I here make a very bold prediction: Barack Obama will win the presidency. I would predict about a 6% win in the popular vote and an electoral vote number somewhere along the lines of 350 or so. Not quite a Reaganesque blowout, but a pretty convincing win. Some thoughts on this:
1. The GOP has brought this ruin on itself. Incompetent and corrupt leadership at every level of the federal government. I've also been disappointed with the message at a lot of the GOP rallies attacking Democrats as "elitists" and almost mocking intelligence. Conservatives have some great principles and some great ideas. Why sell at that down the river in order to get the votes of "Joe the Plumber" types. Why mock people as "elitists" simply because they are well-educated and have ideas? It's not a good strategy.
2. Obama is going to get to work with huge majorities in the House and Senate. This worries me quite a bit because the Congress will push a very left wing agenda and Obama will happily oblige this. What's interesting is that most Americans prefer a divided government and yet they are going to hand the Democrats total control of government at the national level.
3. I expect the Democrats to overreach and we'll see a GOP comeback in the 2010 and 2012 elections. It might not be enough to retake the House and Senate, but things will tighten up again. Unless things get really bad economically or there is another terrorist attack, I expect Obama to be president for the next 8 years. My early pick for a GOP nominee in 2012 or 2016 is Bobby Jindal. Please no Mike Huckabee or Sarah Palin.
4. I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed in Obama, not because of anything he will do as president, but because expectations for him are so high. There is almost a cult-like or religious feel to his campaign and the true believers are supporting him no matter what anyone says. For a lot of people, Obama is basically a blank slate. We really do not know very much about the man, but when he talks about hope and change we project all the hope and change we want on to him. People are going to be disappointed when their lives remain pretty much the same as he assumes the presidency.
5. For the record, I will be voting for McCain this year. I don't think Obama is a horrible choice either, but I have reservations in regard to his economic policy and some of his social views. Therefore, I'm going to go down with McCain.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Iowa Hawkeyes
Once again my dedication to the Iowa Hawkeyes has led to disappointment. Iowa lost a tough one to Illinois today 27-24. This puts Iowa's season record at 5-4. Iowa's four losses have come by a total of 12 points. I keep wondering what might have been this year if this team could win the close ones.
Happy Birthday Isaac!
I thought I would resume by regular posting on this blog by wishing my son a happy first birthday. I thought that would be of interest to my myriad of readers.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
First Sports Post
I enjoyed watching my beloved Iowa Hawkeye football team defeat an overmatched Maine squad this past Saturday by the score of 46-3. Next up, an equally bad team in Florida International. This will most likely be a lopsided affair as well. Even though I am a big fan of the team, I don't see Iowa having a great year. My prediction would be a final record of around 6-6 and a middling finish in a weak Big 10. We'll see. Thoughts on Saturday's game:
The good:
1. I thought both QBs looked pretty good. Jake Christensen threw some nice balls, although he also had an absolutely horrid interception. I thought Rick Stanzi also had some nice moments. After watching Christensen struggle tremendously last season, it's my hope that Stanzi eventually wins the starting job.
2. The running game seems to be in decent hands. Starter Shonn Green ran with good power and speed and true freshman Jewel Hampton looked really good in his brief action.
3. On the defensive side, I thought lineman Adrian Clayborn played a tremendous game. Linebacker A.J. Edds also impressed.
The bad:
1. The offensive line seemed to struggle quite a bit...against Maine of all teams. I look for this to be a weak spot this season and if your offensive line is a weak spot, everything on offense is then a struggle.
2. The wide receivers also disappointed me with quite a number of dropped passes.
3. Iowa's defense as whole wasn't all that impressive. That might be surprising given the fact that Maine only scored 3 points, but Iowa gave up big yardage on the ground and several promising Maine drives that ended were more the result of Maine's own mistakes (penalties, dropped passes) than anything Iowa did.
The good:
1. I thought both QBs looked pretty good. Jake Christensen threw some nice balls, although he also had an absolutely horrid interception. I thought Rick Stanzi also had some nice moments. After watching Christensen struggle tremendously last season, it's my hope that Stanzi eventually wins the starting job.
2. The running game seems to be in decent hands. Starter Shonn Green ran with good power and speed and true freshman Jewel Hampton looked really good in his brief action.
3. On the defensive side, I thought lineman Adrian Clayborn played a tremendous game. Linebacker A.J. Edds also impressed.
The bad:
1. The offensive line seemed to struggle quite a bit...against Maine of all teams. I look for this to be a weak spot this season and if your offensive line is a weak spot, everything on offense is then a struggle.
2. The wide receivers also disappointed me with quite a number of dropped passes.
3. Iowa's defense as whole wasn't all that impressive. That might be surprising given the fact that Maine only scored 3 points, but Iowa gave up big yardage on the ground and several promising Maine drives that ended were more the result of Maine's own mistakes (penalties, dropped passes) than anything Iowa did.
My blog's name
Coming up with a decent name for my blog proved to be quite challenging and as you can see, I pretty much failed miserably in that effort.
The reason for "root and branch" is I know of a pastor who loves to use this phrase in the context of rejecting things "root and branch." In his view, we need to not only reject the superficial errors of doctrine or the outworking of false doctrine (the branch), but also dig deeper and dig out those rotten roots. He makes a good point, although he also seemed to reject an awful lot of things "root and branch" which I found somewhat humorous.
Anyway, I hope this blog serves to not only focus on the surface issues, but also gets a bit deeper and explores what lies beneath.
The reason for "root and branch" is I know of a pastor who loves to use this phrase in the context of rejecting things "root and branch." In his view, we need to not only reject the superficial errors of doctrine or the outworking of false doctrine (the branch), but also dig deeper and dig out those rotten roots. He makes a good point, although he also seemed to reject an awful lot of things "root and branch" which I found somewhat humorous.
Anyway, I hope this blog serves to not only focus on the surface issues, but also gets a bit deeper and explores what lies beneath.
First Post
I've been toying with the idea of a blog for sometime now. My wife recently started one and that finally motivated me to do the same.
This blog will deal primarily with three topics, although certainly other issues will be considered as well. They are as follows:
1. Religion: I am a Christian and have learned to truly love the Lord. I hope to focus on issues pertaining to Christianity, but also other religions as well.
2. Politics: This is a great time of year for those of us fascinated by the political process. We'll see what I can add to the discussion.
3. Sports: I am an avid fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, especially the basketball team. But I appreciate pretty much all sports and will add my thoughts in this regard, probably in excruciating detail.
This blog will deal primarily with three topics, although certainly other issues will be considered as well. They are as follows:
1. Religion: I am a Christian and have learned to truly love the Lord. I hope to focus on issues pertaining to Christianity, but also other religions as well.
2. Politics: This is a great time of year for those of us fascinated by the political process. We'll see what I can add to the discussion.
3. Sports: I am an avid fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, especially the basketball team. But I appreciate pretty much all sports and will add my thoughts in this regard, probably in excruciating detail.
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