Is it possible? Could the voters really be having second thoughts and regret over their decision last election and be ready to vote for the person who almost won? It seems like it.

According to the word in Washington, there is beginning to be a major push for Hillary Clinton to challenge Barack Obama in the Democratic primary for the 2012 nomination. It is hard to believe that President Obama has gone from historic approval ratings in 2009 to historic disapproval ratings now.

At the moment, Obama has the lowest approval rating since President Jimmy Carter. By the way, Jimmy Carter lost his bid for reelection to Ronald Reagan. Perhaps this is what is giving some members of the Democratic Party second thoughts about handing Obama the party’s nomination again without a primary challenger.

If you remember, Hillary and Barack fought the nomination out to the bitter end in 2008 until Hillary finally stepped aside to thrust her support behind Barack and provide the necessary boost he needed to launch his ultimate victory.

On the other side of the aisle, the Republican Party is adding a new candidate every few weeks with the leader fluctuating every month. This month the leader is Gov. Rick Perry from Texas, last month it was Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, and the month before that it was Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The candidate flying below the radar is Ron Paul, who continues to be ignored by the media yet manages to win straw polls in early primary states.

I find it hard to imagine the race will clear up anytime soon, which leaves even more to chance. In the middle of a crowded and confused Republican field, an entrance by Hillary into the Democratic primary would change everything. Every single Republican is currently running against Barack Obama in their speeches, commercials, handouts and tweets. If Hillary gets in, the entire Republican playbook would have to be rewritten. No longer would the simple anti-Obama speech work to sway voters because Hillary can run on the “if I would have won last time we wouldn’t be in the current situation” theme and take away Obama’s economy as an issue from any Republican nominee.

Remember that politics is fluid. It’s never too late to get into a race and the perceived leader of the pack can fall quickly with enough firepower and technology. Stay tuned to see if Hillary lives up to her husband’s nickname, “The Comeback Kid.”

The last bite…

This weekend, we went to Chili’s with a few friends to catch up on the latest in local politics and their lives. We spent almost two hours there and enjoyed a really good meal. I had the endless chili and Courtney got a salad, but as we waited for one person to join us, we devoured nearly a pound of chips! However, the highlight was the burger ordered by one of my friends. This burger was topped with melted cheese and thick slices of cured bacon and looked better than everything on the table. As he enjoyed bite after bite of his burger, I kept eating my chili. I give amazing looking burgers that you can’t eat 4 (out of 5) crumbs!

Buddy Boe, a resident of Garyville, owns a public relations and program management company and is well known on the local political (and food) scenes. His column appears Wednesdays in L’Observateur.