# Politics as horserace: Will it go down to the wire? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 19, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politics-as-horserace-will-it-go-down-to-the-wire/230076 "2004-02-19T22:03:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politics-as-horserace-will-it-go-down-to-the-wire/230076/1 "2004-02-19T22:03:57Z")
Will the Dems end up deciding the candidate at the convention for a pleasant change? Will Howard Dean continue to withold his endorsement so he can be a power broker and use his delegates to sway the nomination? Or will one nominee be preanointed and we have another boring convention that nobody wants to watch? Place your bets! For you frugal Dems, cheapskate Pubs and Libs, and destitute Anarchists we have ONLY two-dollar windows. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politics-as-horserace-will-it-go-down-to-the-wire/230076/2 "2004-02-19T22:09:37Z")
I’m hoping it goes down to the wire. I’d still love to see an Edwards candidacy, although I’m not so bold as to predict one (or to pontificate on whether he’s more electable or not). But as other folks wiser than me have pointed out, the longer this goes on, the more free air time the Dems get. And right now, all the news about the Dems is pretty damn good, and all the news about Bush is pretty scandalriffic. As long as Kerry and Edwards keep their eyes on their real opponents, a down-to-the-wire race is a dream come true for Democrats. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2004, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politics-as-horserace-will-it-go-down-to-the-wire/230076/3 "2004-02-20T05:31:31Z")
If the primary contest effectively ends on or before Super Tuesday, then Kerry has a full eight months to gear up his campaign for the general election. Plenty good lead time! On the other hand, if Edwards keeps fighting (and Dean maintains his nominal-but-not-really-competitive candidacy) right up to the convention in July, there will be even more televised candidates’ debates and heavy media coverage of the primaries – all keeping the Democrats and their messages in the public eye, and squeezing out POTUS, for that much longer. So, from a Dem POV, there’s no downside. No matter which way it goes, it helps the Dems in November. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2004, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politics-as-horserace-will-it-go-down-to-the-wire/230076/4 "2004-02-20T05:55:53Z")
Super Tuesday is a walk in the park for Kerry especially since the intern thing didn’t have legs. It’ll all be over after that. Edwards doesn’t have the funds to pull it off. Haj ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2004, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politics-as-horserace-will-it-go-down-to-the-wire/230076/5 "2004-02-20T06:12:24Z")
This just in, from the widely respected _Washington Times_. OK, well respected. Somewhat respected. Amongst people who think _Mallard Fillmore_ is hilarious. > **[Evangelicals frustrated by Bush](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/feb/19/20040219-115609-3712r/)** > > President Bush left several million evangelical voters “on the table” four years ago and again is having trouble energizing Christian conservatives, prominent leaders on the religious right say. “President Bush left several million evangelical voters “on the table” four years ago and again is having trouble energizing Christian conservatives, prominent leaders on the religious right say…” "…If there is a rerun of 2000, when an estimated 6 million fewer evangelical Christians voted than in the pivotal year of 1994, …added Mr. Knight, whose organization is an affiliate of Concerned Women for America (CWA)… " "…“I am just furious over what’s going on in California and over what the president is not doing in California,” a prominent evangelical leader confided. “He says he’s ‘troubled’ — he should be outraged. If he’s troubled, he should pick up the phone and call [California Republican Gov.] Arnold [Schwarzenegger] and tell him we want action against the rogue mayor who is breaking the law…” And so on and so forth. It is with sternly repressed smugness that I point out I’ve been predicting this very thing. OK, I said the Nehru jacket was coming back, too, but that’s different. Could still happen. The Troglodyte Right has long been chafing under its committment to the Bushiviks, who have offered mostly gestures and reassurances that GeeDubya is One Of Them. But he can’t deliver. Before, they could always claim that the Damned Liberals were thwarting God’s Will. Now they got House, Senate, and Executive and still can’t deliver. Will GeeDubya lose the Trog Right? No, because he can’t. He will have to come up with something to impress them, something to bring them rushing back to his side. What worries me is: what? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politics-as-horserace-will-it-go-down-to-the-wire/230076/6 "2004-02-21T15:40:14Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > What worries me is: what? [This.](http://www.gayapolis.com/news/artdisplay.php?artid=236) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politics-as-horserace-will-it-go-down-to-the-wire/230076/7 "2004-02-21T17:41:48Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Will the Dems end up deciding the candidate at the convention for a pleasant change? As a Democrat, I’d love to see that. _That_ would be some must-see-TV. The nation would be enthralled. Think of all the free publicity!