Vote for the one with the best hair!

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He dropped out.

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I have been a nonpartisan voter all my life. Registered to vote for the first time in 1972 (I would have been three weeks too young to vote in 1968 if the 18-vote bill had passed back then) and the only time I ever registered with a political party was in 1980 when I had to be a registered Republican to vote for John Anderson in the primary. Changed it back to nonpartisan at the speed of light thereafter and have never budged from that stance since.

This year, I like one of the Republicans and one of the Democrats. I did not realize this till after the primaries started and I found myself saying "Yes!" when I heard who won.

In California, if the parties permit it, a nonpartisan voter can request a partisan ballot in the primary and vote for a partisan candidate. Otherwise, we are shut out (oh, we can vote on the various ballot measures and for any nonpartisan candidates, usually judges, who happen to be up for election). This year, the Democrats and the American Independent Party have decided they are not afraid of us big, bad nonpartisans and have permitted us to request their ballots if we so desire. The Republicans are scared shitless by this notion and won't permit it.

So tomorrow, I have the option of picking one of the Democrats, if I want to. Do I feel strongly enough about abandoning my fiercely nonpartisan habits just this one time?

The more I think about it, the more I think I do.

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This year, the Democrats and the American Independent Party have decided they are not afraid of us big, bad nonpartisans and have permitted us to request their ballots if we so desire.

That's pretty cool. I wish more states would do that.

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A-fucking-men. If it comes down to the DNC and they pick Al Gore, I'm quitting the party and the world.

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Sorry, but I lost the luxury of voting for my absolute #1 personal choice when Edwards dropped.

Besides, this isn't the only factor at work here. I'm voting Obama in the TX primary a) because the differences with HC are actually significant, AND b) because he handily beats McCain/Romney/Huck/Reagan's Corpse in November. For once, and at least for the time being, I get to have it both ways.

P.S. Dems nominated Kerry not because he'd captured their hearts as the definitive Bush-slayer, but because people allowed the media to tell them Howard Dean wasn't "presidential" because he yee-hawed for his campaign staff. In other words, the next best thing.

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I'm curious: in what ways do you see Obama as being significantly different from HRC? Policies, experience, ability to work with others? I'm particularly interested if you see significant differences in the policies they'd try to enact, as I haven't heard much difference between the Democrats on that.

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It's an interesting point - what do base your vote on?

It's kind of funny from my vantage point - as I told my husband last night (the Democrat) I, the life-long moderate Republican, would vote for Hillary over McCain, but McCain over Obama. So I find it rather funny when people tell me that Obama could beat McCain but Clinton can't.

You can't predicate your vote on what you *think* someone else is going to do - you need to vote based on what you think the candidate will do.

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I'll have to think about that some. My gut instinct was that your statement (about not voting based on what other people would do) was slightly wrong -- meaning wrong in particular circumstances. But I'm having a hard time defeating the statement. It minimally requires three people running against each other to be wrong, and I don't like how negating your statement effectively empowers the media.

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Hear hear

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I like Obama. On the other hand, he's got no real experience and he reminds me way, way too much of Jimmy Carter for me to vote for him.

So I'll probably wind up voting for Clinton.

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"No real experience"? He has only slightly less "experience" than Hilary; that is, if you don't buy into ludicrous "35 years of experience" slogan.

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My voting strategy is slightly different. But I agree with you that Hillary and Barack are quite similar to each other. Just reading their issues and plans makes that clear.

(edit: sorry for the mangled link)

Edited at 2008-02-04 09:24 pm (UTC)

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That's why I keep voting Kucinich. He is exactly who I would want.

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How many times do you get to vote? ;)

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I'm actually planning to vote for Obama because I think he'd stand a better chance against McCain. If it's Romney or Huckabee who gets the GOP nod, I'm voting for Clinton (NC's primary ain't until May, blah).
36% of voters are absolutely opposed to Clinton. For God knows what reason, McCain's popular with independents. Starting with 36% of the voters on his side, and then having a healthy advantage with independents, makes Clinton's job real difficult at that point, whereas Obama doesn't have that huge block already against him, and has appeal with independents himself.

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Against Clinton is not for McCain. A quarter of the country apparently won't vote for a Mormon and that's not what's been slowing Romney down.

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This would be funnier if people were actually caring about issues in this campaign.

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if they were playing the game of "who [they] think can get elected", they wouldn't be running an ethnic man against a woman.

hillary would also not be talking about robbing poor people to spare the rich from having to pay taxes for a health plan.

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Unfortunately, that's just a minor revision to Mitt Romney's "health plan." Which is REALLY designed to screw young workers out of 10% or more of their income.

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Oh yes. The "electability" thing makes me want to pound my head on a wall repeatedly. What the heck do the Democratic insiders know about electability? Every time they're pushed someone based on that, they've been dead wrong. I want to vote for someone offering something to hope for and believe in, not this year's brand of realpolitik. Of what's left, I prefer Obama, but I still find him disappointing.

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Well, if you are an Obama guy, you might want them to vote for who they think can get elected. National polls show that he beats McCain while a Clinton/McCain campaign is much closer.

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I decided on Obama after checking out ALL the candidates. I admit some of it was that I thought he had a shot -- I'm too politically driven to back a dead horse -- but as I've gone on, frankly, he's someone I'm 150% voting for.
The more I read on him, the more I see him, and the more people who've known him for years talk about him (like the lady I met Sat.), the more I think he really does represent a new way of working politics, one more honest, above-board, and most importantly, grassroots, that really empowers the ordinary person.

Most importantly of all, he's NOT SCARED OF THE MF'ING GOP. I can't say how tired I am of voting out of fear.

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How about what he stands for? What is he going to do to fix the problems we have? Does that factor into the equation at all?

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I'm ashamed to admit I have no idea when the primaries for my state are or if I can even vote in them. I was planning to vote in the actual election, and I've done a bit of research on the Dem candidates, but I've kind of been wanting to wait and see what happens during the rest of the year. Obama looks good to me so far, Hillary doesn't look like Satan (not saying she looks great, but she's not the worst candidate of all time), and I don't have any opinion on Edwards other than not liking him simply because he's from the state I live in (I'm a northener who's been stuck in the south most of my life).

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As a fellow quasi-transplanted North Carolinan, please excse the temerity...
Our Primary is May 6th. Last day to register is April 11th. Here's the site:
http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/

(and yes, I'd do this no matter who you support. Although you should know that Edwards is out of the race.)

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Well said. I will support enthusiastically whomever becomes the Dem candidate, but I'll be voting for Senator Obama tomorrow too. And for what it's worth, I don't think Clinton can beat McCain in the general election.

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Yes. I think that both Clinton and Obama have a decent shot in the general - especially given McCain's age and the lovely legacy the Bush administration left. But trying to play that game again would be stupid. (Because, honestly, what were you people thinking with Kerry?)

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I won the local Morningtide release tourney Saturday and the Giants won the Super Bowl. Come on Obama wins Super Tuesday - Joshy needs a hat trick!!!

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I know there's a website dedicated to Dubya's monkey-esque visage, but it may also be worth considering changing one little vowel...

How's smirking chump?

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I can go with that. Sadly.

I want to like my President, y'know?

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Your vote in the primary may well matter, even if your vote is likely to get washed out of the general election.

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Even beyond the issues, you know what really made me want Obama to win the primaries?

He makes me cheer. He makes me believe.

After so many soul-numbing years of Bush in the White House, I want to be inspired again, damnit!

Gah! I am so sick of wanting to club the Idiot in Chief upside the head every time he opens his freaking mouth. And that smug little laugh of his is physically painful for me. *shudders*

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*nods* Voting for Gravel, here...

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In my state people who aren't registered for a political party can vote in either primary. Although I'm liberal in my views, I'm going to vote in the Republican primary b/c McCain is much less bad (in my opinion) than any of the other Republican candidates, and I do not feel strongly for any of the Democrats. If Romney weren't so close to McCain I'd vote for Huckabee or Ron Paul b/c then I think they'd lose the general election, but I really really don't want Romney as president.

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