# Bad reasons to vote for Obama or Hillary in the primaries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 12, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001 "2008-04-12T04:08:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/1 "2008-04-12T04:08:25Z")
Legally and practically speaking, a vote is a vote and there can be no bad reason as long the voter isn’t coerced. No debate there. **Morally** -speaking, however, _are_ there any popular bad reasons\* to vote for Obama? What about Hillary? Bad reasons only, folks! Plenty of good reasons to vote for either. Thank you. I would answer first but I just don’t know if there are any. I can’t make up my mind. It’s a toughie. I’ll keep thinking! \*However you personally define bad. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/2 "2008-04-12T05:22:16Z")
I would say it’s a bad reason if you’re a supporter of John McCain and are just voting for either Democratic candidate because you feel they’d be easier to defeat in November. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/3 "2008-04-12T05:31:02Z")
I’d say “It’s about time we had a black guy/woman in the White House” is a pretty poor reason to vote for someone. It seems sadly popular in both camps though. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/4 "2008-04-12T08:37:06Z")
[QUOTE=Jophiel] I’d say “It’s about time we had a black guy/woman in the White House” is a pretty poor reason to vote for someone. It seems sadly popular in both camps though. [/QUOTE] Or the converse, I wouldn’t vote for a black/woman for the White House so I will vote for that person’s opponent. I suspect that this reason is depressingly popular in the primaries, and will be more so in the general election. ---
**Author:** ![Anomalous\_Reading](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Anomalous\_Reading](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anomalous_Reading)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/5 "2008-04-12T14:47:45Z")
Better bowling score. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/6 "2008-04-12T16:03:22Z")
I saw someone walking around wearing a T-shirt with a picture of Obama and Hillary with Hillarys face crossed out and it read “Bros before Hoes”. Laughed my ass off, but thats probably a bad reason to vote for him. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/7 "2008-04-12T16:33:47Z")
[QUOTE=Jophiel] I’d say “It’s about time we had a black guy/woman in the White House” is a pretty poor reason to vote for someone. [/QUOTE] Not as poor as “It’s NOT time we had a black guy/woman in the White House”, though. Down near there is “By voting for the black guy, we can show the world and ourselves that America has truly changed. But \*not \* by voting for the woman.” Others: “I just don’t like her/him.” “He/she hasn’t earned their position in the nation’s leadership, but the other one has.” “Only he/she can bring true change to the government.” “Only he/she can truly unite and lead America.” “He/she is truly a different kind of candidate, one who transcends divisions and will dissipate any serious partisan opposition.” “There is such a strong distinction between their policy statements that he/she is the obvious choice.” “Only a fool or a delusional would even think of voting for her/him.” “She/he can’t win, so I’d better jump on the bandwagon - or risk being the target of a few pseudonymous posts on some damfool message board.” Or just accepting being \*told \* any of the above by somebody else. Good idea for an OP. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/8 "2008-04-12T16:48:28Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] “I just don’t like her/him.” [/QUOTE] I don’t disagree, really, with anything else you wrote, **Elvis** , but this one threw me off. I don’t understand why this would be a bad reason to avoid voting for someone… ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/9 "2008-04-12T16:58:14Z")
Because we’re not picking a BFF. We’re choosing which applicant to hire for the job of chief executive, somebody to run the damn government. Too many voters going for likeability is pretty much why we have Dubya in there now. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/10 "2008-04-12T17:20:34Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] Because we’re not picking a BFF. We’re choosing which applicant to hire for the job of chief executive, somebody to run the damn government. Too many voters going for likeability is pretty much why we have Dubya in there now. [/QUOTE] Oh…well, I guess that’s gonna be an agree to disagree thing. I think that saying you don’t like someone is indicative of things **about** the person you don’t like, and that, to me, is a valid reason not to want them to run the country. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/11 "2008-04-12T17:30:25Z")
I was referring to visceral (and sometimes conditioned) emotional reactions, not the result of actual reasoning processes. I don’t think we really disagree. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/12 "2008-04-12T19:39:27Z")
What’s likeable have to do with anything? The most **likeable** candidate this year, in either party, was Kucinich. What have you heard from him lately? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/13 "2008-04-12T19:50:35Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] I was referring to visceral (and sometimes conditioned) emotional reactions, not the result of actual reasoning processes. [/QUOTE] Overheard during the 1984 presidential campaign… My Friend’s Girlfriend At The Time: “I don’t like Mondale. I wouldn’t vote for him.” My Friend: “Oh? Why not?” MFGATT ( quite seriously ): “I don’t know. He has kind of a big nose.” Granted we were teens ( class of '85 ), but _still_ :p. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/14 "2008-04-12T19:53:19Z")
Most photogenic (I’ve read somewhere and could probably get a cite that in democracies/republics around the world the most photogenic candidate wins an alarming amount of time) Bad reason to vote for Hillary/McCain: Because Obama made a poorly received off-the-cuff remark about small towns. Bad reason to vote for Obama/McCain: Because Hillary’s personally richer than delta topsoil or because her husband was impeached for lying about infidelity. Bad reason to vote for Hillary/Obama: Because McCain is said not to be a nice guy (i.e. has a temper). ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/15 "2008-04-12T20:43:04Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] What’s likeable have to do with anything? The most **likeable** candidate this year, in either party, was Kucinich. What have you heard from him lately? [/QUOTE] I didn’t like him. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/16 "2008-04-14T13:09:36Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] Most photogenic (I’ve read somewhere and could probably get a cite that in democracies/republics around the world the most photogenic candidate wins an alarming amount of time) [/quote] How did Nixon ever get his foot in the door? [QUOTE=Sampiro] Bad reason to vote for Hillary/Obama: Because McCain is said not to be a nice guy (i.e. has a temper). [/QUOTE] That would be a very **good** reason. We can’t be having a [hot-tempered](http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080324/dreyfuss) president this decade, it’s too dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/17 "2008-04-14T13:15:20Z")
Bad reason to vote for Hillary: she has ovaries. Bad reason to vote for Obama: he’s black There are more bad reasons to vote against someone than for someone. The worst of the lot for voting against Obama: He’s a Muslim (though he isn’t) He doesn’t wear a flag lapel pin He doesn’t put his hand over his heart for the anthem, pledge, whatever ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/18 "2008-04-14T13:16:33Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] How did Nixon ever get his foot in the door? [/quote] TV was new. In fact, Nixon’s debate vs Kennedy (the first televised debate) is a classic one because people who heard it on the radio thought Nixon had won the debate while those who watched it on TV thought Kennedy did. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/19 "2008-04-14T13:19:55Z")
I’d go for (s)he fought/didn’t fight in some war sometime. But then I’m a foreigner so I can’t vote anyway…! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001/20 "2008-04-14T13:34:55Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] I was referring to visceral (and sometimes conditioned) emotional reactions, not the result of actual reasoning processes. I don’t think we really disagree. [/QUOTE] I remember a cartoon from the 2000 campaign. Three panels - each showing the same Joe Everyman. In the first, he said, “In choosing a doctor, I want the most capable, experienced person I can find.” In the second, he said, “In choosing a lawyer, I want the most capable, experienced person I can find.” In the third, “In choosing a President… I want a fishin’ buddy!” As to the OP: - Whoever has the better tailor - Because he or she somehow reminds you of a beloved teacher, mentor or friend - Merely because he or she is from your home state - Because of something the other candidate did, or didn’t do, 30 years ago that really has no bearing on what kind of President he or she would be [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-or-hillary-in-the-primaries/445001.md?page=2)