They are both older then McCain. Here’s the other segment. Seems they pushed the laugh track pretty hard.

http://caucusresults.sos.state.mn.us/…

	Hillary Clinton	0	0.00%
	Jerome Corsi	1	1.22%
	John Edwards	0	0.00%
	Rudy Giuliani	0	0.00%
	Mike Huckabee	3	3.66%
	Alan Keyes	3	3.66%
	John McCain	0	0.00%
	Roy Moore	0	0.00%
	Barack Obama	0	0.00%
	Ron Paul	65	79.27%
	Mitt Romney	2	2.44%
	Undecided	7	8.54%
	Other	1	1.22%

My idea of the Libertarian, Constitution, Independent and perhaps Reform and Green all nominating Paul perhaps isn’t too far fetched.

http://www.usatoday.com/…

Rudy Giuliani has dropped out and backed McCain. His Florida first plan was terrible. He spent money hand over fist and yet was way behind by the time he got there. My guess is that he’s been offered a position in a McCain cabinet.

John Edwards has dropped and not currently endorsing anyone. I suspect he either made a deal with Clinton or Obama or is completely out of money. Otherwise it seems odd that he would drop before Super Tuesday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/…

I couldn’t stand to watch the whole thing… nor did I take notes this time but I’ve a few things to point out.

• The very first thing mentioned was the whole race/gender arguments going about. That they all wish to stop talking about it. That race nor gender matter and shouldn’t be part of their campaigns. The second thing mentioned is how the three on stage are qualified to be their. Hillary immediately brings up her gender and talks about what she has accomplished as one.
• They continue to make race and gender an issue throughout the first half of the debate and none of the candidates cared to stop the questions. Even after a member of the audience started yelling about how all the questions where referring to race/gender.
• Just like all the Republicans minus Ron Paul… the Democrats don’t understand economics. Their drivel about the economy was pathetic. It’s like a child’s ignorant view of the world. They speak of surface level issues.
• Hillary accuses all the Republicans of being prowar. Wanting to continue the Bush administration’s plans. Anyone who pays any attention knows that’s not the case. If Mr. Kucinich had been on the stage I’d hope he would have pointed that out along with how none of them on stage have a consistent stance on the war.
• None of the candidates attending obviously care much that others still in the race are ignored. NHGOP had the conviction to pull their sponsership when Hunter and Paul were left out of the forum in New Hampshire. Stereotypically the Democrats are supposed to be for equality even recently wanting to reenact the Fairness Doctrine. Yet Gravel and Kucinich are left out without even a mention.
• They spoke of universal healthcare. Unfortunately they lie and really mean compulsory health insurance. While they usually mean the same thing politically, conceptually they are very different. Universal heathcare as people generally think of is not possible and compulsory health insurance gives better rates and service to those who are worse off and hurts those who are healthy. It’s also a blatant infringement on a persons right to spend their money as they see fit. Throw it on top of workers comp, SSI, etc.
• Opposing Yucka Mountain is retarded. As is opposing nuclear power plants. They are the cleanest and most efficient forms of energy production we have available. I don’t care if opening a new nuke plant a week wouldn’t make a huge difference on CO2 emissions. It’d provide us with more and cheaper power so we can more easily remove coal plants. The nations fear of nuclear waste disposal is fairly unfounded by all accounts I’ve come across including my father’s who worked in the field for >15 years.
• They seemed to all support manditory civil service or at least encouraged it. I thought the 13th amendment stopped that kind of thing.
• I can’t recall much else. They all scare me.

One last thing. Bill Clinton the other day said something like: I don’t think race or gender has cost Hillary or Obama any votes… put it probably got them some. Is it really good to admit that your supporters are bigots and supporting you just because of your gender/race? I thought the Democrats were against that kind of thing. If a Republican had said that they were getting votes because they are male and white in contrast to the woman and the darky their would have been outrage.

http://www.lvrj.com/…

A judge today is to order that Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich be allowed to participate in tonight’s debate.

 

Alternate District Judge J. Charles Thompson on Monday afternoon said that he will grant a preliminary injunction requested by the long shot candidate. Thompson is expected to sign the order today for Kucinich, attorneys for both sides said.

NBC Universal Inc., which is hosting the debate on its cable channel MSNBC, wants to include only the three top candidates — Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards — and is expected to continue fighting against Kucinich’s inclusion.

Kucinich filed a complaint Monday morning in District Court alleging that NBC broke its contract with him. Kucinich said the network last week invited him to take part in the debate but later rescinded the offer without adequate explanation. He also contended the network wasn’t abiding by federal requirements that it provide equal airtime for candidates.

I like Dennis Kucinich. Not his policies of course as he’s more or less a socialist. However he’s honest about it unlike some in his party. I’m going to have to disagree with his actions however. While I would like to see him on the stage with them tonight their property rights trump or should trump any other argument. I wouldn’t consider an email as described a contract nor if were would I believe that his rights infringed by them rescinding the offer.

http://www.cnn.com/…

Democratic Caucuses:

1. Obama : 38%
2. Edwards : 30%
3. Clinton : 29%
4. Richardson : 2%
5. Biden : 1%
6. Uncommitted : 0%
7. Dodd : 0%
8. Gravel : 0%
9. Kucinich : 0%

Republican Caucuses:

1. Huckabee : 34%
2. Romney : 25%
3. Thompson : 13%
4. McCain : 13%
5. Paul : 10%
6. Giuliani : 4%
7. Hunter : 1%

I’m surprised by Clinton’s 3rd but it’s still very close. I’m disappointed by Paul’s 10%. The final numbers aren’t in yet but at 92% accounted for I doubt the numbers will change much. It does show however that his support is real. He’s nearly part of a 3 way 3rd place tie.

UPDATE:

I forgot to mention that on the Democratic side Biden and Dodd dropped out. And now at 8:00am the next morning the R’s are still only at 95% in and the percentages have not changed.