1.  Barack Obama, Democratic  – – – – – – – 69,456,897
2.  John McCain, Republican  – – – – – – – – 59,934,814
3.  Ralph Nader – – – – – – – – – – - – – – – – – 734,804
4.  Bob Barr, Libertarian  – – – – – – – – – – 524,524
5.  Chuck Baldwin, Constitution – – – – – – 196,461
6.  Cynthia McKinney, Green  – – – – – – – 161,195
7.  Alan Keyes, American Independence – 47,768
8.  Ron Paul – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -41,905
9. Roger Calero, Socialist Workers – – – – – 7,561
10. Brian Moore, Socialist – – – – – – – – – -  7,315
11.  Gloria La Riva, Party for Socialism / Liberation – 6,808
12.  Richard Duncan – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 3,902
13.  Charles Jay, Boston Tea Party – – – - – 2,420
14.  John Joseph Polachek, New Party – – – 1,149
15.  Frank McEnulty, NewAmericanIndepedent 828
16. Jeffrey Wamboldt, We The People – – -  764
17. Tom Stevens, Objectivist - – – – – – – – – 755
18. Gene Amondson, Prohbition – – – – – – – 653
19.  George Phillies -  — – – – – – – – – – – – – 522

Interesting observation in the margins at “Conservapedia”, the website devoted to clearing up wikipedia’s Liberal bias, the commentary provided for “In the News”:

An overweight and over-the-hill Bruce Springsteen is performing songs from the 1980s at the Super Bowl halftime. Wonder why? He supports the liberal agenda hook, line and sinker. But he hasn’t yet performed his “Born in the U.S.A.” … perhaps Obama types wouldn’t like that one???

He flubbed the hook, line, and sinker of the liberal agenda regarding Wal-Mart.  But I impressed of a possible double standard being sunk in comparison with the recent flub over Jessica Simpson.  Born in the USA’s lyrics are found here, by the way — Springsteen didn’t play it — he turned it into a down-tempo song years ago, and one would think that would be a downer in a Superbowl concert.

The set was disappointing.  I was hoping Springsteen would play homage to prvious Superbowl Half-time shows.  Alas, Springsteen did not expose his nipple.

I guess it’s a rule.  No sooner does a Democrat start a new administration than Rush Limbaugh stakes out a claim of renewed relevance.  Limbaugh ascended to a pumped up role in that “Loyal Opposition” at the start of the Clinton Administration in 1993, and history repeats.

Or maybe I’m not giving Rush Limbaugh enough credit for what he did during the Bush Administration, enlightening us all on race relations by opining that one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL is over-rated and is over-rated because he is black and we’re all desperate to see a black quarterback succeed in the NFL, and providing the margin of victory for the election of a Democratic Senator in Missouri by suggesting that Michael J Fox was hamming up his Parkison’s Disease.

Sometime after the 2004 Election — I think deep into 2005, Harry Reid was interviewed with that type of “five quick questions” survey, where he was asked to “name the most powerful Democrats.”  This was something like the task of naming, say, the “Tallest Midgets”, and maybe if we go ahead and suggest this as specifically organizationally for “most powerful within the Democratic Party” — Reid answered with himself, Nancy Pelosi, I think he could add DNC Head Howard Dean, and still the Clintons — the Clintons having become a singular entity.  I think he also tossed in the head of the Governor’s Association, the minority party always wanting to specify the dynamism of their state actors as a means to relevance.  That’s a fair enough assessment, indeed, the reason no party ever falls down to the level that the parties might fall in, say, Great Britain (Labor in the age of Thatcher or the Conservatives in the age of Blair.)  Reid’s suggestions probably erred in some respects, but the role of your Chuck Schumer in king-making for Democratic Senate candidates wasn’t yet there.

It is difficult for me to see what the Republican road back to victory is right now.  I know that that’s going to happen eventually, but staring at the forest ahead, I’m guessing 2014.  Perhaps I should explain my reasoning here, and the disclaimer is that all things are in flux; I could be wrong — so might everybody.  The presumption of 2014 comes from the current parallelling of The Great Depression and Roosevelt’s tenure with our current “The Greatest Financial Crisis Since The Great Depression, though not nearly as Serious”:  The Republican Party was irrelevant from 1932 to 1938 (at which time they managed a miniscule but significant comeback).  The significance in this is the Economy still was bad in 1934 and 1936, but Americans had internalized it and taken measure of any economic improvement.  If the Republicans aren’t in as dire straits it’s because our financial troubles aren’t in the same dire straits.

So, who are the most powerful Republcans at this moment?  If you go by the logic of where the Democrats were when they were down just a few years ago and simply transpose the position, it should be Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Michael Steele, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, and… I don’t kow… George W Bush?  But somehow that list doesn’t strike quite right.

So it’s Rush Limbaugh, fools.   Well, it worked out okay for them in 1993, so maybe a re-tread will bring the “Republican Rump Team” back into control.  I would suggest that Grover Norquist probably qualifies for a list of “Most Powerful figures in the Republican Party”, and it’s difficult for me to come up with the Democratic equivalent for their most recent down-time — which might suggest something about the difference in the two parties.

Channing Frye — Thinks Sam Adams should go.

Greg Oden — Thinks Sam Adams should stay.

The others — either plead ignorance on what a “Sam Adams” is, or runs the non-comittal apolitical Michael Jordan / Lebron James / Tiger Woods route.

Good to know.  Adjust your rooting of Channing Frye (can you root for a bench-warmer?) and Greg Oden accordingly.

Walking past a mall’s parking contraption.  A mall cop on a segway breezes past.  Approaching me, I see a group of four, oh I’ll say 13 or 14 year olds.

I do a mental countdown in my head from when I think they will see the segway riding mall cop.  “Five… Four… Three… Two… AND”

One of the boys exclaims “HEY!”, they all look over at the cop, and they all laugh.

Paul Blartt: Mall Cop has changed the way we all look at mall cops.