act should lead the United States to reconsider its level of support and funding for the United Nations. He has stated that he wants stronger sanctions on Iran.
General Middle-East
Romney has said that he wants to make alliances with nations to help with modernization and decrease the risk that they might fall into a “jihadist state.” He has not ruled out the possibility of attacking al-Qaeda in Pakistan, and believes that sensitive plans such as these must be kept secret. He believes in forming “Special Partnership Forces” to fight terrorism. These would be made up of SEALs and Delta Force agents, and they would give assistance or humanitarian aid. SPFs would be in countries with the permission of the host government to lead operations against terrorists.
Other
He wants to double the size of the Guantanomo Bay prison and wishes to keep interrogation techniques secret for security purposes but wishes to use only “enhanced interrogation,” not torture. Romney has expressed desires to free Cuba and eliminate the threat of Hugo Chavez and the like in order to foster a Latin America inclined to align itself with the U.S. through economic ties. He believes in strengthening alliances with strained nations like France and Germany so that a united front can be maintained against global jihad.
Immigration
Mitt Romney wishes to increase legal immigration while stifling illegal immigration. He believes that illegal aliens should go home eventually, but has supported Z visa plans to allow them to stay as well. He has stated that he is against amnesty but advocates a pathway to citizenship through application and paying back taxes. He believes in issuing a tamper proof national ID card for non-citizens. He has been often accused of allowing “sanctuary cities” to go unpunished while he has criticized rival Rudy Giuliani about turning New York City into one. He has also accused other candidates of amnesty or supporting benefits like tuition for illegal aliens. In his last month of office Romney signed an executive order that allowed police to arrest people based on federal immigration violations.
Economy
Budget
Romney has said he wants to fundamentally change Washington by cutting spending and eliminating "pork". He often has cited his ability to balance the Massachusetts deficit of $1.2 billion and raise a surplus of $700 million. He wants to institute a line-item veto to help cut pork as well as giving the President the discretion to cut funding passed by Congress by 20%. He supports the idea of an amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced budget.
Taxes/Minimum Wage
He wants lower taxes for everyone, lower corporate taxes, no taxes on middle class savings, making the Bush tax cuts permanent, and a law requiring a 60% vote to raise taxes. He wants an end to taxes on interests, dividends & capital gains. During his governorship, he did raise fees but only to cover their cost. He has signed an anti-tax pledge for no new taxes or increases in existing taxes. He supports moderate increases in the minimum wage instead of large hikes every once in a while.
Energy/Technology
Romney has advocated plans to pursue nuclear power and liquefied coal as energy sources. He believes alternative energy and drilling in ANWR in Alaska is the key to end dependence on foreign oil. He also believes in a general investment in research in cleaner energy sources. He also wants part of energy to be energy security to help U.S. energy interests.
Free Trade
He believes in free trade but thinks that deals must be renegotiated—especially with China. Romney thinks measures should be taken to improve the U.S.’s position or Asian economies will overtake the U.S.
Social Issues
Healthcare
Romney plans to encourage states to decrease insurance regulation to lower costs as well as giving states full freedom on how to spend Medicaid dollars. He would also make all expenses tax deductible and increase competition to lower cost and raise quality.
Environment
As governor he chose to promote public health over dirty power plants that could harm people. He believes in producing cleaner alternative energy to help the environment and get the U.S. off of foreign oil.
Education
He believes in making students competitive globally by focusing on math and science. At one point he desired to abolish the Education Department but now says he would expand and enhance the No Child Left Behind Act. He believes in a voucher system and support for home-schoolers. He believes in merit pay for teachers. He supports replacing struggling schools with charter schools.
Crime
He believes in the death penalty and three strikes laws. He also has advocated a one strike plan in which criminals would be tracked with a GPS after one felony. He wishes to reform sentencing and appeal lenient sentences.
Other Issues
Gun Control
He supports the NRA and the second amendment but supports the assault weapons ban to protect police from heavy weaponry.
Drugs
He does not support any legalization of marijuana and wishes to take the fight to the Central American “narco-terrorists.”
Abortion
He supported abortion rights as governor, but now is in opposition to the Roe v. Wade ruling.
Homosexuality
He has allowed gay partner benefits but has recently taken a stance opposing gay marriage and civil union and would welcome a ban.
Family
He believes that family is a pillar of America along with economy and military, and he has said that each child deserves a father and mother. He believes in teaching family values in schools but not necessarily religion.
Strengths: He is viewed as the ideal fiscal candidate to deal with the budget and the economy due to his business background. He has turned around a state, the Olympics, and several businesses. He cites bipartisanship by his work as a Republican governor of a liberal state like Massachusetts. He is strong on defense as well as building alliances for defense.
Weaknesses: He has changed his positions on several issues over the years although he says this is due to experience, but this weakness undermined John Kerry in 2004. Some dislike him because of his Mormon beliefs.
Political Claim to Fame
He spearheaded the sometimes called "miraculous" turnaround of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and then turned around the fiscal crisis as governor of Massachusetts. He is also from a family of Washington and state politicians. People began to speculate his presidential run in 2004.
2008 Election
He started running in early 2007 and was one of the original two front runners—him and Rudy Giuliani. His strategy has focused heavily on early states and he quickly opened up leads in Iowa and New Hampshire. His leads began to slip as the year wore on. He finished second in both the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. He won the Wyoming caucus, the Michigan primary, and Nevada caucus before finishing fourth in South Carolina. He is currently in first with 72 delegates as of January 20, 2008.
Nevada Caucuses; South Carolina Republican Primary
Both the Nevada Caucus and South Carolina GOP Primary were held yesterday (the Democratic primary will be held next week). In Nevada, Hillary Clinton edged out Barack Obama, and Mitt Romney blew out the GOP field with over 50% of the voted. The Internet sensation, Ron Paul, had a surprise second place finish. In South Carolina, John McCain won a tight race with Mike Huckabee despite counties in McCain leaning parts of South Carolina running out of ballots early on.
The scores are percentage of vote--number of delegates awarded.
Nevada (D)
Clinton: 51%--12
Obama: 45%--13
Edwards: 4%--0
Uncommitted: 0%
Kucinich: 0%
Nevada (R)
Romney: 51%--18
Paul: 14%--4
McCain: 13%--4
Huckabee: 8%--2
Thompson: 8%--2
Giuliani: 4%--1
Hunter: 2%--0
South Carolina (R)
McCain: 33%--19
Huckabee: 30%--5
Thompson: 16%--0
Romney: 15%--0
Paul: 4%--0
Giuliani: 2%--0
Hunter: 0%--0
By a caucus rule, Barack Obama actually won more delegates than Hillary Clinton in the Nevada caucus despite the fact that she got over 50% of the vote. Following these two poor performances, Duncan Hunter officially dropped out of the Republican race.
Here is how the candidates stand in terms of overall delegates:
Democrats (2,025 needed to win)
Clinton: 210
Obama: 123
Edwards: 52
Kucinich: 1
Republicans (1,191 needed to win)
Romney: 72
McCain: 38
Huckabee: 29
Thompson: 8
Paul: 6
Giuliani: 2
Hunter: 1
My Take
Dems
The next contest is next Saturday, the 26th, in South Carolina. South Carolina is beginning to look more and more like a do or die state for Obama as Clinton took her third state in a row and maintains leads in national polls while Obama holds a relatively slim 44-38 point lead in South Carolina in pre-Nevada polls. John Edwards, a native son who won there in 2004, is on his last gasps as Obama and Clinton routinely take 40+% each in polls and primaries after Iowa. If he maintains some level of support through at least Super Tuesday, he can gain leverage by throwing his delegates in one direction or another if neither Clinton nor Obama gain the needed majority, but his presidential hopes are all but over.
South Carolina will be critical.
GOP
The next GOP contest is on January 29 in Florida. Some degree of clarity is emerging from the Republican race as Mitt Romney maintains a large delegate count in comparison to his rivals. He has finished at least third in five states, and first in two. John McCain remains popular nationally and has moved into second in the delegate count. If he can rally Independent support he can start to make a charge in Florida, Maine, and Super Tuesday. Mike Huckabee's star is beginning to fade as he has come up short in all events after Iowa. He will need to do well in Florida and other southern states to maintain momentum. Ron Paul has finished nowhere near where he was hyped by his fans and it is becoming more and more clear that he will not be able to win. Fred Thompson has been floundering since his hype died down, and a third place finish in South Carolina can either be his last twitch or perhaps the start of some traction. He will need to appeal to conservatives in a southern state like Florida to stage a comeback and perform well there, in Maine, and on Super Tuesday. He proved in the last debate that he can be strong and dynamic, but it might almost be too late to change the tide. Rudy Giuliani is in a delicate situation. Mitt Romney has eaten up delegate and McCain is soaring in national polls and in Florida. He finished with 2% in South Carolina and will need victory or a very close second in Florida to feasibly continue the campaign in my view. He said he was going to bank on Florida--now, it might be his last hope.
The candidates have a little over a week to work in Florida. After that, the picture should be clearer yet of how the GOP will play out.
Florida/South Carolina Info.
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/states/florida.html
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/states/south.carolina.html
Other Sites:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#D
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#val=R
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/19/hunter-exits-presidential-race/
The scores are percentage of vote--number of delegates awarded.
Nevada (D)
Clinton: 51%--12
Obama: 45%--13
Edwards: 4%--0
Uncommitted: 0%
Kucinich: 0%
Nevada (R)
Romney: 51%--18
Paul: 14%--4
McCain: 13%--4
Huckabee: 8%--2
Thompson: 8%--2
Giuliani: 4%--1
Hunter: 2%--0
South Carolina (R)
McCain: 33%--19
Huckabee: 30%--5
Thompson: 16%--0
Romney: 15%--0
Paul: 4%--0
Giuliani: 2%--0
Hunter: 0%--0
By a caucus rule, Barack Obama actually won more delegates than Hillary Clinton in the Nevada caucus despite the fact that she got over 50% of the vote. Following these two poor performances, Duncan Hunter officially dropped out of the Republican race.
Here is how the candidates stand in terms of overall delegates:
Democrats (2,025 needed to win)
Clinton: 210
Obama: 123
Edwards: 52
Kucinich: 1
Republicans (1,191 needed to win)
Romney: 72
McCain: 38
Huckabee: 29
Thompson: 8
Paul: 6
Giuliani: 2
Hunter: 1
My Take
Dems
The next contest is next Saturday, the 26th, in South Carolina. South Carolina is beginning to look more and more like a do or die state for Obama as Clinton took her third state in a row and maintains leads in national polls while Obama holds a relatively slim 44-38 point lead in South Carolina in pre-Nevada polls. John Edwards, a native son who won there in 2004, is on his last gasps as Obama and Clinton routinely take 40+% each in polls and primaries after Iowa. If he maintains some level of support through at least Super Tuesday, he can gain leverage by throwing his delegates in one direction or another if neither Clinton nor Obama gain the needed majority, but his presidential hopes are all but over.
South Carolina will be critical.
GOP
The next GOP contest is on January 29 in Florida. Some degree of clarity is emerging from the Republican race as Mitt Romney maintains a large delegate count in comparison to his rivals. He has finished at least third in five states, and first in two. John McCain remains popular nationally and has moved into second in the delegate count. If he can rally Independent support he can start to make a charge in Florida, Maine, and Super Tuesday. Mike Huckabee's star is beginning to fade as he has come up short in all events after Iowa. He will need to do well in Florida and other southern states to maintain momentum. Ron Paul has finished nowhere near where he was hyped by his fans and it is becoming more and more clear that he will not be able to win. Fred Thompson has been floundering since his hype died down, and a third place finish in South Carolina can either be his last twitch or perhaps the start of some traction. He will need to appeal to conservatives in a southern state like Florida to stage a comeback and perform well there, in Maine, and on Super Tuesday. He proved in the last debate that he can be strong and dynamic, but it might almost be too late to change the tide. Rudy Giuliani is in a delicate situation. Mitt Romney has eaten up delegate and McCain is soaring in national polls and in Florida. He finished with 2% in South Carolina and will need victory or a very close second in Florida to feasibly continue the campaign in my view. He said he was going to bank on Florida--now, it might be his last hope.
The candidates have a little over a week to work in Florida. After that, the picture should be clearer yet of how the GOP will play out.
Florida/South Carolina Info.
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/states/florida.html
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/states/south.carolina.html
Other Sites:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#D
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#val=R
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/19/hunter-exits-presidential-race/
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Quote de Jour
“Think about that. She’s {Hillary Clinton} running against ‘nobody’ and ‘nobody’ gets 40 percent of the vote, the other 5 percent of the vote went to three other people: 27,924 votes went to the guy who believes in UFOs, the guy who dropped out and the guy who last held public office somewhere around 1855.”
-Former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove, referring to Hillary Clinton's win in Michigan's primary yesterday
-Former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove, referring to Hillary Clinton's win in Michigan's primary yesterday
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Michigan Results In; Romney Victorious
Today, January 15th, the state of Michigan held its primaries for both the Democratic and Republican party. In the Republican Party, Mitt Romney won the GOP primary, with roughly 39% of the vote (as of this posting, only 74% of the Republican votes have been counted). These results are certainly indicative of the state of Michigan's economy and job market; Mitt Romney is seen primarily as the candidate of the "fiscal conservative." What this means is that money-minded Republicans support him and the state of Michigan's economy likely lent Romney many votes from Michigan Republicans. Another argument proposed is that Romney was able to garner votes because of his "favorite son" status; or a native Michigander which lead many to vote for him in light of his history in Michigan. Romney will use the Michigan primary to propel his campaign and continue through Super Tuesday, although it was unlikely he would have dropped out of the race had he lost Michigan. Romney was also aided by the poor weather throughout Michigan today; low voter turnout helped to increase Romney's comfortable lead.
John McCain's campaign is slowed by the results of this primary, as his momentum from New Hampshire becomes dulled by his second place finish. McCain won the state of Michigan in 2000, but as Henry McMaster, Attorney General of South Carolina aptly stated: "If Michigan had a history of picking our nominee for president, John would already be president." McCain will be continuing in the race through Super Tuesday (or "Super Duper Tuesday", as it is sometimes referred to), although his campaign funds are diminishing rapidly.
Rudy Giuliani was also a surprise, as he only garnered 3% of the vote. While Giuliani did not bother to campaign in Michigan, the fact that he gained such a small percent of the vote in an industrial, Northern state was surprising to many analysts.
On the Democratic side, the Democratic primary was a wash considering Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel were the only candidates to keep their name on the ballot because of the Michigan Democratic Party's decision to break party rules and move the primary up to a date considered too close to the New Hampshire primary by the Democratic National Party. Because the Michigan Democratic Party chose to do this, the Democratic National Party has chosen to withhold Michigan delegates from the Democratic Convention this August. Hillary received 56% of the vote, while "Uncommitted" received 39% of the vote. An "Uncommitted" vote is supposed to represent the voters who would have voted for Barack Obama or John Edwards, but I am having a hard time believing that Hillary Clinton would have won Michigan with 56% against her Democratic rivals.
The more positive for Democrats, however, were the results of the Republican primary. A win for Mitt Romney splits the Iowa Caucus and the first two primaries three ways for the Republicans and ensures there is no clear cut frontrunner going in to Super Tuesday. With Rudy Giuliani campaigning and polling strongly on Super Tuesday states, a four way race might (although it is more likely a two way race) emerge going into the Republican National Convention in August, something that has not happened since the 1964 Republican National Convention. Another effect is that the Republicans will now be forced to spend more money fighting each other than fighting Democrats, which helps the Democrats and makes the Republicans look worse based on the lengths they take to attack each other.
The Michigan primary has done what the state party has wanted it to do; make Michigan more important in the primary race. The GOP is the most shaken up by this primary and the fact that the Democratic party came out in such numbers to vote for an inconsequential primary sent a very important message from the Democrats in Michigan to the Republican party: they are searching for change, and they do not believe the Republican nominees provide the change that they are looking for.
Sources Used:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#MI
John McCain's campaign is slowed by the results of this primary, as his momentum from New Hampshire becomes dulled by his second place finish. McCain won the state of Michigan in 2000, but as Henry McMaster, Attorney General of South Carolina aptly stated: "If Michigan had a history of picking our nominee for president, John would already be president." McCain will be continuing in the race through Super Tuesday (or "Super Duper Tuesday", as it is sometimes referred to), although his campaign funds are diminishing rapidly.
Rudy Giuliani was also a surprise, as he only garnered 3% of the vote. While Giuliani did not bother to campaign in Michigan, the fact that he gained such a small percent of the vote in an industrial, Northern state was surprising to many analysts.
On the Democratic side, the Democratic primary was a wash considering Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel were the only candidates to keep their name on the ballot because of the Michigan Democratic Party's decision to break party rules and move the primary up to a date considered too close to the New Hampshire primary by the Democratic National Party. Because the Michigan Democratic Party chose to do this, the Democratic National Party has chosen to withhold Michigan delegates from the Democratic Convention this August. Hillary received 56% of the vote, while "Uncommitted" received 39% of the vote. An "Uncommitted" vote is supposed to represent the voters who would have voted for Barack Obama or John Edwards, but I am having a hard time believing that Hillary Clinton would have won Michigan with 56% against her Democratic rivals.
The more positive for Democrats, however, were the results of the Republican primary. A win for Mitt Romney splits the Iowa Caucus and the first two primaries three ways for the Republicans and ensures there is no clear cut frontrunner going in to Super Tuesday. With Rudy Giuliani campaigning and polling strongly on Super Tuesday states, a four way race might (although it is more likely a two way race) emerge going into the Republican National Convention in August, something that has not happened since the 1964 Republican National Convention. Another effect is that the Republicans will now be forced to spend more money fighting each other than fighting Democrats, which helps the Democrats and makes the Republicans look worse based on the lengths they take to attack each other.
The Michigan primary has done what the state party has wanted it to do; make Michigan more important in the primary race. The GOP is the most shaken up by this primary and the fact that the Democratic party came out in such numbers to vote for an inconsequential primary sent a very important message from the Democrats in Michigan to the Republican party: they are searching for change, and they do not believe the Republican nominees provide the change that they are looking for.
Sources Used:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#MI
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