Obama Sweeps the Weekend - Kent Ninomiya

Kent Ninomiya - So how was your weekend? As good as it might have been, Barack Obama's was better. He swept all the primaries and caucuses this weekend, making an already tight race for the democratic nomination even tighter. Obama won the Maine caucus Sunday after taking Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington on Saturday. He now has all the momentum going into the Maryland, Virginia and D.C. primaries on February 12. Clinton did her best to brush it off and appear like a front runner. She didn't directly address her losses instead attacking Republican front runner John McCain. There is no question Hillary's campaign is in trouble, but don't count her out just yet. Remember when everyone did that in New Hampshire? The Clintons are survivors and Obama is running against two of them. It's looking more and more like this nomination may come down to a slug fest on the convention floor. The only thing certain here is that this is the most facinating presidential race of our lifetimes. Kent Ninomiya

Don't Mind the Politicalman - Kent Ninomiya

Kent Ninomiya - Who would have ever guessed we would be where we are now? A few months ago all the political experts predicted Hillary Clinton had a lock on the Democratic nomination. No problem. Then they pronounced her campaign dead before the New Hampshire primary. Now she is in a virtual dead heat with Barack Obama. A few months ago John McCain was running out of money. All the political experts predicted he would drop out soon. Now he's the presumptive Republican nominee. Predicting politics is like predicting the weather. People who claim they can do it are usually wrong. Just like the weatherman, the "politicalman" can be wrong most of the time and isn't held accountable. The public expects them to be wrong, yet still listens to what he has to say. Funny how that is. I'm just glad that the race is interesting. Obama and Clinton could very well take their duel to the convention. Imagine the viewer interest in the Democratic convention if that happened. John McCain is a republican who arch republicans hate and many democrats like. Wont that make for an interesting general election. Kent Ninomiya

Super Match Up - Kent Ninomiya

Kent Ninomiya - The slugfest that was Super Bowl XLII attracted more viewers than any other Super Bowl in history. Nielsen Media Research says 97.5 million viewers tuned in. Likewise, I predict more voters will take part in this presidential election than any other in history. Just like the scrappy underdog Giants taking on the seemingly invincible Patriots hoping to cap off a perfect season, the Obama-Clinton matchup is intriguing. It captures the imagination of even the most apathetic citizen. We have had black candidates before. We have had women candidates before. We have never had one of each battle each other at the top of the polls. This is the first time in history that a woman and an African American have a legitimate shot at the White House. It's exciting to many, threatning to some, interesting to all. Expect record turnouts on this Super Tuesday and an even higher turnout for the general election in November. We are witnessing history and everyone wants to be in on the action. Kent Ninomiya

A Year of Upsets - Kent Ninomiya

Kent Ninomiya - It was as unlikely as the wife of a former president or a black first term senator becoming president of the United States. The New York Giants defeat the then undefeated New England Patriots by a mere 3 points in the closing minutes of Super Bowl XLII. This Super Bowl was indeed a "super" football game just as Super Tuesday promises to be a "super" political contest. History shows that both tend to disappoint. The Super Bowl is usually a blow out and Super Tuesday often is a coronation rather than a competition. However, 2008 is turning out to be a "super" year for head to head battles. That is very good news for the news business where conflict is king. It gives us plenty to talk about and analyze and get wrong. That's right... "wrong!" How many of the experts picked New York to win the Super Bowl? Not many gave them a prayer. Remember the New Hampshire primary? The experts said it would be the end of Hillary's campaign. I don't like the cliche "that's why they play the games," but it really is appropriate here. We can expand that to "that's why they hold the primaries." Kent Ninomiya