Super Tuesday settles one side of the race
McCain sitting pretty, Democratic race a virtual dead heat
By Ryan Cardarella
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“*We are excited because Wisconsin is going to be really important.*”
- UWM College Democrats chair Stephanie Valeska Lopez
The presidential primary season hit fever pitch on Feb. 5 with 22 states holding primaries on “Super Tuesday,” clearing up the Republican race and further muddling what appears to be a virtual dead heat on the Democratic side.
Republican Sen. John McCain has emerged as the big winner in the aftermath of Tuesday’s primaries, picking up nine of the 21 states up for grabs, and most importantly, the lion’s share of delegates. While his chief adversary, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, was victorious in seven states, he fell far behind in terms of delegates and announced Thursday he was suspending his campaign.
That leaves only McCain and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won four Southern states on Tuesday, in the running for the GOP nomination. Huckabee remains a distant third in the Republican race, and political pundits agree that the nomination is all but sewn up for McCain.
The Democratic race is anything but sewn up after Tuesday’s free-for-all, with Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in a virtual delegate tie. Obama claimed 13 states to Clinton’s nine on Tuesday, but Clinton claimed victories in delegate-rich states such as California and her home turf of New York.
The race is so close at the present moment that national media outlets are still unsure of who is in the lead. MSNBC has Obama with a delegate lead of 838-834 over Clinton, while CNN and Fox News have Clinton holding a slim lead. Regardless of who is leading who at this point, it is now evident that Wisconsin’s primary, slated for Feb. 19, will carry significant weight in the Democratic race.
“We are excited because Wisconsin is going to be really important,” said University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College Democrats Chair Stephanie Valeska Lopez.
When asked whether she believes that having a dead-heat for the nomination could potentially fracture the party, Lopez feels that the tight race will bring more attention to the candidates and help their cause in the general election.
“I think that all Democrats agree that we have two great candidates. I honestly feel that we can’t go wrong either way,” said Lopez.
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WI on Feb 15, 2008 at 08:57 PM:
Hillary Clinton’s economic blueprint to restore the American middle class includes: • Lowering taxes for middle class families. • Providing quality, affordable health care to every American. • Making college accessible and affordable. • Confronting the growing problems in the housing market. • Bolstering retirement security by promoting savings and investment. • Returning to fiscal responsibility and moving towards balanced budgets. • Harnessing innovation to create the high-wage jobs of the 21st century. • Creating a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund to jumpstart research and development of alternative energies. • Strengthening unions and ensuring our trade laws work for all Americans. • Developed a Three-Step Plan to End the War in Iraq
WI on Feb 15, 2008 at 08:58 PM:
Hillary Clinton’s Health Care plan includes:
• Affordable: Unlike the current health system where insurance premiums send people into bankruptcy, the plan provides tax credits for working families to help them cover their costs. The tax credits will ensure that working families never have to pay more than a limited percentage of their income for health care.
• Available: No discrimination. The insurance companies can't deny you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition.
• Reliable: It's portable. If you change or lose your job, you keep your health care.
WI on Feb 15, 2008 at 09:00 PM:
Hillary’s Plan to Create a Green Jobs Revolution: Creating New, High-Wage Jobs of the Future:
• Modernize 20 Million Low-Income Homes to Improve Energy Efficiency
• Provide emergency energy assistance for Maryland families facing skyrocketing heating bills.
• Invest $5 billion in accelerated energy efficiency and alternative energy investments to jumpstart green collar job growth. Senator Clinton believes that by immediately implementing components of her comprehensive plan to transition to a green, clean economy, we can both jumpstart green collar jobs and jumpstart our long-term transition to energy independence as well.
• Create a $50 Billion Strategic Energy Fund and Demand that Oil Companies Invest in Clean Energy.
• Raise Fuel Economy Standards. Hillary has proposed a plan to raise fuel economy standards to 40 mpg by 2020 and 55 mpg by 2030.
• Help Automakers Retool Plants. Hillary would authorize $20 billion in low-interest "Green Vehicle Bonds" in order to provide immediate help to retool the oldest auto plants to meet her strong efficiency standards.
• Promote Plug-In Hybrids (PHEV).
• Create a Green Building Fund to Make Public Buildings More Energy Efficient. Hillary will dedicate $1 billion annually to states to enable them to make grants or low-interest loans to improve energy efficiency in public buildings, such as schools.
• Train "Green Collar" Workers. We will need skilled workers to install the solar panels, build the hybrid transmissions, and seal the holes in our public buildings to make them more efficient.