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New Hampshire

I don't think it comes as a surprise to anyone that I'm a bit of a political junkie. And this year's election cycle has got me grinning like an idiot. The thing I love about politics in the US is it's unpredictable regularity. Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, no? Hang with me....

For example, who would have thought that Hilary Clinton would find her campaign reeling from a couple of body blows? Sure, she "won" in Iowa, but for the money she'd spent and the time she'd used... You'd have thought that her margin would have been much greater than a fraction of a percent. So, yeah. Regular? Sure. Predictable? Not a chance.

Next up, the whole Trump phenomenon. I hesitate using that word, because I don't want any positive association with his campaign. The man is a cartoon character (although recently he's toned down that aspect, becoming less aggressive and acceptable... relatively speaking, of course...) and he's not what America needs to be "great again." (Um, America is great, Mr. Trump.) He didn't win in Iowa, which kind of makes sense, since Cruz appeals to that ever-important "evangelical" demographic... By the way, I'll never understand what makes an "evangelical", well, "evangelical." I mean, I get that it means generally fairly right-wing and religious, but I know many folks who would consider themselves right-wing and religious, without accepting the "evangelical" moniker... But I digress. Trump's win in New England, though, was quite surprising to me. My impression of folks from New England is one of fierce independence and intelligence (I know, it's a stereotype, but it persists nonetheless)... So when they choose to vote for someone that I just don't understand, well... I just don't understand.

Finally, there's the rest of the field. Mr. Rubio's apparent rising star ended up vanishing like so much shooting star... He may be charismatic, but as was adroitly pointed out by Mr. Christie (who is also most likely on his way out) he lacks experience and refinement. His responses to Mr. Christie's attacks were embarrassing, as he admitted himself, and painful to watch, frankly. To me, the lack of experience professionally is shown through the way he handled the adversity - if he can't handle a situation that went as poorly as that did in the debate, how will he handle himself when there's pressure on as president? Fortunately, he IS young, as I expect we'll hear/see more from him.

I love how Mr. Christie watches Mr. Rubio speak... Watch at about 15-19 seconds into this clip... You'll see him like a lion stalking an injured gazelle on the Serengeti...



And it's all very important. And amusing. :)

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