Kucinich... Biden... Edwards... Whoever. No more, I'm pledged.

Okay, I've stayed out of the game for months since my support has been utterly irrelevant. I live in Florida and my preferences are all long gone from the race. I felt very little enthusiasm or investment in whether Obama or Clinton got the nomination. Both were at the dead bottom of my prioritized list of democratic hopefuls. Hence....whoever.

I've been observing their race with detached amusement, bemusement and at times, disgust. The fervor of their supporters here has been a wonder to behold. I have gotten a lot of information about both candidates, observed their behavior and the behavior of those who advocate for them and work directly for them. I have analyzed the pitiful media coverage but avoided polls.

I can say with utter sincerity that no candidate has a monopoly on educated, insightful, respectful advocates. And no candidate has a monopoly on hero-worshipping, non-critical thinking, attack dogs. I have seen both types of people support both candidates. But mostly the dialogue has consisted of democrats who simply want to see the next President of the United States represent their interests and actually support and defend the Constitution to which they pledge their oath of office.

I am not a Superdelegate. I am not voting in an upcoming primary. I am not anyone whose endorsement carries any weight whatsoever, so committing myself at this point is meaningless. But for the sake of clarity and honesty on this forum I can no longer post as a neutral party.

I can now state without reservation that I believe Obama, of the two, to be by far the better representative of the democratic party in the bid for President of the United States. Clinton now generates in me the shudder factor I feel when I contemplate a McCain presidency. If Clinton wins the nomination, I will vote Democrat in the general election. But I would be disengenuous if I did not admit I will do so with a heavy feeling in my heart.

I realize Obama's willingness to engage in dialogue with the other side of the aisle and his desire for bi-partisan cooperation is viewed as weakness by some. Personally, I find this more realistic and far healthier for our country and our future. Negotiation is not appeasement or conciliation. It is how things get done and marks true progress.

I find Clinton's belligerent language as of late utterly distasteful and is primarily what pushed me over the edge. Stating we will "obliterate" a nation in the event they do something astoundingly unlikely perpetuates the culture of a violent nation. Acknowledging that all options are on the table and can be evaluated when the time comes is not the same thing as boldly stating which option will be utilized, it being the most extreme.

No candidate will ever perfectly match my character and policy preferences unless I decide to run myself. Not bloody likely! Therefore I have always known I would have to support someone I did not agree with on some issues and in some manners of approach. Obama is not perfect and I do have some reservations. But as the choice has come down to two the evaluation becomes a bit easier.

Senator Barack Obama has my full support. I truly hope he wins the nomination and in a way that does not damage him for the campaign against McCain.

Very nicely done, too :toast:

well said.

:grouphug: :hi:

:hi:

:applause:

This was a beautiful post.

I agree with just about everything you've said here. Obama and Clinton were near the bottom of my list when this all started. I worked hard in the draft Gore movement and hoped he would run, but I always knew I'd need a second choice. I started with Richardson, moved to Dodd and then Biden (although at the time I would have been happy with either of them). When they were gone I moved to Edwards. When he was gone I moved to Obama by default. Now, I am a strong supporter (although I wouldn't be unhappy if we had a brokered convention and wound up with a Gore/Obama ticket, something that will not happen).

I, too, will vote Democratic no matter what, but would really like to believe in the person I'm voting for. Clinton is not that person, although I think she's qualified to be president. I disagree with her tactics and with her ties to big corporations, but know she's far better than McCain. We can't afford to have a Republican in the White House.

First of all, I am THE demographic everyone says is sticking with Hillary thorugh thick and thin...older white woman...

I am an elderly women's right advocate.... and an staunch Clinton supporter/defender all during their White House years... Her conduct and Bills, has been an eye opener. I am an Obama supporter because of it.

You all know the long list of her transgressions...but her most recent attempt to sway the minds of the superdels is to mount a campaign to convince them Obama is unelectable in this state or that state. She expects it to be taken away from a black man who has earned it according to the rules no matter what.

Hillary is unelectable in any state of the union.

She cannot win any state without the Obama supporters black AND white, and she will not
have them if she gets the nomination down and dirty.

I've got white, and I've got woman. I'm definitely not young, but not sure whether I am young old, medium old or old old. Depends on who you're talking to I guess. My kids certainly consider me old old. ;)

I'm a 58-year-old white woman and I haven't been with her since she started running. I was a very strong supporter of Bill's -- through everything -- but even he has been turning me off lately with his tactics. It's too bad that her campaign has turned people against him as well as her.

I agree that she's unelectable. That's why so many right wingers want to see her as our candidate.

Now I'm with Obama, for similar reasons.

And yes, I'm in Florida. I cast my primary vote for Edwards when it counted. Or didn't.

:kick:

As long as the democratic party can bank on those votes, the ones where we hold our noses, we continue to get centerists, or DINOs. When we begin to tell them we WILL NOT vote for those types of candidates, perhaps we can move OUR party back to the LEFT where it belongs.

In truth, now we are choosing between two centerists at best. I still think, and always have that Clinton is more of a republican. Hoping for more progressive ideals from Obama should he be elected.

And what I see in Obama is an idealist, that probably at the core of his heart is not so far from you. But he also recognizes that with politics being what they are atm in the US, you can't just jerk the country far out to the left (that would be your left, but my middle ;) ). So he is advocating and practising a more pragmatic approach. And in the end I think that will serve what you see as your cause, better than getting what most in the US would see as a far leftist.

If Obama can get actual movement behind his intentions and get actual results, you will stand a better chance next time of pushing a little further to the left. And so on and so on. You will need the backing of at least 50+1 of the country and not alienate the rest (and 20% of the ones you had) in the process, as BushCo has done.

I believe that Obama can do that, and that it will ultimately serve as a good primer for a gradual shift towards a more progressive minded voting public.

So yeah, it might not be your ultimate wish. But in the current situation it might be what you actually should wish for.

Consider it an investment.

Oh, and to the OP: Thank you, from me and basically everyone I know that cares about this.

I can't support someone who wants to "obliterate" another country, just to flex her muscles.

I appreciate your unbiased post of reason...I wish the rest of the party could be as insightful.

I am a big John Edwards fan, and have been, going all the way back to when he ran as VP with John Kerry. I have been supporting Barack since John withdrew from the primary race. Thanks for your post !!!
GOBAMA!!!
:thumbsup: :applause: :headbang: :patriot:

The place where fantasy can become reality, and the where the attitude of most people will ensure a McCain victory.

bill from ct

I kept resisting the urge to look down in your post to see who you were going to support.

I agree with you about engaging in dialogue with the other side of the aisle.

While I would love to live in a country where Dennis Kucinich could be President, I know, for now at least, that this is not that country.

The President of the United States of America should be just that -- the President of the United States of America. Not President of the liberals or the conservatives but of the Nation.

George Bush has been President of the right-wingers and neocons.
We need someone who will put the "United" back into the United States, because for years now, we are united in name only. It would be more apt to call us the Divided States of America.

I think Barack Obama may be up to the job of at least beginning to unify us. We'll see.

I was an Edwards supporter also, and when he dropped out, I did much the same as you: researched both Obama and Clinton before making my choice.

I, too, hope he gets the nomination, but if he doesn't, I'll vote for Clinton. I experience a "shudder" reaction with her too, but nothing compared to the one I get when I think of McCain taking the oath of office on 1/20/09.

I was relieved to not have a horse in the race and I didn't until around 11am on March 18th, when Obama chose to speak to me like I was an adult. I was so shocked that I landed solidly in his camp before I even realized it. It's sad that we live in such a time and place that being talked to as if I were an adult by a politician was shocking, but there it is.

thank you for expressing my sentiments as well.

:hi:

Welcome to the Obama camp.

:hi::hug:

Welcome aboard the Peace Train for Change, Pacifist Patriot..

:hi:

since Edwards withdrew right before the CA (my) primary. Hillary also generates a shudder reaction as well. This is surprising because I was a defender of hers throughout the 90s but can no longer do so. The idea of the dlc gaining another toe hold in the WH, completely turns me off. If she is the nominee, I'll vote for her but once again my vote is being held hostage and I'm sick & tired of voting that way.

:toast:

"Negotiation is not appeasement or conciliation. It is how things get done and marks true progress."

Amen, sister.

:toast:

:kick: I started with Kucinich too.....

Pretty much exactly how I feel.

I'm a Kucinich supporter -- nobody is as perfect a representative of my ideals as he -- and Edwards came in a distant 2nd. But these two whom the media decided upon long ago as our choices are pretty much the same on policy and voting records and conviction; both are willing to waffle and double talk on sticky issues instead of taking a stand.

But the more I've seen of both of them, the clearer it becomes that I would feel far prouder to look up at Barack in our White House than Hillary whose behavior, frankly, is an embarrassment to herself and to our party and to the country.

:kick:

going beyond the mainstream media analysis of the candidates is a must.

please kick this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG0TsYTb6_E

Of all Democratic candidates still running, I still think Mike Gravel is the best. But obviously he's not going to win, so yes, I agree with you Obama is the better of the two serious candidates.

And like you, he was far from my first choice (was Kucinich), but I guess the best one never wins...
You also hit the nail right on the head when describing the feelings you have far HRC... I feel the same way.

I know, I can't vote, but I still follow American politics obsessively. ;)

with you. Hillary has been on my shit list for a very long time (thank you IWR, Kyl) and I have long been more anti-McCain/anti-Clinton than pro-Obama. But the whole obliterate Iran thing was truly beyond the pale for me.

I now see her as being dangerous and needing to be stopped.

So Obama got $25 from me, to help with that process.

What a long, winding road I have taken with her -- going from wishing she were the one running in '92, to actively trying to stop her in '09. :(

On GOBAMA Street!

Welcome aboard!

:party:

she lost me after she started complaining about FL and MI...

:hi:

Welcome to the side of reason and sanity :grouphug:

Since the Edward's exit, I've been disillusioned by our party.

I, too, have come to the realization that Obama is the lesser of these 2 evils.
We know what Hillary is about, plus she's given us a glimpse into her "real" agenda. Bomb Iran.
She still carries those Republican roots.

At least Obama offers us the possibility of a new direction & achieving some of our goals. I hope he actually has as much integrity as he seems to have.

Threatening to nuke Iran is going to make them more likely to develop nuclear weapons, not less likely. That comment was George W level sabre rattling.

there are people who state the opposite but actually want Iran to develop nuclear weapons...or try to. Any excuse for access to those oil fields. But that's just the black helicopter pilot in me.

...aren't you?