Is Chuck Hagel right in his new book? Do we need an independent president or a third party? Hagel, a Republican who’s been critical of the war in Iraq, is clearly frustrated at being pummeled by his own party for his contrarian viewpoint. I’m sure he’d be happy if he could join a new party [...]

[Republished from 2008Central.net]
Virtually all the coverage is focused on John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. So, what else is going on in Presidential Election land? Some notes…

Politically irrelevant (and justifiably so) candidate, Daniel Imperato draws the ire of a librarian. Apparently, Imperato has been placing press releases framed as news stories [...]

for the current incarnation of the Republican Party, it is all over. The only remaining suspense is to see what Alien-like creature of hell will erupt through the GOP chest cavity as it convulses in its final death throes.

George Phillies sent me an email today giving me heads up that Ron Paul has stated, once and for all, he’s not making a 3rd party run.
And with these words a revolution dies…
Let me tell you my thoughts. With Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero. But that does not affect [...]

Super Tuesday was a big fat bust for Ron Paul, and yet he soldiers on for the GOP nomination.
Why?
From Wired:
Paul did better in the Northern Midwest caucus states, placing second in Montana, third in North Dakota and fourth, but with 15 percent of the vote in Minnesota. He also placed third with 17 percent [...]

Looks like my previous post applies less to Ron Paul and more to Michael Bloomberg.
From GazetteXtra:
NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Bloomberg may soon begin a massive operation to get on the ballot in up to 15 states even though the billionaire mayor may not decide until May whether to run for president, according to associates.
Despite [...]

Hey Ron Paul supporters, here’s a Just a helpful list. At least if you want to convince him to become an independent presidential candidate…
Mar. 17: Utah
Mar. 21: Idaho
May 8: Texas
Jun. 1: North Carolina
Jun. 4: Arizona, New Mexico
Jun. 13: New Hampshire
Jun. 17: Colorado
Jun. 23: Illinois
Jun. 25: Rhode Island
Jun. 27, 2008: North Carolina
Jun. 30: Indiana
Jul. 1: Maryland
Jul. [...]

Louisiana was a mess and still was a non-story. He didn’t even come close to taking Maine. It’s highly unlikely he’ll be getting any traction on Super Tuesday.
So, what now?
No doubt you all can raise money at an impressive clip, but it’s not translating into votes. So what are you going to do with [...]

What about both of them?
Rasmussen has the numbers…
Twenty-six percent (26%) of American voters believe New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is at least somewhat likely to make a third-party or independent bid for the White House in 2008. That includes 5% who say he is Very Likely to do so.
Twenty-nine percent (29%) say that Texas [...]

The Mormons came out en masse for Mitt today and he won Nevada handily. That’s two wins in a row for the former Governor, but there’s no doubt he’s going to lose in South Carolina today.
Also, some good news for the Paulites today. They may just get some delegates after all! Presently, they’re leading McCain [...]

First off, I know a lot of you Paulites have told me you’ve read what was printed in the newsletters and you don’t think it was all that bad. Well, fair enough. That’s your opinion and I respect your right to make it. Of course I completely disagree, but that’s neither here or there at [...]

Over at Poligazette Jason Steck ruminates about the demise of Dr. No, and while I do agree that Paul is going to find it impossible to dig out from under the weight of nearly a decades’ worth of newsletters and 1-800 number, I think he started something that will live beyond him. The only question [...]

It seems obvious now, that from the beginning Unity08 was indeed a Mike Bloomberg stalking horse, funded and staffed by Bloomberg loyalists. They couldn’t pull off the Bloomberg run within the Unity08 structure, so they suddenly close up shop to make room for the imminent Bloomberg Independent candidacy, redirecting management and money resources to the impending campaign.

Well, that’s the rumor at least…
From NY Daily News:
A source familiar with the Bloomberg for president movement says the bipartisan Unity08 effort is poised to shut down its Web site, reconstitute as a Draft Bloomberg site and launch its own 50-state signature-gathering operation on behalf of the supposedly reluctant would-be independent presidential candidate.
This move has [...]

There’s no doubt that Ron Paul supporters have to be discouraged today. After all, New Hampshire was supposed to be his state. Sure, you’ll hear Paulites talking about how Nevada is actually going to be his state, and if that doesn’t pan out it’ll be California, but just because you have money to spend in [...]

One word: Obama.
From NY Times:
He arrived here for what seemed like it could be a big moment. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, eyeing a third-party presidential bid, joined Republican and Democratic elders at a forum to denounce the extreme partisanship of Washington and plot how to influence the campaign.
But even as the mayor gathered on Monday [...]

Because if all he’s saying is the following, that’s the reason Obama is pulling ahead in the first place.
From AP:
Amid talk about Washington riven by partisanship, Bloomberg gathered with Democrats and Republicans — some current elected officials, others out of office for years — to discuss bridging the divide between the parties. The summit came [...]

Yeah, yeah, I know he keeps saying he won’t run, but take a look at this and tell me he isn’t hinting that if you keep sending him money, he’ll make an independent bid.
From the man himself:
For weeks rumors have swirled that Paul, who trails his opponents in national and state polls, will eventually run [...]

From NPR:
Some big names in politics — Republicans, Democrats and Independents — are getting together to talk about the possible need for a third-party candidate in the presidential election this year.
Former Sen. Sam Nunn and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are among the people attending the conference. Another is former Sen. David Boren, who [...]

He beat McCain, 29% to 21%.
But with voters who identified themselves as Republicans, he pulled in 7%. Only Giuliani did worse, with 4%. I’m not counting Hunter, since I think 3 people voted for him tonight.
By the way, 81% of the voters were Republicans and 13% were Independents.
What does this tell you Paulites? Well, your [...]