2012 Odds!!!

The midterms are over (for the most part). I mean, I still don't know who won the Alaska senate seat but I long for the days when no one cared about Alaska politics. What? I dreamt that? Oh. Well, at least nobody's talking about Delaware anymore. What? I dreamt that, too? Damn you, Ambien!

Anyway, onward to 2012! All abroad the "Who's Gonna Run" speculation train! According to 1800-sports.com, the artist formally known as Alaska's Governor matters the most:

Republican Nominee			Moneyline
Sarah Palin			+300
Mitt Romney			+400
Bobby Jindal			+500
Mike Huckabee			+500
Tim Pawlenty			+1000
Mark Sanford			+1200
Charlie Crist			+1200
David Petraeus			+1500
Newt Gingrich			+1500
Jeb Bush			+2000
John McCain			+2000
Rudolph Giuliani			+1500
Ron Paul			+2000

The odds for the democratic nomination:

Democratic Candidate			Moneyline
Barack Obama			-750
Joe Biden			+800
Hillary Clinton			+600

Joe Biden??? Oh dear.

In the general election, President Obama remains the favorite, for now:

Winning Candidate			Moneyline
Barack Obama			-130
Sarah Palin			+1000
Joe Biden			+1500
Michael Bloomberg			+2000
Mitt Romney			+1200
Bobby Jindal			+2000
Hillary Clinton			+1000
Mike Huckabee			+1500
Tim Pawlenty			+2000
Charlie Crist			+2500
David Petraeus			+4000
John McCain			+5000
Mark Sanford			+4000
Newt Gingrich			+4000
Condoleeza Rice			+2000
Al Gore			+2000
Rudolph Giuliani			+3000
Jeb Bush			+2000
Ron Paul			+5000
Evan Bayh			+2000
Bill Frist			+2500

Hmmm. . .not so fast, Vegas

From Newsmax:

"In the poll, [of 1,000 registered voters] respondents were asked: 'If there were an election for president of the United States today, and the only two names on the ballot were Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, whom would you vote for?"

Secretary Clinton crushed President Obama 60% to 40%. And speaking of crushing, looky what I found:

Click the pic to purchase. Also available, Corkscrew Bill. Oh, yes.

Ladies and gentlemen Political junkies, place your bets.

The Best Way to Waste Time Online

Possibly the best way to waste some time online is over at xtranormal. I heard about this site from the bestest show on television, Red Eye w/Greg Gutfeld on the Fox News Channel. Here's the latest installment of Greg and the gang's xtranormal wit.

I was inspired to make my own skit, after a Twitter friend posted this gem.

I was going for offensive with a side of stupidity...enjoy!

Thoughts on Sarah Palin

Palin on Oprah

The long speculated (and hyped) interview between the Queen of Daytime and Caribou Barbie finally aired today. I am not a fan of Oprah nor am I a supporter of Palin, but I tuned in, mostly out of curiosity.

The questions and tone were predictable. It is a well known fact that Oprah is an enormous (pardon the pun) Obama supporter. In fact, I wonder what would have happened if Oprah had been on Team Hillary, different outcome? Hmmmm...anyway...back to the big sit-down. It was lame, as most Oprah interviews are. Palin didn't screw anything up, she loves her family and her country. Oprah was less than warm, but, like Martha Stewart, I believe Oprah is more affectionate to her dogs than she is any other human being.

Me on Palin

Sarah Palin is very likable. She comes across as genuine and cheerful. She is good looking. Her closets are free of skeletons. She is unapologetic for her point of view, without being judgmental of others. A recipe for the perfect Republican nominee for POTUS? Not so much.

Female (and black) conservatives are treated like factory irregulars that should be discounted or tossed away. They are subject to more scrutiny and attacks. I'm not sure if Palin can handle this without coming across as whiny or small town. She has to accept that men and women are critiqued differently. Fair or not, it is a fact. She has to master the art of entering every situation as if it is hostile, without looking bitchy or annoyed. She has to artfully kill with kindness, all who cross her, without appearing clueless or naive. And, Todd is going to have to embrace the idea of being called, Mr. Mom...albeit, the badass, outdoorsy, hunting and fishing, snow machine racing kind.

A friend (and DC insider) and I chatted the other day about Palin. He likes her, but would like for her to improve. I asked him why she uses Facebook as her primary source of communication. His take: most likely, she likes Facebook and since she was able to make the jump from Mayor to Governor, doing things her way, she is reluctant to change.

Palin needs a bit of coaching, not to change 'who she is' but to change *how she does things*. Using Facebook as an outlet to reach supporters, is fine, but she has to use other avenues as well. There is a huge conservative movement on Twitter, Palin's tweets are less than few and far between. Twitter and Facebook can be used in conjunction with one another, she should know this and utilize. Also, Palin has an official PAC, its website was last updated, this summer to announce that she was not seeking a second term as Governor of Alaska. You can't raise money on Facebook. You can, however, raise money, send out emails and update supporters through a PAC, in fact that is exactly why they exist.

I wish Sarah Palin all the best, as a private citizen. There has been chatter of a talk show. I would lurve to see Hillary Clinton as her first guest. Maybe that could top Naomi Campbell's appearance on The Tyra Show...a girl can dream, can't she?

Political Battle of the Sexes

I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter what political party we affiliate ourselves with – we love to hate women. Until they make a serious boo-boo, male politicos are judged on merit. Of course, some partisans will snicker about intelligence and make Satan comparisons…but for the most part, poly-dudes are fairly evaluated. Women, on the other hand are subject to a bit more scrutiny…accent, attire, make-up, hair, wrinkles, weight and likability…just to name *a few*. Katherine Harris, Sarah Palin, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Meghan McCain and Michelle Obama have all been targets.

Once a woman enters the political ring (either by choice or by association) she becomes joke fodder. Laura Bush’s Stepford wife likeness has been replaced by Michelle Obama’s Hulkish and (gasp!) bare arms. Who can forget Katherine Harris’ Tammy Faye Baker comparison? How about Nancy Pelosi’s waxy Botoxic face? We are mean…all of us…men and women alike. Racist jokes are bad but sexist jokes are funny? I beg of you people to be more correctly politically incorrect...the next time you want to make fun of a politico – make fun of two and make sure one has a penis…an affirmative action indeed!