I give up, I like McCain and Rudy but too many of their stated policies disagree with my own. I am finding Clinton and Obama more in tune to my liking.
Can you convince me and maybe some other readers on voting for your candidate of choice. Alternately, why should I vote Republican in this election?
Global Warming and environmental issues, a clean exit from the war in Iraq and stepping up our rebuilding of Afghanistan and UHC are my big three issues.
I care about keeping our military strong and rebuilding our reputation around the world.
I care about keeping ID out of science classes, I am pro-choice, I think we need to provide full rights for all couples and we need to get back to balancing the budget.
Are you for or against UHC? When you say you are “for a strong military”, let me ask you, which of the current candidates would you say is in favor of weakening our military? Do you want the military to be strong enough to defend the country, or strong enough to impose our will on others with whom we may disagree (Iran, N. Korea, China, Russia, Venezuala, those upstart Canadians et al.) ?
Do you want to vote in an upcoming primary, or are you talking about the general? If the latter, let’s wait until the details get sorted out and we know who is running against whom.
Personally, I favor Obama right now. I don’t think there is a huge difference between his positions, generally, and hers, but I just trust him more. Both are intelligent, thoughtful and about equal experience. Maybe Hillary has a bit more experience, but some that “experience” can be a negative if it locks you into a certain mindset about things.
Stay away from Edwards. His class warfare* rhetoric is divisive, and I don’t see him as having the kind of leadership qualities that the other two have.
*I know some people don’t like calling it that, and I’m not going to get into a debate about it. If you don’t like that term, call it “populist” rhetoric instead.
Bingo! Just like my father. I’m in my thirties and his republican streak stretches from his days under Admiral Rickover, he is asking himself the same questions and he continually keeps mentioning Barack. I see a lot of this happening, in particular with the republicans who are so against Hillary they truly may just vote for Barack. He’s got a track record of working well with republicans and is smart enough to know when to say…yes, we can do something about that, it’s not going to be easy, but it will sting a little less than my opponants programs.
A partial answer: None of the Republican candidates is pro-choice now, though one or two have been in the past. That’s what NARAL says. None of the Republicans is in favor of equality for all couples. That’s what they said in the show-of-hands at one of the debates.
I’m not counting Ron Paul as a viable GOP candidate. He may have a role to play later on (I think that’s what they said about Gollum,) but he won’t be the Republican nominee.
I am for UHC. I believe Edwards and Ron Paul are in favor of weakening our military, even if Edwards is using weasel words to avoid saying it plainly. At least Paul seems honest about, but he is not really a serious candidate anyway.
I have a great distrust and dislike of Edwards. It would take a lot for me to vote for him. McCain & Rudy would still win the Head-to-Head in that one. I think Huck or Mitt would have to be running against Edwards for me to vote for him. Unless someone can change my mind.
I actually am think about officially changing parties so I can vote in the NJ democratic primary, instead of the Republican.
So your only real reason for Obama over Hillary is trust? There is nothing in what he has said or in either of their backgrounds?
Obama was against the War in Iraq, and Hillary voted for it. I know Obama wasn’t in the Senate at the time, but I’m fairly certain he still wouldn’t have voted for the AUMF. That’s a big deal for me.
I don’t think Clinton has anything that Obama doesn’t have (other than female equipment). She triangulates too much for my tastes, whereas he is much more straightforward and direct.
Funny you should mention Admiral Rickover, he is one of my heroes. My difference is I am not against Hillary. I voted for Bill in his second bid.
Pro-Choice is not my end-all and be-all and I really think Rudy is lying about his position on it, but that is part of my growing problem with him. I like McCain a lot, but if elected and he gets to appoint any Supreme Court Justices, I see Roe vs. Wade being effectively destroyed. The rest of the Republican candidates I despise.
Thanks for the clarification and that is an important point. Though in HRC’s defense, she and the rest of us were pretty much lied to by the Bush. I am not as sure Obama would have voted against it.
Hillary has pretty well toed the line on Bush’s foreign policy, her protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. Moreover, I have a sneaking suspicion that as the first female president she would feel a need to prove how tough she could be on foreign policy. If that’s your thing, then she’s your gal.
I believe Obama (or Edwards, for that matter) would pursue a less aggressive foreign policy. Which may or may not be your cup of tea.
Some of us are voting from him precisely because of his class warfare rhetoric. We’ve had 20 years of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. It’s refreshing to be able to vote for a Democratic Presidential candidate who’s willing to fight back.
I am going to be voting for Obama over Hillary and Edwards (though if truth be told, I would welcome any of the three over my choices on the Republican side).
They actually break pretty close for me. I rank them Obama and Edwards very close to each other, and then Hillary. Here is why I choose Obama over the other two, besides the Iraq war position, mentioned by a few others: I believe that Obama can be a true bipartisan actor in the aftermath of what is sure to be a contentious and ugly general election. I base this on personal experience ocasionally meeting the man here in Illinois, but more importantly on the fact that he seems at least palatable to many of my Republican/conservative friends and relatives- who are as sick as anyone else of the rote antagonism between the white house and Congress.
Hillary and I might be more or less ideologically aligned, but I fear that President Clinton II would be a lightning rod, her influence would bring out local voters and swing the Congress back, and we’d be fairly stagnant. We need some real change soon, especially in Iraq. To a much lesser extent, I feel the same way about Edwards’ populist rhetoric, but with Edwards I feel as if he has somewhat less of a chance than Barack in the general election if he keeps hammering that drum 9though I don’t think he is wrong to do so).
As I’ve said, these are really trifling, crystal ball things that separate one from the other for me here. I will happily vote for any of the three.
Looking at the meandering vacillation of the above paragraphs I am amazed that the Democrats, made up of people thinking more or less like me, have come up with such a solid list of potentials.
I tend more and more to favor Obama. I could live with Hillary, I find Edwards kind of oily. Even though he lines up the most moderately in the GOP field on social ssues, I find that I detest Guiliani more than anyone else in either field. The more I think about Obama, the more I think he’s the most attractive candidate running right now. Not only do I feel comfortable with his positions, I feel like he is an extreme rara avis in national politics – a basically decent and honest person. I don’t find him calculating or unctious or smarmy or narcissistic, nor do I think he’s an idealogue or a zealot. I can’t remember the last time I saw a serious presidential candidate who didn’t come off like at least a little bit of a scumbag (maybe Carter). I think he might also have some real brains and leadership chops. I kind of hope he wins.
Bill Richardson is the true centrist/moderate in this mess: unlikely to get a lot of support in the primary phase, but a decent shot at swing voters (unless they hold against him that his father was a banker & his mother was a Mexican; or something like that mess at Dept. of Energy when he was Secretary). He might be a place for you to start, if you’re leery of a lefty.
I’ve been leaning towards Biden as the real voice of experience, but am willing to work for Obama as a sort of younger, nimbler-minded version of Joe. Richard Lugar, whom I really wanted to get the GOP nom in 1996, took Obama on an anti-proliferation tour of Eastern Europe & seems to like Barack, & that goes some way with me.
I think HRC is competent; & don’t let them kid you, any Dem nominee will be cursed as the second coming of Lenin, from the convention through late 2015; if you like her, I’m not saying you’re wrong.
Except WRT the strong military and balanced budget, you want Kucinich. (But his position on ending the war would at least help us get a handle on the deficit.)
et al.) ?