Political Power Rankings for January 14th

I see this in sports all the time and wondered, "Why couldn't this work in politics?" I made a formula that encompasses opinion, polls, delegates, wins, and other factors that cover alot of bases and should give a good feel for how people are doing in the race for the White House.

Just a few thoughts:
- Will race or sex turn the Democratic race into a full out brawl?
- Is the press driving the huge lead changes that we're seeing? Come from behind wins in all races makes for better TV
- Florida will determine who the Republican nominee is.

Republicans
1. John McCain- Sen of AZ- Left for dead for weeks, McCain’s campaign has come out of nowhere to lead the pack in almost all Republican polls. If he wins South Carolina, a state that eluded him in 2000, he may have enough steam to power him all the way to the nomination.

2. Mike Huckabee- Fm. Gov. of AR- After an impressive win in Iowa, Huckabee moved into New Hampshire and made a good showing, and looks like the odds on favorite for South Carolina. His next step is Florida, which is going to be a dogfight between McCain, Giuliani, and himself. Thank YOU, Chuck Norris.

3. Mitt Romney- Fm. Gov of MA- Romney would be the fastest falling star in this race if it wasn’t for Giuliani, but Romney’s fall is even more amazing because he has spent so much money just to come in second. Still, he leads in the delegate count. Michigan is a must win.

4. Rudy Giuliani- Fm. Mayor of NYC- How could he have gone from the front-runner in every national poll to obscurity? Rudy has put his faith in the “50 State Strategy,” which could pay off if the Republican landscape stays as chaotic as it has been. Rudy’s the essential wild card team, hoping for Romney or Thompson to come from behind in the next two contests, and then come from behind himself in Florida.

5. Fred Thompson- Fm. Sen. of TN.- With a great showing in the South Carolina debates, this literal sleeper has started to make a showing in South Carolina, and could possibly garner enough support to win there, although he has tough opponents in Huckabee and McCain. He might stick around for awhile, but all accounts say that his campaign will end before the new Law and Order season ends.

6. Ron Paul- Cong. Of TX- He raises a lot of money and has one of the most dedicated supporter bases of any campaign. That being said, he looks like the crazy grandfather up on stage with the other candidates, and has about as much chance to take the Republican nod as Kucinich has to take the Democratic field.

7. Duncan Hunter- Cong. of CA- Known as the conservative that knows what to do with the border, this candidate’s time is up. Stop Kidding yourself, its over. Go home.

Democrats
1. Hillary Clinton- Sen of NY- She went from the top of the race to the surprise loser of Iowa, back on top to the pack with the New Hampshire field. This race, once thought to be just a race to see who’s #1 on the ticket and who’s #2 has now become more than that with comments that hit a little close to home flying on both sides. Whoever can come out looking better will win the nomination.

2. Barack Obama- Sen. of IL- His coronation was put on hold with a Clinton win in NH, but don’t count him out yet. He is probably the most charismatic and engaging candidate we’ve seen since Reagan, and he garners attention from across the pond. Obama has to be careful, because this nomination is his at some point, and he can ruin that inevitability by running a bad and nasty campaign.

3. John Edwards- Fm. Sen. of SC- He would be the “Kennedy” candidate if it wasn’t for Obama, but has hung around and will continue to until Super Tuesday. However, if you can’t win a state that you were once a senator of, how electable are you?

4. Dennis Kucinich- Cong. of OH- The Democrat’s version of Ron Paul, Kucinich has no chance. His fellow Dems should tell him to resign to keep their debates free of crazy leftist rants.

5. Mike Gravel- Fm. Sen. of AL- Mike who?