Undecided voters give Obama hope in 2008 race

Wed Nov 21, 2007 7:33am EST Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Obama gaining on Clinton


ALTON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - David Tothill is neither a Republican nor a Democrat but he knows what he wants in the 2008 White House race -- a fresh face.

"I like to believe that we can have a leader whose family name is not Bush or Clinton," said the 53-year-old retired software engineer after hearing Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama speak. "I like what Obama had to say."

The Illinois senator is counting on voters like Tothill, one of many undecided independent voters who can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary in the influential early voting state of New Hampshire, well ahead of the November 2008 election.

Obama has an uphill task. New York Sen. Hillary Clinton leads in national polls as well as in New Hampshire six weeks before the start of the state-by-state battle for the Democratic nomination.

A CNN/WMUR poll by the University of New Hampshire released on Tuesday showed Clinton's lead widening over the past two weeks to nine points from six points in the state that traditionally holds the first presidential primary. One sign of hope for Obama -- almost half of Democratic voters have not finally decided.

There are some tentative signs that the fight for the Democratic nomination may be tightening. A Washington Post-ABC News poll on Monday showed Obama opening a four-point lead over Clinton in Iowa, within the statistical margin of error.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2064249520071121

I'm a registered Democrat, though. The only things I've decided upon are that I WON'T be voting for Hillary Clinton in the primary. I'll support our candidate in the General, though.

That much I've decided.

I've also decided that I've liked DK, and I voted for him in the 2004 primary, but lately he's made some votes which give me pause. Not that I won't vote for him again, just, well...undecided.

I've decided that I will seriously give Obama a second look. Not for the usual reasons, though. Not because of strong policy decisions one way or another. I still feel he is a bit green behind the ears, and unfortunately, that "green" is the wrong kind of green; his energy policy viewing coal as a green fuel is absurd, and he is not nearly outspoked enough about environmental issues. BUT...

I think having Barack Obama in the Oval Office, the first black American president, could actually help insulate the Democrats and the country from the type of horrible dirty tricks for which the Republicans are so famous. Clinton is poison. She's got heavy baggage, and the Republicans are salivating over themselves to use it. Vince Foster, Travelgate, Whitewater, Bill's penis, it will all become part of the Clinton presidency once again, and we'll further backslide into hate politics and party-line votes. Obama, however, may well make many Republicans have second thoughts about building walls, for fear of looking racist.

There, I've said it. If they're prepared to play dirty politics, we should be prepared to point out their votes against Obama as being potentially race-based, not merit-based. Just throw the question out there, don't necessarily accuse them of "racism." Just plant the seed. So many of them will panic at being perceived as racist, we might actually get some votes crossing the aisle. That will never, ever happen with Hillary Clinton as president; Republicans will only dig in their heels even more and never give an inch to support her.

I don't find Obama unattractive as a candidate, I'm just not thrilled with him. But I don't expect I'm going to be thrilled with any choice this election, so I at least don't want to have to be holding down lunch when I cast my vote. Obama just might be a very clever strategic choice for us.

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none of Kucinich's votes really phase me, and I don't think Clinton is as poisonous as you do. She's my last choice in the primary, but if she is the candidate, she'll be running against either rudy, who has even more skeletons in his closet than she does, or Romney who elicits deep distrust from the fundy right wingers (as does rudy) and who has huge flip flopping issues.