by George Vreeland Hill .
Member since:
March 15, 2007

Political Firestorm, Or Calm Before The Real Storm.

June 19, 2007 08:50 PM EDT
views: 131 | comments: 28

The New Hampshire debates are history, and the leaders have pulled even further ahead, at least for now.

The issues are many, and the voters have questions.

The political scene is just heating up.

To some, it is already a firestorm.

As for me, I think it is a calm before the real storm.

It is just too early to guess who, or who might not be President of the United States.

There are too many things that can happen in this country and the world in the coming months, and all it takes is just one event, good or bad, to alter the entire picture. 

I remember when George H. W. Bush was up for reelection back in the early 1990's, and he seemed like a sure bet to win.

One year before the election, Bush seemed unbeatable.

Then it all came crashing down.

During his fall, a star was on the rise, and his name was Bill Clinton.

Now a year before the election, Clinton had no chance.

However, in that one year, Bush went from a war hero, to an almost hated man.

The economy was bad, people lost faith, and Bush got old in a hurry. 

During that same time, Clinton could do no wrong.

In a twelve month span, everything had turned around, and Bill Clinton was elected President. 

Keep in mind that all of this happened in one year.

Right now, we are more than sixteen months from the next election.

So many things can happen.

No one knew this more than FDR, or Carter, or Lyndon Johnson. 

Tomorrow, we could see Al Gore enter the race, and wouldn't that be something.

What then?

What about the war?

The economy?

What about anything?

Yes, anything can happen, and with sixteen months to go, it just might.

The front-runners are safe, for now. 

 

George Vreeland Hill 

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Comments: 28

Rosa See Ya Jun 19, 2007, 9:01pm EDT
What are you talking about? The political scene never cools down. We're always in a quandry. We move out of one election right into another without even batting an eye. We're politically dependent.
Joe Corso Jun 19, 2007, 9:12pm EDT
The country is so divided, I wonder if anyone could ever bring it together again. My hope is we get some real change, and some intelligence in the White House and Congress. I think the time is right for Hillary and Obama.
Lyn Owen Jun 19, 2007, 9:28pm EDT
Absolutely. Anything can happen. Let us hope for great things.
donna h. Jun 19, 2007, 9:46pm EDT
I agree that Clinton was good, but we did have an attack- the USS Cole and the 93 WTC Bombing...as for this election..I don't know who to vote for yet
Machiavelli Dayupay Jun 19, 2007, 9:51pm EDT
I think we cannot say much, yet we do much of every happenstance or inevitability... so let us live as we breathe and make it colorful as it should be with the way it should be with our CLEAN CONSCIENCE and with PRIDE, and ''WITHOUT THE PREJUDICE''.
John P. Jun 19, 2007, 11:22pm EDT
Clinton was slick, and surrounded himself with people much, much smarter than he. His arrogant wife is the front-runner now, but all she needs is one pie-in-the-face screwup, and Obama will go screaming past her.

I wish they'd stop messing around with this and go back to Congress where they belong. Pelosi has no guts at all without Clinton & Obama there to back her, and nothing's getting done. Or do they already have their pork in the bank.
Sheila Deeth Jun 20, 2007, 12:02am EDT
Feeling cynical tonight. All the political hype seems like conspicuous consumption when the money could be spent much better elsewhere. Like you say, anything could happen in a year. And all the moneys spent on politicking could prove foolishly wasted.
Donna M. Jun 20, 2007, 4:34am EDT
So far Hillary Clinton has a lot more votes than I think the other guys ever thought she would get in the first place...and mine will be one of them
Liberal Joe Jun 20, 2007, 6:59am EDT
You are right when you said it's a long way to go. I'm leaning towards Obama and I like Edards too, but in reality anything can change at any point.
Peggy B. Jun 20, 2007, 7:48am EDT
George, you make an insightful point, as far as I'm concerned. We're all caught up in the whirlwind of such an early race (look at those of us who were WMUR bloggers!) and I do believe that we sometimes lose sight of the fact that the general election is still pretty darn far out.

To Sheila's point--there is a nauseating excess when it comes to money spent on the campaigns, and this particular race is the poster-child for that excess.
Sandy (Site Psychic™) Knauer Jun 20, 2007, 11:25pm EDT
The country is so divided - Amazing, huh? When he ran as a "uniter, not a divider". The only thing he managed to unite was the rest of the world against us.
Good article George, I've already got my sign for the next President elect, but wait maybe I should do like most women did when Bill was elected, when leaving the exit polls they said a big majority of women voted for him because he was cute or good looking, so maybe I'll vote for ExPresident H. Clinton because I think she is a beautiful lady,,,,,you know like voting for High School President or Prom King and Queen. Less than 25% of the people vote in elections anyway, it's too bad we can't get candidates that would bring out the other majority to vote.
~Lady Neeetah of California~Obama #44 W. Jun 21, 2007, 6:15pm EDT
As long as Hillary is in front, Al won't get in -- I think he is too loyal. He should get in there and mix things up a bit, shake Hillary up some, and let people see what she is really all about. I can't pretend I am all that crazy about Hillary. I think she is an opportunist. Who's foolin' who? Does Bill need her? NO. But she needs him if she ever hopes to have a successful political career. She would divorce him in a Manhattan minute if she thought that would get her into the White House. As far as John Edwards, I like the guy. If Obama wasn't so qualified, Edwards would be the guy. But Hillary? She is worse than Bush because she is cunning. Bush is just stuck on stupid and that can be excuse (Bless the beasts and the stupid.) Secretly, I sorta like Bush BECAUSE he can't help himself, just don't tell anybody.
Vicki W. Jun 21, 2007, 7:29pm EDT
I'm afraid I'm with William. Bill Clinton's administration had a few issues, also. But, we're currently dealing with George W. and friends. I have absolutely no respect for the White House or Congress right about now.

I also agree with Nalita. I don't believe Al Gore will enter the race with Hilary at such a strong showing. Now, I don't think he's all that crazy about Hilary. I just think he knows his entry into the race doesn't guarantee him the nomination. I think a part of him realizes that he's already come as close as he's going to get to becoming President of the US.

Besides, he's attained a certain amount of respectability as "Purveyor of Knowledge about Global Warming." Why rock the boat? Al Gore was always a really smart guy. Now, he gets to share his knowledge and remain in the public arena with much less risk.
Moontown Jon Jun 21, 2007, 11:16pm EDT
Wow! did someone actually say there were no terrorist attacks! Yikes- short term memory.

I voted for Perot. What a crappy bunch of weasels we had to choose from.
James R. Jun 22, 2007, 11:02pm EDT
George, you are right, it is way too early to declare any victors. Nobody outside of a few political geeks is paying much attention now anyway. Unfortunately, the front loaded primary contest means that it will revolve a lot around money and name recognition, neither one of which does the country any good when we actually have real problems to solve.

I wrote my view on the real issues facing the country at the following link:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976958598

I'm still seeing little evidence the candidates are taking them on.
Jerri H. Jun 23, 2007, 12:07am EDT
Thanks for your view
Nicely written
Beverly P. Jun 23, 2007, 7:24pm EDT
I think in the world of politics you can never second guess what tomorrow will bring. It's always a turmoil and the dumbest thing can make a difference. Would you have EVER guessed a haircut could cause the ruckus it caused? So who knows... tomorrow may be an entirely different race!
Mary H. Jun 24, 2007, 1:46am EDT
It's a wonder we can keep up with all the politics of these days
Dawn K. Jun 24, 2007, 2:31am EDT
I think Joe C has it right; the country is so divided. Not just right vs. left, black vs. white, but so many special interests all claiming "I want MINE". It makes me sad. The tragedy of 9/11 brought the USA together for what, a week? a month? And in what way? In Anger? For vengenance? A false pride in our "strength"? As long as we remain this divided, there is no strength. Our military Bombs and the death and destruction they render only reveal our weakness, which is fear. Fear we'll lose all that we've greedily accumulated. Not fear about losing our fellow neighbor. Someone needs to figure out what will make us care about each other again, address it, and go about inspiring us all, instead of acting like the seagulls in "Finding Nemo", when they see a fish... "Mine, mine, mine, mine...."
Karolyn Q. Jun 24, 2007, 6:47am EDT
Good article.
Tina Coruth Jun 24, 2007, 1:04pm EDT
George, you are right. Elections are far off. I think we will see a lot of ups and downs for many candidates. The field may look very different by then. The large field of candidates keeps growing. There are a lot of possible "firsts" in this election - first woman, first African American, first Hispanic and now possibly first billionaire. There are bound to be many changes before all is said and done. If nothing else, I think this will be an election for the history books. Let's hope it is one that produces a president who will put us back on a good course. Good article, George. Thanks!
cooleo s. Jun 25, 2007, 2:34am EDT
Like you said it is 16 months away. Anything can happen. Who knows we might not have a government when the time comes.
Bruce Becking Jun 27, 2007, 8:22pm EDT
Does anyone know what President was in power when the beginning thoughts for a Global Economy was in its infancy? Someone sure did spend a lot of time in China. Great article George.

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