Given that none of these candidates are even remotely close to Bush at all, we can firmly say that the anti-Bush camp won the country way before the actual election even started.
So we ended up with the three most anti-Constitution potential candidates, and now I have to mark a preference. Please understand that as a Republican Precinct leader, I will be conducting get-out-the-vote efforts for Republicans (including McCain), and I will likely cast my vote for the Libertarian Party candidate. I think McCain will be most dangerous, with his promise of 100-year wars, complete lack of any sense on the economy, and now back-tracking on torture. He has been the biggest opponent of free-speech in his tenure as Senator, and he is an angry, intractable personality who will breed resentment many on both sides of the aisle in Congress as well as among foreign leaders. It is a sad state of the current Republican Party that they stand to nominate an unelectable candidate who doesn't stand for many traditionally conservative values, just because he does so well in the media. Obama is rhetorically the most dangerous. His near-universal health-care, universal college education, and forced community service proposals sound more like feudalism to me than what our founders fought for. He has promised even higher corporate tax rates, which will put our country at an even worse competitive advantage on the global scale. He is the staunchest supporter of globalism among the 3 "remaining" candidates, and he has recently rail-roaded legislation through to put the full weight of UN social programs on the backs of US taxpayers. He did have a strong record on civil liberties in Illinois, so that puts him marginally ahead of John McCain, but not by much. He also supports nationwide bans on semi-automatic weapons and concealed carry (despite its great track record), and would be our most anti-gun candidate ever. Clinton should be viewed as the lightweight Barack Obama. Other than re-introducing her truly universal healthcare plan that the American people soundly rejected in 1993, her proposals are mostly scaled back versions of what Obama wants. She wants to punish the wealthy and corporations, but less than Obama, she is a globalist, but not to the same degree, and she's anti-gun, but not as much so. Her personality makes her hard to deal with, but she's sensible. I prefer her to the other two for one reason, and one reason alone. She is the most populist candidate left. She cares what people think more than McCain or Obama. Just like Bill, she will adapt her Presidency to the polls. And Populism in this country means very slightly left of center. She'll abandon her crippling Healthcare proposal when the full opinion of the American people reject it again. She'll bring the troops home if the American people call for it. She'll reject expansion of NAU-type partnerships if there is a public uproar. I certainly don't think we can have improvement under a Hillary Clinton administration, but she is our best hope for it not getting significantly worse.
DaDakota, clearly this page is a sample of the entire nation in your eyes. It is safe to say however that it is only a sampling of a percentage of the Clutchfans community. And it should noted that this page is not in the habit of conducting scientific polls.
I'm already on record as supporting Clinton. I like Weslinder's analysis and my assessment of the candidates is somewhat similar. There are many things that I like about all three and many things I don't like or distrust about all three. On the issues I'm closer to McCain than Obama (or Clinton's) stated positions on the economy and very much agree with McCain on issues of free trade. Since I am a cynic and know something about Clinton's history part of the reason why I support her more than Obama is that I think she won't stick with her rhetoric on trade and will actually continue supporting free trade as she has done in Congress and as the Bill Clinton Admin. did. Not knowing enough about Obama I don't know how he might govern in that regard. Where the biggest difference on issues that I have with McCain is on national security and civil liberties. Also given his conservative record and kowtowing to the religious right I am very concerned about where he is on social issues. Those issues will keep me from voting for him in the general election. Even though I'm an admitted cynic I will say that we have some very good candidates in this election and all three are better than GW Bush or John Kerry.
1a - Obama 1b - Clinton . . . . . . . . . 9.5 - McCain If the country elects another Republican President in 2008, after 8 years of the worst President in my memory (and I remember Ike. Not well, but I remember him), all I can assume is that the country has had a collective mental breakdown. Impeach Bush.
You understand that we would not be electing the same president, and that GWB is not exactly representative of Republican ideology right?
There are some who believe that the next presidency will be a one-termer and will get rocked hard from the follies of the current admin (economy, debt, Iraq, etc...)
I have no idea why people think this. Even McCain's campaign staff and advisors are referring to a McCain presidency as "the third term." McCain will do nothing but continue the failed policies of the last eight years. All indications point to this.
Well, mc mark said it better than I could. The American people, after taking their sweet time, finally figured out that Bush was a liar, a foreign policy disaster, and ultimately has done tremendous damage to the American economy. With the eager, willing participation of the formerly GOP controlled Congress. Realizing they have been duped for years, the backlash in November is going to make '06 look like a picnic for the GOP. They are going to be hammered at the polls. McCain, who used to be considered pretty independent within the GOP and at odds with Bush, has been busy joining himself at the hip with both Bush and his policies. I really think he's going to be a Bob Dole type of speedbump this Fall. Be prepared for huge Democratic gains in Congress and Obama winning the White House. You might want to put in a good supply of Valium. Impeach Bush.
I've had that feeling too and that is one of the concerns that I have with Obama. Obama has run a campaign that based on change but he might find himself being hamstrung by the mess we are in now. If Obama wins I get the feeling there will be a sharp letdown when Obama can't fulfill on his rhetoric.
That's it, I'm moving to Canada. *StupidMoniker is informed that Canada is the Democrats wet dream for what America could be* Damn it.
wow first forray into this thread and I find it veeeeeeery surprising you're again the first person to bring up race. so how do you feel about the ohio voter article you posted?
Switzerland, StupidMoniker. The Swiss don't know who their President is, they only recently joined the UN and still refuse full membership, and they have a great, relatively independent economy. Only 5% of their electricity comes from fossil fuels, so if we have a real worldwide oil shortage, they will be particularly well positioned for the future.
