Perhaps this is selfish of me, but I’m glad to hear that voters in Iowa are so closely split on the presidential candidates that no one candidate is likely to gain a significant bounce from Thursday’s caucus activity.
It has been discouraging in recent presidential election years to know that the nominations for both political parties were virtually wrapped up by the time Illinois’ primary elections came around.
The worst had to be in 2000, which is the one time in my life I used an absentee ballot to cast my vote. I chose a Democratic ballot and cast my vote in advance of Election Day for the campaign of former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey.
By the time Election Day came around in Illinois, it was a done deal that Al Gore would win the Democratic Party’s nomination to try to succeed President Clinton. Bradley had already dropped out of the race.
My vote truly was wasted.
This year, Illinois moved up its primary from mid-March to Feb. 5, with the deadline for registering to vote set for this coming Tuesday. The so-called “Tsunami Tuesday” in February will see voters in Illinois and 21 other states cast their ballots.
What amazes me is that Illinois’ elections will come on the same day as New York and California. Just think; voters in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago all will be casting their votes at the same time.
We’re going to be part of a massive flood of Americans who set the stage that day for the Nov. 4 general election for president.
Will we literally get the sight of Hawaii native-turned-Chicagoan Barack Obama standing on a Chicago stage while learning he will be the Democratic nominee? Will Chicago-area turncoat Hillary Clinton (the New Yawker was raised in Park Ridge, Ill.) succeed in squashing Obama and the other Dems that day?
Or are we destined for the upset of the 21st Century – a Bill Richardson victory?
-30-
It has been discouraging in recent presidential election years to know that the nominations for both political parties were virtually wrapped up by the time Illinois’ primary elections came around.
The worst had to be in 2000, which is the one time in my life I used an absentee ballot to cast my vote. I chose a Democratic ballot and cast my vote in advance of Election Day for the campaign of former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey.
By the time Election Day came around in Illinois, it was a done deal that Al Gore would win the Democratic Party’s nomination to try to succeed President Clinton. Bradley had already dropped out of the race.
My vote truly was wasted.
This year, Illinois moved up its primary from mid-March to Feb. 5, with the deadline for registering to vote set for this coming Tuesday. The so-called “Tsunami Tuesday” in February will see voters in Illinois and 21 other states cast their ballots.
What amazes me is that Illinois’ elections will come on the same day as New York and California. Just think; voters in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago all will be casting their votes at the same time.
We’re going to be part of a massive flood of Americans who set the stage that day for the Nov. 4 general election for president.
Will we literally get the sight of Hawaii native-turned-Chicagoan Barack Obama standing on a Chicago stage while learning he will be the Democratic nominee? Will Chicago-area turncoat Hillary Clinton (the New Yawker was raised in Park Ridge, Ill.) succeed in squashing Obama and the other Dems that day?
Or are we destined for the upset of the 21st Century – a Bill Richardson victory?
-30-
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