Who else is utterly confused?

I used to hold Bill Clinton in the highest regard but am quickly losing all respect for him.
I side with Hillary on the issues but want a non-Bush/Clinton in the White House.
I like Barack's inspirational speeches and oratory skills but am concerned that he will move too far to the center on things like health care, etc.
I like John Edwards' message the most but am concerned by his repeated "regret" regarding votes that mattered a lot to me.
I want to nominate the most electable but (obviously) can't predict what the most critical issues to Americans will be.
I want to nominate the most electable but (obviously) can't predict who the "other guy" will be, which makes it difficult to pick a candidate.
I want Barack to maintain his campaign of hope but don't want him to get steamrolled.
I want Hillary to stay calm and not show a disturbing inclination to become "shrill," but I like that she defends herself so well.
I don't know what Middle America thinks.
I enjoyed the competitiveness and authenticity of the debate but am concerned that it is a turn-off.


I am a Californian still waiting for clarity and have absolutely no idea who I am going to vote for. Is anyone else confused?

make sure we have someone as president who will give our government back to us regular working people.

that. Too entangled with corporate America.

No worries. You're probably the most normal DU'er of the lot.

because I want his populist message in the mix.
I don't expect him to win
But I expect that the others will have to move closer to his positions.

While many others here are worried about D&R, I'm worried about the future for my children.
I've been worried about the economy for a long time.
I haven't been worried that the corporations are endanger; corporate profits will recover.
But people are not as resilient as an income statement.
You raise a child in poverty with poor food and care, that may readily effect them for their entire lives.
And children are my passion.
I care about the environment because I care about the children.
I care about labor because I care about children
I care about healthcare because I care about children
I don't see that the current trajectory will provide them with a great future.
Science, technology, medicine, research and careers are leaving these shores as fast as the manufacturing base left us.
Hell, now that Japan is developing a nurse robot, you can't even count on that to be left for our children to do.

This hollowing out of America is a focus for Edwards.

And I am ready for new leadership that takes a different approach and thinks out of the box.

I want a leader who will sit at a round table and have a televised conference on C-Span and discuss with interested parties of all shapes and size, the approach to take for our New Health Care system.

I want a President that gets all foreign nations to scratch their ass and wonder if maybe this is a new dawning for a renewed America.

I want a leader that will excite folks to get out and vote for him.....

I want a President that understand that the position is bigger than any man/woman.

I want President Obama to usher us into a new direction in the 21st century, finally!



Clinton-Bush-Clinton-Bush is just not the way to announce a fresh start!

and no, I don't want this man back in my White House again, but thank you for asking!

You can click through and get an idea of the kinds of legislation he supports. Note the Health Care Coverage amendment at the very bottom. That is his Illinois State Constitutional Amendment to make health care a right in Illinois. In my book, that makes him the most trustworthy on health care, he's already proven what he'd do with the power.

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/legisnet90/sponsor/OBAMA.html

Hillary is Hermionie - policy wonk, loyal, and tough
Edwards is the Weasley twins - charming, and rebellious when he's had enough BS
Obama is Harry - has the innate skill but needs the others to help make it happen
Bill is Snape some days and Dubmledore on other days.

Although I'm sure other will see it differently...I had to try. :)

I had to try. :)

I'm a big Potter fan too. I'm re-reading the last book again now. :)

Too bad I can't recommend that post. :)

:)

just a bit, though!

important to me.

Silence from the top three on accountability, privatization of Iraq's resources (maybe that's why they are fighting us?) and silence on Bush's propaganda against Iran. That's pretty telling IMO.

Dennis has earned my vote, the others have not. :)


http://www.alternet.org/story/74268?page=1

"...Hedges: Have we evolved into a corporate state?

Kucinich: I Look at it as the political equivalent of genetic engineering. That we've taken the gene of corporate America and shot it into both political parties. So they both now are growing with that essence within. So what does that mean? It means oil runs our politics. Corrupt Wall Street interests run our politics. Insurance companies run our politics. Arms manufacturers run our politics. And the public interest is being strangled. Fulfilling the practical aspirations of people should be our mission. How do we measure up to providing people with jobs? It was a Democratic president that made it possible for NAFTA to be passed, causing millions of good-paying manufacturing jobs that help support the middle class. . . .

NAFTA, GAT, the WTO, China Trade, and every other trade agreement that's passed in Congress has been passed with the help of either the leadership of or with the help of the Democratic Party, knowing that each and every one of those agreements was devoid of protections for workers, knowing that if you don't have workers' rights put into a trade agreement then workers here in the United States are going to see their own bargaining position undermined because corporations can move jobs out of the country to places where workers don't have any rights. They don't have the right to organize, the right to collective bargaining, the right to strike. So what I see is that the Democratic Party abandoned working people, and paradoxically they're the ones who hoist the flag of workers every two and four years only to engender excitement, and then to turn around and abandon their constituency. This is now on the level of a practiced ritual..."

I've been into politics since I was a kid.

It's a messy, ugly, chaotic business... I like to use the sewer system as an analogy... it's a dirty, stinky job... but someone has to deal with it.

My candidate dropped out too soon - and the reasons I chose him from the beginning over the others have not gone away.

I don't think Obama is ready; and he has displayed that several times over the year.
I can't get over Hillary voting for Kyl/Lieberman.
Edwards - not for me.

My primary is on the 5th, and I still haven't decided.

My wants and buts are a bit different from yours, though some are similar.

On ideology and positions, I'm with Kucinich.

I see positives and negatives for Obama, Clinton, and Edwards. I think Clinton would be best in the job, and after reading things here, the country seems to need to get past a lot of gender issues and break that glass ceiling (even though HRC herself would be cut and really harmed by the shards!). But there are some big negatives for her as a candidate. I like Obama's potential for engendering unity and positive feelings, but those things can be fragile and fleeting, and I'm not crazy about all his compromises toward the rightwing. Until recently I was rather anti-Edwards, but at this point I'm fine with him, too. He's got some of the pluses and minuses of both Clinton and Obama (I don't really think he's as ultra-liberal as he's running this time) and some things that strike me negatively personally, but he's no worse overall, I suppose.

The negatives are what get me, I think. When we have a nominee, I'll focus on all the positives there are. But right now it's difficult because in my view, whoever ends up with it, will have some pretty heavy negative aspects we're going to have to contend with. (I didn't feel the same way about Clark and Kerry, btw.)

I used to hold Bill Clinton in the highest regard but am quickly losing all respect for him. -- Bill has always been a fighter, I like that about him.

I side with Hillary on the issues but want a non-Bush/Clinton in the White House. -- A good candidate shouldn't be eliminated because of their name, height, sex, race, etc.

I like Barack's inspirational speeches and oratory skills but am concerned that he will move too far to the center on things like health care, etc. -- I'm mostly focused on who can actually get something passed and implemented. Grand ideas are worthless if all they do is sit on a president's desk.


I like John Edwards' message the most but am concerned by his repeated "regret" regarding votes that mattered a lot to me. -- John is hard to read, but he'll be no more to the right than Hillary or Obama.


I want to nominate the most electable but (obviously) can't predict what the most critical issues to Americans will be. -- Waste of time to predict electability (besides, this year it's almost a slam dunk win for the dems).


I want to nominate the most electable but (obviously) can't predict who the "other guy" will be, which makes it difficult to pick a candidate. -- see above.

I want Barack to maintain his campaign of hope but don't want him to get steamrolled. -- nothing compared to what the republicans have waiting for him.


I want Hillary to stay calm and not show a disturbing inclination to become "shrill," but I like that she defends herself so well. -- It's hard for a woman to fight and not be perceived negatively.


I don't know what Middle America thinks. -- Shouldn't factor into your decision.


I enjoyed the competitiveness and authenticity of the debate but am concerned that it is a turn-off. -- Again, don't worry about what other think.