Big Upset on Super Sunday; what awaits on Super Tuesday?

COLUMBUS: The New England Patriots could not quite hold on. Thirty seconds from a perfect season, they crumbled in the face of a final onslaught by the New York Giants. Some will blame the “Curse of Babe Ruth”, but really, it was a super defense. [Score: 17-14]

We shouldn’t be surprised. College football started the “year of upsets”, and in the NFL half the playoff games were upsets. The only surprise would have been if the Patriots had won.

On a night when a team with six losses knocked off the undefeated and prohibitive favorite, Dennis Kucinich was home in Cleveland, muttering to himself, “Why did I drop out so soon?”

Now that football season has ended, it’s time to start the political season. Up to now it’s been more like a pre-season with just a few early scrimmages. They were expensive scrimmages, and plenty of players have been lost to the sidelines, but Tuesday, finally, is Opening Day.

Among the dropouts since we chatted last (in addition to Congressman Kucinich), was Rudy Giuliani. He spent $50 million in Florida, and all he got for it was one delegate. Best example I’ve seen yet of this pronouncement: “Politics has got so expensive that it takes lots of money to even get beat with nowadays.” (DT #1538, June 28, 1931). Of course a New Yorker losing $50 million in Florida is nothing new, but it was usually lost on swampland.

If you live in one of those states voting Tuesday, you are being reminded over and over (and over) who to vote for. Nobody has enough delegates so far to matter, regardless of what they tell you.

Let me remind you of the results of the one early primary that counted for something, the National No-Till Farmer Primary. Barack Obama edged Hillary Clinton in the Democratic vote, and Mike Huckabee barely beat John McCain among Republicans. So if you want to follow the trend, vote for one of these folks. Otherwise vote your conscience, or however your wife tells you. “Besides who cares nowadays who is elected to anything, they are not in office three days till we realize our mistake and wish the other one had got in?” (Saturday Evening Post, May 20, 1926)

Historic quote from Will Rogers:

“This country has gotten where it is in spite of politics, not by the aid of it. That we have carried as much political bunk as we have and still survived shows we are a Super Nation.” DT #1948, Nov. 1, 1932