2008: At The Starting Gate

Since it is never too early to start talking about the 2008 presidential election, I’m going to give you my take. Those of us who have been through the Greek tragedy of 2000 and the “inept-off” of 2004 are definitely ready for the next chapter of presidential politics. And I don’t care what side of the aisle you are from; everyone (other than Michele Bachman) appears ready to shovel the Bush Administration out the door. With no incumbent to spoil the show, ’08 will have showdowns in both primaries as well as the general election. (’08 With 50% more mud)

Currently, Hillary Clinton is the odds on favorite at 3.25 to 1. Rudolph Giuliani is next at 4 to 1, followed by Barack Obama at 5 to 1, and John Edwards and John McCain are both 6 to 1. At this point it is hard to imagine someone out side of these five as the next President.

Hilary has tons of experience and the priceless ‘Clinton political machine’ (for better or worse.) Rudy still was the mayor of NYC on 9/11, and America still loves him for it. Obama has the charisma, he’s the rock star, he’s soooo hot right now. Edwards possesses a nice mix charm, experience, empathy, and fundraising ability. And although McCain is getting cozier with Republicans by the day, most American centrists still respect the straight-talking former POW.

But as good as it may look for these front-runners; each of them has serious questions surrounding their campaign. Will Hilary be able to dodge the “Ice Queen,” “Old Guard,” “Special Interest Panderer” characterizations? Does Rudy have the conservative chops to make the conservative base forget about his divorced-filled, Pro-Life past? Will Obama be able to sustain his momentum and overcome his lack of experience? Can Edwards shake-off the stigma of 04 and carve-out a substantive platform. Will McCain be able to maintain his hawkish stance on Iraq and still create enough individual velocity to escape the political blackhole created by the Bush Administration’s incompetence?

And we can’t forget about potential wild card Al Gore. He has enough money, name recognition, and experience to make him a legitimate contender no mater how late he gets into the action. His new found personality and sense of humor would have come in handy in 2000, but better late than never.

I think it will go like this:

Edwards over Obama and Clinton by the slimmest of margins for the Democratic nomination

Rudy over McCain in a landslide for the Republican nomination

And…

Edwards over Rudy in the General Election.

So there it is, feel free to leave your own predictions… or mock mine.

Why I Blog: Or Why I Stopped Obsessing and Just Wrote

So I did it again. I’ve let The MN Life sit idle for over two weeks. What can I say? My “inspirado” has been missing recently. And I’ve been spending a lot of time helping my cousin rehab one of his rental properties. Apologies to my 4 loyal readers.

I could join the chorus of people condemning Don Imus’ comments about the Rutgers Womens’ Basketball team. (Especially ironic that it happened on the eve of the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s integration of MLB) But I’m feeling nostalgic and philosophical. So instead, I’m going to tell you why I blog and what The MN Life means to me.

It all started back in February of 2005. My roommate PW introduced me to The Rocketship. His good friend K-Duck maintained The Rocketship, and PW was an occasional contributor. PW showed me the ins-and-outs of posting. Suddenly, I knew I had to create a blog of my own.

I had kept journals before. In college, I was required to journal for an English Comp class. I still have that notebook. Even though it is filled with nothing but immature ramblings and nonsensical complaints, they are my ramblings and complaints. They stir cherished memories and chronicle drunken nights that otherwise would have been long forgotten.

In March of 2005 I wrote my first post for The MN Life. I was driven by visions of grandeur, an admiration of PW’s posts, and a strong desire to create an outlet for my non-legal musings. I had hoped to create a blog that was not only for my friends, but one that would draw strangers in as well. And right or wrong, I thought that people would be interested in law school anecdotes.

I had a hard time coming up with a witty name that wouldn’t pigeon-hole me. (If I had to do it again I would call The MN Life, The Legal Bogey. A much more apropos name that draws on my two main interests: Law and Golf.) I settled on The MN Life because it was short, simple, and… well it was short and simple. I know it isn’t the best name, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. At this point I’m reluctant to change it.

Like any project, there was a lot of trial and error. With each post I became more comfortable with the Blogspot software. I was in front of my computer for 8+ hours a day during law school which offered me plenty of time to tinker with The MN Life. Blogging was a great distraction during endless hours of professor pontification.

At first I craved any and all attention. I did everything in my power to increase the number of people who read The MN Life. I checked my hit counter incessantly. I’m sure I annoyed many with my endless self-promotion.

When The MN Life turned 1, I knew that I had created something that I could take pride in, regardless of the number of people who read it. Don’t misunderstand; I enjoy getting comments and learning that somebody stopped by The MN Life for the first time. But I have come to realize that ultimately The MN Life is my journal. It forces me to sit down and publish something. It doesn’t even mater what it is, just that I do it. For me, blogging is like law school, the general process is more important than the specific content.

My only regret so far, other than the name, is an ongoing one. The MN Life gives me a forum to praise, rant, and review. I often use it to highlight some of the achievements and moments of my friends’ lives. Unfortunately, anytime you include some, it is hard to not leave others out. There have been many, many post-worthy* moments that I have failed to capture.

Maybe I'll try to become a professional blogger. Then I could spend all day in my underwear debating the relative IQs of John Madden and Brittney Spears. (In light of recent events, it is a silly argument now. In an intellectual knife fight, Brittney is armed with a stick.) I need to find a way to unseat James Lileks. Then I could get pay-d to be the random-blogger-guy in the Twin Cities.

Sometimes, three or four subjects roll around in my head. At others, the creative juices wane, and I need a break. When I re-read my old journals I notice that anytime I tried to write everyday, my entries were tedious, lame, b-o-r-i-n-g crap. It was bad writing. So in order to keep the MN Life fresh and mostly readable, I take an occasional break.

I hope everyone who stops by The MN Life, will swing-by again. I hope I’m still blogging five years from now. I hope to improve my writing. And I will continue to try to make The MN Life worth your while.

That is all.


* Reminds me of Elaine Benes’ famous “sponge-worthy” quote.