Looks like it’s going to be McCain’s race to lose. Now, if only we can tune out the news media between now and next November, since the bilge they will be spewing at us ad nauseum could prove toxic if it continues to flow at the current rate. For now, the story that just won’t flush is that Mitt Romney, with his vast personal wealth, will be able to buy the Republican nomination.  We’ve heard variations on this before. Last autumn, for instance, the pundits were telling us that because McCain’s campaign had run out of money, he was finished. We weren’t convinced ourselves and explained why:  “Not that [McCain] hasn’t been a contender all along – only that that the news media have conspired to have us infer that money alone makes the candidate. Try and tell that to McCain. Although his principled stand on any number of issues evidently has rendered him invisible to a press corps that acknowledges only champions of the status quo, he is still a hero to many, and they are going to turn out in droves to vote for him in the primaries regardless of how much his advance men have spent.”

Just so. But the newsmongers apparently still don’t get it, since they have this notion that Mitt is so rich that he can actually buy a Super Tuesday victory next week. What  puzzles us most is the idea that money and advertising alone can sway voters. While this is undoubtedly true up to a point, we seriously doubt that it could alter the course of a national election. (And if it does, heaven help us, since that would mean we are such a nation of sheep that our political destiny can be shaped by the same ad-men who would have us buy scented detergents, gas-guzzling automobiles, and sodium-enriched snack foods.)

Hillary’s “Character”

Another red herring concerning McCain is that he will not be able to sway true conservatives. Take it from this True Conservative: In the end, McCain’s integrity alone will do the trick. Sure, we’d feel more excited about Super Tuesday if our personal favorite, Attila the Hun, were on the GOP ballot. But if ever there were a time for the Republicans to field a candidate who is liberal on social issues and strong on defense, it is now. Moreover, with Hillary to run against, as we expect will be the case, the issue of “character” is going to clinch a McCain victory; for in a McCain-Clinton race, that is what the election will boil down to. Even so, the news media, which is about to become more raptly absorbed in navel-gazing than anyone will be able to recall, will not come to understand this elemental fact until after the election. But make no mistake, tens of millions of voters already do understand it, and they will not give a hoot in hell if statistic-worshiping pollsters deign to tell us otherwise.

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March Seminar

The Hidden Pivot seminar scheduled for February is full, so I’ve added an additional session on March 8-9. If you’d like to attend, click here  for further details and instructions on how to register. The class will be held on Saturday/Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mountain Time.  If you want to learn how to forecast stocks and commodities as confidently and precisely as top pros, this is an opportunity you should not pass up.

Class for Aussies

I will also be offering a class in February that is tailored to the scheduling needs of students from Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.. If you live in Sydney, this seminar will take place on February 21-22 (Thursday and Friday), from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. These hours will also work for early risers in Western Europe.  For further details, click here.  You can also register directly by clicking here, then on the “Upcoming” tab.