Election musings and poll

[owlmoose]

So John Edwards dropped out. Since I had finally settled on him, and was actually looking forward to casting a vote that mattered for a candidate I liked, this throws me into a bit of disarray.


[Poll #1130367]

Comments

[bottle-of-shine.livejournal.com]

All the murmurings I hear from the adults I know favor Clinton; I'm not sure why. I hear a lot of "Obama doesn't have enough experience." but when I ask what sort of experience they'd want him to have, they don't have an answer. I'm on the far side of the fence here: I think it might be better if Obama walks into the presidency, young, without tons of political baggage. I might be in a minority, though.

Also, I know a lot of women who seriously buy into the whole, "oh there's a woman running, I better vote for her." DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THAT.

I guess, for the first time, America is going to face something huge: their sexism and their racism and religious intolerance, whether valid or invented because of Obama's heritage. This is why I think things will be up in the air for awhile yet — I figure things will change right up until the nomination.

[giandujabird.livejournal.com]

First of all, I should point out that my selection of McCain for the last "who's likely to be elected" question is *not* due to support. It's due to pessimism. I dearly hope I'm wrong. Unless someone like Romney or Huckabee. *shudder*

My opinion is likely to change as we approach November. Which means, of course, that you'll have to have a similar poll around October or thereabouts. :-)

[parron.livejournal.com]

See, here I am, hoping to God that McCain actually does get the Republican nominee. Because I just plain like him, for one, and would vote for him. But also because I also really like Clinton and Obama (the former a tiny bit more), and I would love an election where I couldn't decide between the R or D nominees.

Obama is really charismatic and everything, but I think he just gives off an air of being too "new." And I also think that with Clinton, people automatically (of course) associate her with her husband--you know, "hey, it's like letting him back in the white house again." I think that she stands a better chance for those reasons... she comes off as more worldly and experienced, and Obama as more... naive, almost, you know, very new. So right now I'm thinking it'll be Clinton in the end (although who really knows).

But dammit, I do love McCain, too. *laugh* He's too old and loud-mouthed and I just don't know that he can realistically get the R nomination, but I hope he does anyway. *laugh*

[iamleaper]

I was 100% Kucinich... until he dropped out. Now I'm 100% Obama. The more I see Clinton and the more I think about it... it makes me sick to my stomach. It's probably not her fault, but I don't like the idea of electing someone from a 'powerful family'. I feel the same way about the Kennedies. She is a woman, true, but the great thing about having free thought is that you don't have to support someone just because you have some basic genetic trait in common with them.

I hope that anyone but McCain gets the Republican nomination... because I cannot stand John McCain and I would likely be violently ill at the thought of him having the chance at being President. No one listens to me, but I was there and I heard him speak in the single most inappropriate manner I have ever heard, and no amount of "straight talk" can ever, ever forgive that.

[anzubird.livejournal.com]

I think part of the reason that Edwards felt he had to bow out is that he is in fact a white male, and in many ways he would have been standing in the way of history.
Still, I was somewhat bummed that he dropped out- I was just starting to get fed up enough with Hillary and Barack that I was considering voting for him!
I have to remember to listen to the democratic debate tonight.

The other thing I find interesting is that the candidates that seem to have to most appeal right now (aside from Hillary) are the ones who are not "party line" politicians. Especially among Republicans (we've seen where that party line gets us), but also among Democrats. It's actually kind of encouraging.

[oswulf.livejournal.com]

It was the timing that surprised me. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd dropped out after losing South Carolina _or_ after losing super tuesday. And in retrospect I guess I can see where he maybe wanted to choose the right milleu for the announcement, but I didn't see it coming.

The experience argument never ceases to blow my mind--for one thing, Obama actually has more experience serving in elected office than Clinton. More to the point--I don't think experience has ever won an election. As I stretch my mind back as far as I can remember details (around Eisenhower or so) I can think of a grand total of one election where the candidate with more 'experience' actually won (discounting re-elections).