So. Michigan decided to move it's presidential primary election to January 15 in an attempt to be more relevant to the campaigns. (We used to be a Super Tuesday state.) In future elections, this may pay off, but for this year the effect has been to disenfranchise me as a would-be Democratic voter. Only 4 nominees will be on the Democratic ballot. The rest have boycotted in support of the DNC's policy against states "jumping ahead in line". The two candidates I would be most interested in voting for are among the boycotters. Hillary Clinton will win the non-contest, as the only "top tier" candidate on the ballot. I would likely vote unenthusiastically for Hillary over a Republican if she became the nominee, but I'm not psyched to vote for her in the primary.
Lucky for me, I have an alternative: voting in the Republican primary! We have an "open" primary, which means I do not have to register as a Republican to participate. I'm not looking to be a spoiler -- I want to vote for the Republican that would be the most acceptable president to me. If only I could decide whom that would be!
I thought it might be fun to get some help from my blog friends! If you are going to vote Republican, whom are you supporting and why? If you are voting Democratic, what factors would help you make a decision like this? Please keep it as positive as possible -- you can critique the candidates' platforms or records and talk about your own priorities, but please do not cast aspersions on a candidate's supporters or disrespect another person's priorities. (Disagreement does not equal disrespect, as I think we all know.)
I can't wait to hear what you all think. I'm finding it a fun exercise to choose from a group of candidates I normally wouldn't consider. Do I go straight pro/con on policy questions, or -- especially after the disaster that has been Bush II -- do I pay more attention to honesty and integrity?
Discuss...
Portrait of the Artist as a Middle-Aged Woman
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I received my membership card from the Philadelphia Museum of Art today.
The front of it has an excerpt from a painting by Wassily Kandinsky, Circles
in ...
2 years ago
10 comments:
First, I think it's just about time to shake up the whole primary system. The one we have is confusing, annoying, and seems not to be achieving the goal of really getting to know all of the candidates.
And, that said...
Dennis Kucinich is my first choice Dem. candidate. I line up with him on nearly every issue and I think he is one of the few genuine people in the mix. However, as he stands no chance...
Obama is my hope to win the Dem. ticket. I think he's got integrity, the smarts, the ability to draw people in. However, as he won't be on the ballot, for you...
Eh, on Hillary. I have wanted to like her. If she's the Dem. nominee, I will vote for her. But I do think she is polarizing and I'm ready to be done with the Clinton/Bush thing.
So, on the Republican side, I want to say I could live with Rudy Giuliani as I like that he is socially liberal, but, I don't know. His views on Iran, on torture, on health care do not at all match up with mine. Giuliani might be the best of a bad situation, for me, but not much more than that.
And I'm sure that doesn't help you one bit! ;)
Well, it doesn't help me much only because we think a lot alike! :o) If I could, I'd vote for Obama. (I'm pretty miffed about not getting the chance.) I feel almost exactly like you do about Giuliani, with the added problem that his personal character turns me off so much that I don't know if I could bring myself to vote for him. He's the one I would trust the most with supreme court nominations though, and that's no small thing. Hmmm...
Thanks for sharing your opinion!
Oh, I should have said that I like some of what I've heard from Joe Biden too. (He's the other one of the two Democrats I would consider.) If they were both on the ballot, I'd have to do some deeper research. I'd probably go with Obama though -- I find him more inspiring, and I think we need that now. JMO!
I agree with you on Giuliani's character. The thinking toward Supreme Court nominees is a good point though. In that regard, Giuliani might be the only Republican I might trust.
I forgot to add yesterday that McCain scares me a bit. He comes off as a "moderate" Republican, but when digging deeper into where he stands on many issues (from health care to the minimum wage to pro-choice to war) I found him to be very, very "right" leaning. I say this "scares" me because if I was surprised at what I found with McCain, my guess is that others would be too?
I'm late adding my 2 pennies but I am liking Obama too. (And you know I am no Dem..lol) I do not want to see Hillary win it..I do not like her at all. And I agree about McCain, while I really liked him a great deal at the beginning, there are too many 'familiar' things about he views the issues. We need change! And what is up with Huckabee? Shessh! (I know I didn't help at all...:)
I'd like to thank you, Stephanie, for making my life so much harder this election season. I was already completely flummoxed about how to find a Democrat I felt comfortable voting for; now I feel challenged to learn more about the Republicans so I can vote for one of them in January, if need be.
I have a master's degree in Political Science and I used to follow politics really closely--now I can't even keep all these people straight.
Speaking of Democrats, I was never too much of a fan of Hillary Clinton. When I was in Chicago in August I stayed for two weeks with a family who only turned the TV on to watch the Democratic debates going on at the time, so I watched them--and I liked Hillary! She seemed more knowledgeable, more aware of complexities and nuances, and more experienced than the other candidates. Obama seemed naive to me.
It's amazing that with so many people in the race there's not one I agree with on most issues. When I take those on-line quizzes "which candidate best suits you," the best I get is about 60/40 agreement with anybody, and my top four guys or so are a mix of dems and republicans. It's weird. I don't know how the heck I'm going to vote, in the primary or in the election.
Tag you're it! Come get your meme!
I agree with Jennifer's comments. Can't you vote in the Dem primary and write in Obama?
Are you still looking for answers? I don't know--I think I would take the Giuliani side as well. McCain creeps me out, too. I once saw him speak in college and met him afterwards (don't ask) and he creeped me out then and still does.
I've cooled on Clinton, too, btw! But I'll back her if it comes to that!
Su, Your welcome, lol! If Hillary weren't *Hillary*, I'd be more inclined to support her. I agree she has done well in the debates I've seen. My issue with her is that I really fear for what yet another "divisive" president would mean for our country. I also worry about her being vulnerable in the general election. I haven't seen those quizzes -- I'll have to go find one!
Angela, thanks for the tag and your thoughts. :o)
Eileen, I cannot write in a boycotting Dem candidate and have it be counted. A write-in candidate has to agree to *be* a candidate, and those who have boycotted have officially withdrawn their names from consideration in Michigan. Bummer. Otherwise that's exactly what I would do.
Aliki, YES, I'm still stumped! How interesting that McCain creeped you out in person. He comes across as one of the most admirable candidates in interviews, etc. I don't agree with him on much, but I've always respected his "straight talk" style. I don't think I could vote for him anyway -- too conservative.
I really wish Huckabee weren't so conservative on the so-called "traditional values" issues. I'm liking his character (for the most part), and his more moderate stance on immigration, the environment and government's role in caring for citizens. But the fact that he wants to pass that darn marriage amendment is pretty much a deal-breaker for me. Darn, this is tough!
Stephanie
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