I have serious problems with the three frontrunners. Hillery I won’t vote for under any circumstances. Edwards turns me off bigtime and Obama, though personable and indeed charming, simply isn’t ready to be top banana. The three of them together don’t have the experience of Biden or Dod. It’s too bad, really. Biden’s a blowhard, who’s favorite occupation seems to be appearing on Sunday morning shows, and Dod’s a pushover who supported Lieberman over Ned Lamont…
They all have major turnoff factors for me. Kucinich is the only one I can frankly, wholeheartedly support… which leaves me pretty much out in the cold. Fortunately, here in Springfield – in my precinct at least – we still use paper ballots and thus have the oppertunity to write in. I’ll vote for Kucinich in the primary, and eventually have to decide what to do in the general.
I just found out that there’s a Labor Party in the U.S. Maybe I’ll end up checking them out…
Many of us still haven’t given up on Gore. I am told by people close to him that he has said privately that he would run if drafted at the convention. We are living through one of the most interesting, and volatile presidential campaign cycles in history and anything can still happen so lots of draft Gore folks are planning to vote “Uncommitted,” in their state primaries in hopes that some Gore-leaning uncommitted delegates will make it to Denver.
One, I have heard Kucinich on more than a few talk show programs, and in an extended discussion he actually does very well. Actually, he can be very passionate. He does not do well in the 30 second sound bites that are ridiculously styled as “debates” in the USofA.
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p>Two, Gravel’s problem is that he’s a bit too old. He actually was more than something of a hero during the Pentagon Papers affair. But that was 35 years ago, when he was in Congress.
I just do not understand this “I won’t vote for HRC” stuff. Nader made a big point about how in 2000 the difference between Gore and Bush was insignificant. In hindsight, it is too clear that the difference was terribly tragically significant.
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p>All the Republicans are more jingoistic, less socially tolerant, more unrealistic about regulation and tax policy, more dangerous to civil liberties, and less attuned to what actual security requires than any Democrat. The difference is not small. It is not insignificant. It is worth fighting for.
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p>And what does one say to statements like “Edwards turns me off bigtime”? This isn’t a TV show? Don’t invite him over for dinner? Find more rational bases for decision making?
And what does one say to statements like “Edwards turns me off bigtime”? This isn’t a TV show? Don’t invite him over for dinner? Find more rational bases for decision making?
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p>I warned at the outset that this was an impressionistic post, not a carefully reasoned exercise in logic.
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p>My reasons for disliking Edwards rather intensely are indeed somewhat vague, I’m afraid. One concrete item I can point to is his healthcare proposal. Can’t now remember whether I read it here or at PartyBuilder, but the outline I read was, not to sound silly or alarmist, scary. Of course, Clinton and Obama don’t have the most sensible ideas on healthcare either…
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p>Maybe it’s that I seem to come here in the evening, when I’m tired and muddled to start with; but for some reason, I don’t seem able to express myself clearly and logically when I post or comment here. Maybe I should just read…
and perhaps I didn’t notice your comment about being impressionistic. I have an aversion of my own to reducing everything to character and I got set off. I should have been less sharp about it.