Politics - blarg

[melchar]

So why is it that candidates run for an office they will not get? It's heartbreaking to see the guy who makes the most sense has 0% chance - unless everyone else dies.

I like what Kucinich says the most. But he's short, has a 'funny' name - and THAT is why he won't win. Obama also has no chance to win the presidency either [heck, if he were just black and named 'Mike Smith', he'd be a shoo in] - but his -name- kills his chances. Damn. And no one is going to elect Biden, despite his experience and qualifications, because he is boring. [sighs]

IMO Hilary loses, not because she's female, but because her speaking style is shrill and abrasive. She supported [still supports] the Iraq war and is in bed with too many corporations [plus her 'health plan' stinks].

The sorriest bit is that IMO any combination of Edwards, Richardson or Biden would likely win the presidency. [And IMO we NEED a Democrat in office ASAP.]

It's WORSE on the Republican side. Huckleberry [I will NOT spell his name properly] is religiously driven and proud of his ignorance of ... just about everything. McCain & Romney ONCE had my respect, but have back-tracked on their original principles to the point that they have none any more. Fred Thompson just doesn't have the interest in running and seems to think his celebrity status makes him presidential [yuck].

This pretty much leaves Ron Paul [virtually no chance to win] - or Giuliani [difficult name to spell, irrational moods, treated loved ones horribly] - as the only 2 Republican candidates who don't trigger my gag reflex. ... But only just barely. IMO if they were put on a ticket [or Giuliani/McCain] - they would likely win the race. [But the chance of this happening is less than that of the asteroid hitting Mars.]

Comments

[bovil.livejournal.com]

You just need to know more about Ron Paul and Rude-y Giuliani, they'll make you gag too. Giuliani is more autocratic than George W, maybe more than Darth Cheney. Ron Paul is kookier than Chucklebee, it's just his supporters tend to be blind to anything but the positions that attract them.

[melchar.livejournal.com]

But that's kind of par for the Republican course these days. ^_^ That's why I want a Democratic candidate to win, even tho I've been a Republican for umpty years. {However, IMO there are virtually no Republican candidates that even knows what the heck the party's values are -supposed- to be any more.]

[maestrodog.livejournal.com]

Not to mention it is so much easier to fulfill promises and get things done when there is no fundamental clash of party values between Congress and the White House...

[bovil.livejournal.com]

I like Kucinich, but he's way too liberal for most of the country. Not gonna happen, no matter how earnest and sincere he is.

I think Obama has a chance, because I think swift-boating him could backfire. He's nice and he's subtle. He's also kind of post-Black (which will scare the right people).

I remember Biden from the last two decades of primaries. I remember the plagiarism incidents and Babhart Biden-Robb. He's been running too long, and that casts him in the role of a long-time loser. He's the current Bob Dole.

Clinton has a real handicap in the final election. It doesn't matter how many people like her, too many people hate her. There are also enough nuggets of real scandal around her that she could easily be swift-boated.

I want to like Edwards, but he was such a wet noodle when he was running for Veep. He should have been able to slice Cheney to ribbons in the debates.

I want to like Richardson, but looking at FactCheck (http://www.factcheck.org) he's more than a little sloppy on his facts and figures, probably the worst in the field. Still, a liberal southwestern latino has a lot of great scare-value for the right people, and he would probably be hard to swift-boat.

[kathykat.livejournal.com]

so then who does win?? and what do you think of a Clinton/Obama ticket?

[melchar.livejournal.com]

Clinton/Obama loses to everyone.

If the Dems want to win the race, then they should have any mix of Richardson, Edwards or Biden IMO. A bland ticket - but one that can win.

If the Reps want to win, then any mix of Giuliani, McCain, Paul or Thompson could do the job - not that I -want- any of them to win.

[howeird]

Too bad the media is completely ignoring Chris Dodd. Easy name to remember, not a bad-looking guy, Demo senator from CT, son of a Senator. Peace Corps Volunteer *and* Army National Guard + Reserves. Articulate, moderate and deeply knowledgeable in foreign affairs and economics.

[bovil.livejournal.com]

There's a lot to like about Dodd, but he just couldn't make any numbers in Iowa.

In Iowa and New Hampshire, it's not about the media. Sure, they love the media spotlight they get, but they've cultured an air of disdaining media politics and making it necessary for candidates to show up in person (granted, the only reason the candidates care enough to do so is because they're first, not because they're significant in any other way).

[johnnyeponymous.livejournal.com]

I'm itching for a Huckabee and Obama race. The one Democrat who seems like a President is Obama (and he said Tax Breaks, which is an easy way to get my vote). Huckabee is a good personality, but not a President.

I did like the comment that Obama was more JFK than MLK.
Chris

[yourbob.livejournal.com]

IMO, it doesn't matter in the short run who the Republican nominee is, the next President will be the Democratic nominee. And though I won't be participating in their nomination process (being of a third party), I will almost certainly vote for their nominee come November.

In some ways, on the Right I like Mike. He's personable and seems semi-honest, and when he loses big it might just chase the Fundies into the political background for awhile. Which would be very good for the Republican party.

[bovil.livejournal.com]

In CA, independents and alt-party affiliates can vote in the Democratic Primary, just not in the Republican primary.

[yourbob.livejournal.com]

That's not actually true any more for "recognized" parties (Dem, Rep, AInd, Green, Lib or P&F) according to my sample ballot which arrived today.

[melchar.livejournal.com]

The Dems -can- lose if they are arrogant - and arrogance in this instance is spelled 'Hilary'.

[When she outright claims to CBS and the public that she =is= the candidate and cannot lose the nomination - that frosts me almost as much as her 'Republican-lite' political stances. She has voted in favor of ever fascistic proposal brought forth by the Reps dark orifices and IMO she loses to -certain- Reps.]

With ANY luck tho, she won't be on the ticket, the Dems will win and the Reps will choose some repulsive pair for their ticket. However, given the hubris on both sides, I'm still VERY worried. We -need- the Dems to win, but it is not a fore-ordained event.

[narile.livejournal.com]

All I will say is that there is a reason they call him Kooky Kucinich, and another reason why Cleveland almost went bankrupt under him.

Personally, I hope for Tompson or Romney. Rudy is a bit to autocratic (Though he gets things done, and isn't afraid of the press.) Paul's foreign policy sucks male donkeys, and Huckleberry is just a republican version of Clinton.
On the democratic side, Edwards is a lightweight without a single decent idea, and Hilary has all the faults of socialism with a Machiavellian lust for power. Thus Obama to me is the least evil of those three.

[boojumbunn.livejournal.com]

So, we are agreed, we vote Bush into the whitehouse for a 3rd term? *giggles and hides*

Boojum the brown bunny

Myth of the discarded vote

[boojumbunn.livejournal.com]

You know, a lot of people say they don't vote for someone because they know that person can't win... and I sometimes wonder if we don't do ourselves a disservice.

Even if an individual you like can not win, if enough people actually like him AND vote for him then you can bet the parties will pay attention and find out why people chose to vote for them. I know I've gotten several calls from my party asking me who I would vote for if elections were today and why and we haven't even gotten to vote date yet.

Boojum the brown bunny

Re: Myth of the discarded vote

[narile.livejournal.com]

That is the importance of people like Nader, Paul, Perot, Etc. Because they can act the spoiler from people voting for them, even if they don't win, they can direct the discussion of the issues if they are smart about it.