Why Obama or McCain is Going to Win in 2008
Read on to Determine the Likeliest Candidate for U.S. President
Oct 18, 2008 Elizabeth Randall
Aside from political, didactic, and policy considerations, the presidential election often follows trends that tend to favor certain candidates. The current 2008 campaign is no exception. Barack Obama and John McCain differ on many issues, but there are certain fixed attributes of each man that may predict the ultimate winner. These attributes involve stature, political sequence, a poll taken among grade school children, and the candidate’s birth dates.
The Tallest Presidential Candidate Always Wins
Hillary Clinton, the former favorite for the 2008 Democratic nominee may not agree that Obama’s seven inch advantage over her 5’4” frame led to her defeat for Democratic nomination. At 5’7”, does John McCain need to seriously consider elevator lifts in his shoes? According to The Presidential Height Index the tallest candidate always wins. The only exception was in 1976 when Jimmy Carter, at 5’9”, beat Gerald Ford (6’2”). In the 2000 election, one could argue that George W. Bush at 5’11” beat Al Gore at 6’1.” But Gore won the popular vote.
Political Sequence Calls the Presidential Race
The Republicans have held the White House for eight years. According to an Autumn 2007 article in The Washington Quarterly by Charles E. Cook, Jr., titled “Are Americans Just Fed Up With Both Parties,”…it would take an enormous amount of luck for Republicans to hold the White House or win back control of the Senate or House, let alone accomplish two out of three, much less all three.
The Weekly Reader Winner Takes The Presidential Race
In the last half century, 13 elections were held among kids who read The Weekly Reader. Run by Zogby International, a well-known polling apparatus, teacher subscribers register student votes by supervising classroom elections. What are the odds that an elementary school student is going clash with his parents over partisan considerations? They don’t take candy or candidates from strangers. The only time the kids polled for a candidate who lost was in 1992, much to Bill Clinton’s delight and George H. Bush’s chagrin
Candidate’s Birth Dates A Factor in the Presidential Race
Barack Obama’s birthday is August 4th (shared with "Queen Mum" Elizabeth). John McCain’s birthday is August 29th (shared with Michael Jackson). The web site Presidential Birthdays, claims that the most popular month for Presidential birthdays is October, and the least popular months are the one between June and September, both of which McCain and Obama share. Does this point to a third party contender? Although Ralph Nader was born February 27th, the same month as our two most famous presidents, Washington and Lincoln, such a scenario seems improbable.
It is worth noting however that Obama’s astrological sign of Leo is shared by three ex-presidents (Harrison, Hoover and Clinton). McCain’s astrological sign of Virgo is shared by only two ex-presidents (Lyndon Johnson and William Taft).
All speculation aside, as Mike Ertel, the Supervisor of Elections in Seminole County, Florida, always says, “The candidate with the most votes always wins.
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