Goodbye 2007. We have made our endorsements.

Align your mind, body and soul to the way of the cat guru. Follow his political knowledge and links. Make 2008 the year of the cat.

Romney got the only endorsement her deserves: no endorsement.

Clinton leads those ever important delegates.

For Obama: Shall I say the I's have it?

With the tragedy in Pakistan, terrorism is the new talking point in the days before Iowa-i-stan: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/12/28/terror_debate_could_alter_dynamics_of_primaries/
This news probably helps Obama. He hasn't been an integral component of the nation's dreadful foreign policy. The others supported some of Bush's policies in some way. McCain will bring out the tough talk on the GOP side.

Speaking of McCain, he sat down with Stephanopolus early this morning from New Hampshire. He fires back at Romney, but he doesn't think Mitt's a phony. John, ol' buddie, I'll say it for you: he's a phony.

Also, Hillary told Stephanopolus that Bill wouldn't have a formal, official role. Right, and I don't think Angus is the cutest cat in the world.

In case you didn't already know, Huckabee is beating the living shit out of Romney in Iowa polls. Wait, the MSNBC poll says he's dropped nine points in the last month. Huh?
Anyway, Huckabee attempted to set the record straight on Meet the Press in a what could be a preview of the future nominees. On Pakistan, he just looked like a dimwit. On immigration, he contradicted himself. And he said "we're all sinners." I guess Jesus can take you a long way in these times. Lord help us.

Huck has Iowa wrapped up, but what about New Hampshire? Does his country-fried gospel work in the "Live Free or Die State?" Not really, according to these numbers. So, how will they finish in New Hampshire? I'm not thinking Romney.

GOP New Hampshire Predictions:
1.) McCain. The former maverick will regain some of that old momentum and capture the votes of those New England independents.
2.) Romney. His numbers will be strong, and the second place finish will keep him around for another six weeks.
3.) Giuliani. This campaign isn't dead, but it's marching towards a slow death. Even a strong Iowa or New Hampshire finish, however, won't kill this campaign. He's still doing quite well in later states.

Democrats in New Hampshire:
1.) Obama. This will almost seal the nomination.
2.) Hillary. It's hard to gauge how damaging two silver medals can be in this close race.
3.) Edwards. Another third place could spell disaster for this populist campaign, but David Brooks says that Edwards has the "juice" right now.

Here's a recap of Wevoteprocat's Iowa pics:
Dems:
1.) Obama
2.) Hillary
3.) Edwards

GOP:
1.) Huckabee
2.) Romney
3.) McCain

We'll know on Thursday night. And Wevoteprocat will have all of the analysis you need. Wolf Blitzer isn't even a pimple on our behind.

From ABC News The Note:

Edwards on Friday rounds out his final campaign appeal, with a speech in Dubuque, Iowa, that will compare unnamed people who want to compromise their way to change with those "who wanted to negotiate with King George."

Toss aside the "Two Americas" -- this revolution is built on "Four Truths" -- and stark language, per the Edwards campaign:

"1. Everything that makes America America is threatened today.

"2. This election is not just another four-year fight between political parties or competing ideas -- it is an epic struggle for the future of America.

"3. Corporate greed and the very powerful use their money to control Washington, and this corrupting influence is destroying the middle class.

"4. Real change is going to take a real fight. It always does."

Iowa is sipping on Edwards punch, but it might not be enough for a victory.

Now, how does Wevoteprocat feel about the candidates? What is the cat consensus in this election? Well, I can't speak for all cats, but here's our endorsements:

Demo-cats: John Edwards is the best candidate. We base this decision on his policy ideas and willingness to speak for less privileged Americans. It's a populist narrative that has been missing from politics for far too long. He could regain some of the working class voters that Democrats lost to the divisive, wedge-issues rhetoric of the GOP's more recent presidential campaigns. He isn't polarizing. Yeah, he may be a bit polished and slick. We certainly don't buy all of his message and sincerity, but he has presented better ideas than Sens. Obama and Clinton. Both of these senators would make fine nominees, but they haven't laid out clear claims and policies like John Edwards.

GOP: John McCain, circa 2000. The real John McCain isn't running in 2008. He's a shell of his former self. He spoke at Liberty University. On the other hand, he hasn't wavered on the issues and he's regaining some of that old spark. The spark is still there, but the objectivity has faded. Let's hope we see the old John McCain emerge in the next few weeks. It would be healthy for our democracy.

What do Rudy, Rush Limbaugh and Jack Osborne have in common? They should never pose nude and: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/us/politics/28oxycontin.html

What about South Carolina, the bronze medal of primaries? http://blogs.abcnews.com/matthewdowd/2007/12/somebodys-gotta.html

In one of the best articles of the campaign, Tucker Carlson follows Ron Paul and some hookers.

The New York Times looks at Obama and race. Notice the prophetic photo with Jesse Jackson in the distance.

And finally, in case you haven't been paying attention over the last ten months, the Des Moines Register has all of the info you need for a healthy time at the caucus.

This will be our last post of 2007. Have a safe and happy New Years Eve, and we'll see you right after Iowa.

Christmas in Iowa

Huckabee playing bass on new record-a concept album concerning creationism, weight loss, Chuck Norris, and dead dogs.

The cat is out of the bag: Huckabee can be a dick if provoked. It doesn't sound like much of a story to me, but the political blogging community has taken interest. The New Republic digs deep but doesn't find much: Huckabee and the Arkansas press. If that's the best they can do on Huckabee, we may be in for a long ride. Oh, his son hung a dog at Boy Scout camp.

Newsflash: Xenophobic prick bows out of GOP presidential race. Tancredo, we hardly knew ye beyond your anti-immigrant views. Who's next to bow out in Iowa? The Globe has the answers.

Wevoteprocat weighs in on the impending dropouts:

Category 1: Will survive Iowa:
- Obama, Clinton, Edwards, Biden.
- Huckabee, Romney, McCain, Rudy, Ron Paul.

Category 2: How will they place in Iowa?
- Dems: Obama, Clinton, Edwards. It will be close.
- GOP: Huckabee, Romney, McCain. Huckabee is a lock to win Iowa. He's got seven points on Mitt. McCain will be the surprise, and he'll finish second or third on New Hampshire. Never count out John McCain.

I'll have New Hampshire predictions around Christmas time.

Onto cat news:
If any Iowans see a handsome orange cat braving the cold to campaign for Dodd, you can bet that will be Wevoteprocat correspondent, Angus. "I'm aware that Chris is a long shot, but I still see a Connecticut man with a vision," says Angus.

Meanwhile, Annie's eyes are honing in on a Hillary endorsement.


In celebrity cat news, Wevoteprocat would like to express our sincerest birthday wishes to rock and roll's original cat, Peter Criss. Have a great day, Pete.

Jesus + Sweaters + Republicans = Christmas

Deck the halls with bells of Huckabee. My favorite part is the "I don't blame you."



I'm a little late on this one, but the NY Times Magazine included a weekend profile of Huckabee.

Over at Slate, Hitchens has other ideas about Huck.

In crossing party lines news, Liebermann endorsed McCain. From the looks of this picture, Joe didn't enjoy the handjob as much as John.


Salon's Walter Shapiro makes some good points; it's sadly not about the issues anymore.

E.J. Dionne proves why he's one of the best.

With all of those links out of the way, let's look at a Wevoteprocat exclusive: The Thermometer.
Here's how it goes: I take the temperature of the candidates and convey the levels of hotness and coldness to you, my readers. I mean, reader.

Dems:

Obama - Hot. But I wouldn't say he's on fire. The sleeper candidates get more attention than the frontrunners when we're this close to Iowa.

Edwards - Heating up. The Newsweek cover helped, but he's still the bronze medalist in Iowa's eyes. Go for the gold, John.

Hillary - Lukewarm. The Des Moines Register endorsement is important, and her criticisms of Obama (lack of experience, funny middle name, eats children for breakfast) are probably better than his or any other Dems' criticisms of her. However, we won't know if she's the comeback kid until the middle of next month after a few primaries are finished.

Everybody else - Cold. "I'll miss you Chris Dodd," cried Angus.

GOP:

Huckabee - Still hot. The rivals have turned up the criticism, but it only seems to have emboldened his campaign. He rules the print and webpages right now.

McCain - Getting warm. He'll place second in New Hampshire, and that will garner some media attention.

Romney - Heating up. This campaign's temperature has fluctuated more than any other on the GOP side. If you just started paying attention over the last three weeks, you'd think it's a two person race even though the guy doesn't even register in the double digits nationally. He'll finish strong, and I think he'll be around until late Feb or early March. You heard it here first at Wevoteprocat.

Rudy - Cold. He's still strong nationally, but finishing out of the top three in Iowa and New Hapmpshire will spell a slow death for the campaign.

Thompson - Arctic temperatures. When was the last time you read an article about this guy? Oh yeah, September.

Everyone else - Tancredo will still be a xenophobe when it's all over, and Duncan Hunter will still be named Duncan.

Romney says Suckabee

Hi everybody! Hi, Dr. Nick. Wevoteprocat had to take last week off, and we're glad to be back. Iowa is just around the corner, and Wevoteprocat will announce its inaugural Iowa endorsements before year's end. Stay tuned!

In other and, let's face it, far less important endorsement news, The Des Moines Register has announced its endorsements: Hillary and McCain. The Hillary endorsement isn't much of surprise, but the McCain superscription puts him back in this thing. Good luck, John. Please transport your 2000 self to the podium.

On the Democratic side, the Iowa marquee says it's about change versus experience. Quite frankly, I'm a little sick of these vague, nondescript buzz words. Anyone will present a change over Bush. The Democratic candidates are Democrats, which makes them members of a different party. The GOP candidates speak in complete sentences.

Edwards performed decently on This Week with George Stephanopolus. Even if he didn't land the Register nod, he'll get some good exposure on the cover of this week's Newsweek. They call him "The Sleeper." In that case, we're peacefully dozing here at Wevoteprocat and Edwards is in our dreams.

On Meet the Press, Tim Russert took up Romney on that "Ask Mitt Anything" offer. It was Russert at his best. Tim is seldom biased, but he sure knows absurdity when he sees it. If Romney wins the nomination, no one is paying attention.

PBS profiled the Ron Paul Internet phenomenon. Paul supporters like the government out of their lives, and good taste out of their wardrobes.

First and only headline featuring Biden. Mitt warns of the "religion of secularism."

The television at Wevoteprocat headquarters has difficulty with NBC. Therefore, it makes my Meet the Press experience sometimes less than enjoyable. The poor reception rendered Giuliani almost unbearable. Or was it the reception?

Sen. Joe Biden elaborated on the CIA tape destruction and reminded voters that he's still running for president. On foreign policy, he's the best candidate. Dem, Republican, Indy, or Cat, you can't argue with that. Newt Gingrich also made an appearance and reminded us why he shouldn't be president.

Face the Nation featured Chuck Hagel talking about the same tapes.

On Thursday, Mitt had has JFK moment. Well, that is if JFK's moment wasn't mesmerizing and failed to captivate voters. Although he did blab this doozy: "freedom requires religion." Really? Well, I'm fucked. Anyway, I have no problem with Mtt's religion. I have a problem with the fact that he's a robot. His other zinger: "Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world." Well, I think they should have grown exhausted over a moderate Republican governor of a notoriously liberal state who abruptly shifted his beliefs to capture votes in a GOP presidential caucus. Certainly, they would tire of a guy like that.

Oprah also packed a stadium in South Carolina. However, Mark Halperin isn't convinced of its importance. As much as I miss Halperin at The Note, he seems too wonkish to convincingly assess America's voting patterns:

"American voters are not looking for a celebrity or talk show sidekick to lead them. Obama is an intelligent and thoughtful potential President, but Winfrey's imprimatur is unlikely to convey those traits to many undecided voters."

Uh, Americans do want a sidekick or celebrity to lead them. 40% of Oprah's viewers don't brush their teeth unless Oprah says it's cool. Suddenly, a washed up TV actor like Chuck Norris is a major endorsement. Fred Thompson is in this race because he was in Days of Thunder and Law and Order. Mark, I love them as much as you, but the voters are really that shallow.

Late Night Blog Hit

I'm about ready to retire for the evening, but the big O endorsement went down as planned: Housewives flock to Oprah, drag husbands along.

I'll have coverage of Romney's religion speech and Rudy on the Meet the Press tomorrow afternoon.

Wevoteprocat out.

Mitt will have to mow his own yard.

Romney is in hot, hypocritical water. Maybe Rudy was onto something in last week's debate. In a save face move, Mitt ousted his landscapers. The article also reveals a son named Taggart.

Despite his perpetual third place in the standings, Edwards is upbeat. Wouldn't you be too if you had hair like that? What's that? Some think his newfound optimism doesn't fit his often negative campaign attacks. Listen America, Edwards does what he wants when he wants. That piece is from The Politico, which I predict will become extinct after this election. They've been smearing Edwards and his hair for months. Take it elsewhere, Politico. On that note, are you hiring?

While Obama and Huckabee are sweeping the nation, it's still Hillary's race even if she's a bit stuck as of late.

Speaking of the former Arkansas governor, when you're hot, let's just say they huck with you. He's maintained his sense of humor even if Fred isn't laughing.

McCain could use a relief pitcher. Let's say he got a starter instead. Could this endorsement serve as the boost that McCain needs? In a fierce counterattack, I think Romney will bring out Buckner.

Iran, Iran So Far Away...

The NPR Democratic Debate, broadcast live from Iowa, was center stage today. Iran was the hot topic. Apparently, the Administration's assessment threat wasn't so accurate. Sound familiar?

Mike Gravel kinda took Richardson's place in this debate. Richardson was busy:


They let Gravel speak first, so they could get him out of the way early. Malcolm is polling higher than Gravel.

Winner: Hillary sounded strong, and she doesn't let the criticism stick to her. I'm not really sure if she won, but her comments on Iran were well aritculated. Dodd sounded good, too. Biden can really kick some ass in debates. Unfortunately, he comes off like the cranky old guy who's pissed that he's not ahead in the polls because, let's face it, he's the most qualified.

Loser: I'm in denial but it's probably Edwards. He just rehashed his usual sound bites. Actually, everyone outside of Iowa loses. Here's why...

As much as I love Iowa (it's like Illinois without Chicago, and Battle's BBQ in Ames is boss!), I'm little jealous of all the special attention they receive every four years. Couldn't we stage a national primary? Or at least have the states share the primary on a rotating basis (Wyoming!)? It's a huge amount of campaign money with an extremely narrow concentration. Yes, the caucus has broad implications, but how accurately does Iowa reflect the rest of the nation? Iowa has five black people in the whole state.

In between all that really important stuff they usually discuss, The View squeezed in Ron Paul.


The New York Times explores the vulnerability some Dems could experience if Hillary gains the nod. She doesn't play well in Kansas. The same state that brought you intelligent design.

Romney discusses his faith. And shows it's finally sweater weather.

(Psst. He's wearing magic underwear beneath that sweater.)

Beware: Huckabee looks to churches for support:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120301856.html

Prediction: Will win Kentucky.

McCain speaks to the MTV crowd: "Hey kids, don't you just love that Dave Clark Five!"

Edwards gets the profile treatment.

Finally, unity in the cat community.


We out.

It May Not Amount to a Hillary of Beans...

if the tall cool one keeps chipping away at her lead. She's in attack mode.

I've got a neat idea! Let's look too see who's hot and who's not at the beginning of this week and see if the temperatures fluctuate by the onset of next week. Deal? Uh, Steph, deal?

Huckabee: On Fire. They guy is leading in Iowa. He's dropping opponents like he dropped pounds during his governorship. For a guy who thinks the world is 6,000 years old, that's an evolutionary change in poll numbers, eh Mike? Wah wah.

Obama: Hot. I wouldn't say he's scorching, but he's turning up the heat on Hillary. Oh, you're killing me with these puns!

Edwards: Cooling off in the polls, but warm in the hearts of Wevoteprocat's staff. Please do something stupendous soon, John.

Romney: Cold. He looked weak in last week's YouTube debate and Iowans are gravitating toward Huckabee.

Rudy: Cold. He doesn't play well in the Heartland, and his debate performance was subpar.

Thompson: Frozen. This campaign is dead in the water.

McCain, Tancredo, Dodd, Richardson, What's His Name, That guy named Duncan, Biden, and The Vegan: Frozen Under a Block of Ice.

Ron Paul: He has two first names, so you can't say just one. I don't put him in the above category because the cash keep rolling in. He's like the Nader of the GOP primary. He might do okay (translation: fourth) in New Hampshire (Live Free or Die state), but he doesn't have enough support outside of the fringe of the GOP and independent crowd. And by that fringe, I mean not enough militia members head to the polls.

Enjoy Thompson and the rest of the pack (Dems: the irrelevant beast know as Bidcinichdoddson and the GOP demon who answers to Ron Huncredocain) while you can. You won't see them much after January 3.

Huckabee is the big story over the weekend. He's a Christian conservative, and I've been told Iowa has a few of those types. On the other hand, Huckabee doesn't appear as off-putting and divisive as others of that ilk, so I've wondered why it took this long for the guy to capture the GOP's attention. He's low on cash, but the money will probably start rolling in since he'll be a major player over the next month. Be prepared for the follwing headline: "(Iowa/New Hampshire/South Carolina) Hearts Huckabee."

He isn't without his criticisms from both sides:
The Right: He's tax hungry.
The Left: The charming persona is just hiding a Christian "nutjob."

Whatever the case, it looks like Huckabee isn't going anywhere soon.

Over the past year or so, Wevoteprocat has pondered the nominees for 08. Our predictions have shifted from:

One year ago: Clinton v. McCain. It looked certain. McCain's support for the war and close ties to Bush has crippled his hopes of becoming President. If the guy would just return to 2000 form...

Eight months ago: Obama v. Giuliani. Rudy looked like the real deal for the GOP, but he had difficulty assuaging some of his vocal and caucus-influential GOP critics, namely the Falwell/Dobson flock. Obama looked great out of the gate, but Hillary solidified her support even amidst strong criticism from the MoveOn crowd.

Six months ago: Hillary v. Fred Thompson. Hillary looked the most electable, and Obama really couldn't connect once the hype waned. Thompson was seen as a savior, but most folks were basing their support off their TV sets. Always a great way to pick a candidate.

Two months ago: Hillary v. Rudy. The New Yorkers revived their 2000 Senate battle that never got off the ground. Hillary accumulated a nearly 20 point lead over her Dem. rivals.

Today: Obama v. Huckabee. It would make for some interesting debates and monumental speeches. Both candidates are the best orators of the bunch. Stay tuned.

The cat coverage has declined in recent weeks. Angus still backs Dodd, suckas.