DubiousD said:
I asked if anyone else could remember another recent race where a candidate (D or R) coasted to victory in a similar fashion and so far no one one has come up with any examples. Instead, you cite me Monica’s dress. Yes, PP, that definitely qualifies in my book as a non sequitur.

Well, DD, I don’t know of any campaign that has ever been the same as another.

You’re better illustrating my point of comparison in asking, though. There is certainly no lack of far left goofballs who are still railing about the GW Bush 2000 (and 2004) wins. They make the same argument – if not amazing luck, it had to be a coup .

But, here, the fact is no matter whom Ryan had to run against he would still have had to deal with the consequences of his behavior.

When the simplest explanation works just fine, I personally have no need for anything more.

This was just a case of a candidate (Ryan), due his own failings, making a gift of an election to an opponent. Happens all to often. Nothing less, nothing more. But I don’t know that “he benefited from our screwups” is exactly the battlecry I’d want to take up on this.

I do agree luck (fate, life, whatever term) provides a neverending supply of things that both delight and anger. That’s just it’s nature.

She’s the one whose actions led to Obama’s decision to boldly go where no man has gone before……

Yeah, Obama coasted in to victory twice and Jeri and others paid a high price. As I said, maybe Americans will actually THINK before voting in November. Miracles do happen.

Does anyone rememebr the rather week presidential election of 1996? I like Bob Dole a whole lot, but at that time only Colin Powell could likely have toppled Slick, and he didn’t run. With Ross Peeeerot nosing in again, Slick also won that race by strategic positioning.

Despite Obama maybe not being the best choice, and this maybe being a tough race, he could still pull it off. Maybe, anyhow.

And purplepeep, I’m not sure anyone would notice your (or mine, for that matter) less than fabulous nekkid bod if Jerry Ryan was even in the room.

One more time: Obama is, to be charitable, the luckiest politician alive. The only reason he has attained his current standing is because both his opponents in the 2004 Senatorial race imploded. If Hull’s campaign had not been racked by scandal, Obama would not be Senator and would not be the 2008 Dem presidential front runner. Ryan’s self-destruction was dumb luck piled on top of dumb luck.

I asked if anyone else could remember another recent race where a candidate (D or R) coasted to victory in a similar fashion and so far no one one has come up with any examples. Instead, you cite me Monica’s dress. Yes, PP, that definitely qualifies in my book as a non sequitur.

Obama will be elected. Prepare your conservative distinctiveness to join the Democratic collective. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!

I read her divorce deposition on “The Smoking Gun” when it was leaked. It was really awful reading — nobody should have such things published on the internet. From my perspective, her deposition was very believable. It didn’t read like a spurned woman throwing her husband to the wolves. Among other things, even while the two of them were estranged, she made huge contributions to his campaign and supported him in public. In her deposition she explicitly stated that she believed he would be a great representative for the people of Illinois. I’d still like to know the full story of how a private deposition got leaked to the media. My guess is that Team Obama is just as dirty as Team Clinton.

As Jay Leno said at the time, “Only the Republicans could have a sex scandal involving a guy and his wife, nobody else, and no actual sex because she was mad at him.” Yes, Obama owes Jeri Ryan a great big thank-you for his political career. But I don’t think she would welcome the sentiment.

LaHood is my congressman too!

Hillary and Edwards mobilize our sleepy base in a way that none of the GOP candidates do–including sleepy Fred.

Obama is less polarizing. He’s teflon as far as I can see.

Unfortunately, his race, his name and his flirtation with Islam do not alienate enough voters in 2008.

Ironic how a sex scandal paved the way for Barack Obama into the United States Senate, where he’s poised to defeat the woman whose husband had a couple of sex scandals himself….

DubiousD said:
My point was that Obama’s opponent in the Democrat primaries was also forced to resign from the race at the last minute because of a personal scandal, enabling Obama to win by default.

My point, DD, is if people don’t carry on doing things that are personally scandalous to start with they wouldn’t need to drop out later on. Such persons are the cause of their own downfall. I don’t feel glee about that, but it’s hard for me to work up much sympathy.

Your comment about Drudge and Monica’s dress is a non sequitur.

I think it follows, at least in the context that people often have a natural tendency to reject negatives about “their guy”. The invoking of a VRWC to take down Clinton is a form of diversion-denial. It’s hard for people to admit their guy is sleazy, but sometimes a rat is just a rat. As I said, unfortunately these types are not limited to one political philosophy.