Round the first turn they come
The 2016 presidential race has been more exciting than anyone predicted. What could possibly happen next?
Well, that was interesting! The 2016 presidential race has been one of the most unusual and compelling elections that I've ever witnessed -- and it's not even 2016 yet! Indeed, the plot has only thickened with the first votes (or first caucusing, to be exact) still more than a month away. Unfortunately, the race has been mostly "interesting" -- on the Republican side to be sure -- in the sense that a train wreck is "interesting." A victory next November by Donald Trump or even Ted Cruz could have devastating consequences for war and peace and America's standing in the world.
What do I think is going to happen after the calendar flips? I honestly have no idea. On the GOP side, I do think Cruz wins Iowa and Trump probably wins New Hampshire and then South Carolina will be the pivot point. And whoever emerges as the frontrunner in early March will be nearly impossible for the Republican establishment to stop, If you think someone like Marco Rubio actually has a chance, you are not a serious student of The Game.
On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders could wreak some havoc if he can up his ground game and pull an upset or even come a close second to Hillary Clinton in Iowa. If not, Clinton's grip on the key voting blocs that know her best -- especially older African-American voters -- will be hard for him to break.
But that's my humble opinion. What do you think is going to happen?
As many of you know, I couldn't even wait until 2016 to write a book -- OK, e-book -- about the race. The Bern Identity: A Search for Bernie Sanders and the New American Dream was published as an Amazon Kindle Single earlier this month. I'm going to be super self-serving here (isn't that the point of having a blog?) to say that you don't have to love Bernie Sanders to love The Bern Idenity -- it's a good, quick read in that fear-and-loathing style of the early 1970s, a story about following your dreams to the very end. (And it's a great last-minute gift for that annoying 20-something pro-Bernie niece or nephew in your family! :-))
As we head into a holiday break, I'm offering two free copies to Attytood readers. You can win by commenting below: One copy will be emailed to the best conservative-thinking prediction on the 2016 race (as judged by me...heh), and one for the best liberal-minded prediction. Good luck!
I'll be back this Sunday night, the 27th. Until then, have a great Christmas (there, I said it!).