In an hour-long interview conducted on Monday with the Reno Gazette-Journal, Barack Obama had this to say about the era of President Reagan:

"I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it. I think they felt... with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s and government had grown and grown, but there wasn't much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating. I think... he just tapped into what people were already feeling, which was [that] we want clarity we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing."

On Thursday, John Edwards—in part, mindful of the power hand of unions in Democratic politics in Nevada—took strong exception, addressing economic and environmental policies of the Reagan Administration:

"I would never use Ronald Reagan as an example of change. You think about what Ronald Reagan did, to America, the American people, to the middle class, to working people. He was openly—openly—intolerant of unions and the right to organize. He openly fought against the union and the organized labor movement in this country. He openly did extraordinary damage to the middle class and working people, created a tax structure that favored the very wealthiest Americans and caused the middle class and working people to struggle every single day. The destruction of the environment: you know, eliminating regulation of companies that were polluting and doing extraordinary damage to the environment."

Hillary Clinton, constructing broader themes about Obama's statement, had this to say:

"My leading opponent the other day said that he thought the Republicans had better ideas than Democrats the last 10 to 15 years. That’s not how I remember the last 10 to 15 years."

The mainstream media is representing as controversial Barack Obama's claim that the election of Ronald Reagan twice as President was an expression of desire by the American electorate for change. Whether or not voters see it that way is another matter: certainly, to this day Ronald Reagan stirs deep feelings in those who were alive during the Reagan years. Many progressives, liberals, and Leftists still harbor powerful resentment, even bitterness, for Reagan-era policies they consider anathema to their interests, will, and vision of the country, while many conservatives and Right-wingers see those same Reagan-era policies as entirely correct, proper, and beneficial to the nation.


Ultimately, it is not the voters of 1980 and 1984 who will assess the worth of candidates in the 2008 campaign for the White House, nor will it be a now-deceased President of that time who will win the coming election; it remains to be seen, however, if that same now-deceased President can cause the uncautious candidate of the present day to lose.

New Hampshire held its Presidential primaries today, and the polls have now closed.

FINAL UPDATE 12:20 a.m. EST, 9 January 2008: Aside from Clinton's narrow victory over Obama and McCain's drubbing of Romney, the biggest story from New Hampshire is that, as of 11:30 p.m., with all but a small remaining number of both Democratic and Republican precincts reporting, voters casting ballots in the Democratic primary are outnumbering those voting on the Republican side by a margin of five to four. If this trend holds for the rest of the vote count, that would be significant because 44 percent of New Hampshire voters are registered as Independents, with 30 percent calling themselves Republicans and only 26 percent saying they're Democrats. With such a distribution, it is reasonable to assume that far more Independents voted for a Democrat, pointing to what might be a serious problem for the GOP in the general election.

With 95 percent of Democratic precincts reporting, Hillary Clinton has beaten Barack Obama. John Edwards will finishing a disappointing, distant third.



On the Republican side, with 95 percent of the precincts reporting, John McCain will ride to victory over Mitt Romney, with Iowa caucuses winner Mike Huckabee finishing only marginally better than second-string rivals Giuliani and Paul.



More New Hampshire primary results later here on the Dark Wraith Publishing Ad Hoc News Network.

The pictures above are of Mike Huckabee. At left is his 1973 Hope High School Yearbook photo, appropriated from an online gallery at the Chicago Tribune. In passing it along to fellow bloggers earlier today, I noted for the record that I am not sure if what’s on his head in that shot is hair, a hat, or some kind of clay formation. At right is a recent picture of Mr. Huckabee. Although his hair—what remains of it—seems to have overcome the dark sponge that was eating it, the Republican candidate has clearly forgotten an important lesson of his youth: when your teeth are ugly, keep your lips together when you smile.


The Dark Wraith will be offering more candidate graphics in the days and weeks ahead.

Fresh from his solid trouncing of Democratic opponents in the Iowa caucuses, Barack Obama seems to be a blazing phenomenon of desire for change within at least significant parts of the electorate. At the suggestion and behest of Minstrel Boy of Harp and Sword, a graphic is herewith offered to the auld-timey ghouls whose brethren of previous generations silenced the voice of change.



Opinions, vows, or other declarations made in the graphic above do not in any way reflect an endorsement by Dark Wraith Publishing or its proprietor of a candidate or ways of showing support. In other words, for God's sake, don't blame me for this graphic: it was Minstrel Boy's idea; I just happen to be good at graphical artwork. For my own part, I am personally opposed to incendiary imagery and words (notwithstanding previous artwork like this, this, this, this, this, and this, among others).

The graphic depicted above is currently available on black T-shirts at The Dark Wraith Forums e-Store sponsored by CafePress. They are obscenely over-priced there, and the rendering onto fabric of the graphic may not reflect the high quality for which Dark Wraith Publishing is known; however, unless and until a production run can be afforded through a quality silkscreening service, the T-shirts at CafePress will have to do.


The Dark Wraith should probably lie low for the rest of the day now that this graphic has been posted.

UPDATE 4: What seemed like a tight race in early precinct returns from Iowa caucuses became more of a rout for Democrat Barack Obama, who paddled his two top opponents, taking 38 percent of the vote with 100 percent of the precincts reporting. As strong as Obama's showing was, John Edwards has bragging rights, too, making second place with 30 percent of the vote to Hillary Clinton's disappointing third-place finish at 29 percent. Two contenders, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden, called it quits after their drubbings tonight, but Bill Richardson, who got only single-digit support, still finished fourth and vowed to press on with his campaign.

With 95 percent of Iowa Republican precincts reporting, Mike Huckbee is flogging the used food out of Mitt Romney, leading 34 percent to 25 percent. The rest of the Republicans are eating the dust from the dust that Romney ate, with Fred Thompson, John McCain, and Ron Paul respectively taking 13, 13, and 10 percent. Rudolph Giuliani took a dirt nap with a mere four percent.

More news later here on the Dark Wraith Publishing Ad Hoc News Network.