I’m thinkin’ its the year of holding your nose and voting.
While this year seems a bit unusual in that there are a lot of interesting choices, none are a great choice unfortunately.
I think everyone is just going to make a list of the one’s that they could stand to vote for but never be enthusiastic about any of ‘em.
If Edwards-Huck (or even Obama-Huck), I’m going to start going to Mass every week and pray for McCain and Leiberman to start listening to the Unity08 folks. I mean, either’s a long way from what I want (both being moderates on the wrong things), but sane, serious men (or women) are needed in the White House right now.
I’m leaving the GOP too if Huckabee gets the nod. Actually, not only will I leave the party, I will join Kierkegaard in waging an all-out war on Christendom (just kidding, just on the evangelicals that voted for Huck and who’ve ruined the GOP).
Mitt has my vote because I believe we need someone with his brilliant business acumen to have a bright economic future and to compete with the ever growing China and India.
Thompson is my distant second choice. I just wish it seemed that he actually wanted the job.
Rudy would be fine but his presidency doesn’t inspire me to get out the vote for him.
I’ll sit out the election if McCain gets the nod. There is just too much I don’t like about his record. Also, I don’t think he has the composure to be POTUS. He’s very snarky and snippy. Probably just from his age but I don’t want to hear that for four years either.
The more I watch the race, the less I seem to have the slightest clue who I want. I *think* Hillary is my preferred candidate for the Dems, just because she’s the least anti-war and otherwise probably the least crazy, but if it comes down to my preferences for Democrats then the election’s going really badly.
On the Republican side, I know what I want, but none of the candidates are even close to delivering it. Paul’s great on fiscal policy but a loon otherwise. Huckabee is just as much of a loon, but without the virtues. Thompson seems to be running decent policies but being gruff and unlikeable seems his only strategy, and that’s a good way to put a Dem in office. Giuliani pushes most of the right buttons on foreign policy, but he seems a little too enthusiastic about it, and most of his domestic policies are terrible. McCain I respect a lot in the abstract, but on the policy level he’s very good at aggravating me endlessly with asinine proposals. Romney might be the best of the bunch, but he’s managed to squander most of his incoming credibility with stupid things like changing his opinion on abortion. I think I’m backing Romney, but I’m about as certain of it as I am of how I’m going to do on my upcoming stats exam.
I can’t believe your comments on Biden. He is almost purely evil and conniving.
I don’t like Obama, and I think it would be more than odd to have a war against Islam with a President named Barrack Obama Hussein, but he seems at least to be genuine. Genuinely communist/socialist, but definitely NOT in the Pelosi or Clinton machine. His victory would quash that for now.
If Obama were president, I fear for the war. He won’t stop the war, only victory or defeat against Islam can do that, but he will make it worse for us. He will also revert the judicial branch back on track to the FDR New Dealism that we’ve only begun to partially reject in the past decade or so.
But that drawback is better than perpetuating the Clinton machine.
And the republicans haven’t done anything to deserve power in the past 8 years, so I see no special reason to reward their behavior.
So, the country is doomed to learn the hard way. Again. Let’s hope that whatever happens in 2008, we can fix it in 2012.
Would like to understand issue with Giuliani domestic policies; please explain?
I want enthusiasm on foreign policy specifically GWOT; I want an SOB to tell Putin, Ahmadinejad, etc., not to mention race merchants and other pressure groups, where to get off; I want somebody with a record like he amassed in NYC (ask any native).
I am sad about some of his ‘values’ policy stances: soft on gays and abortion is one thing, but I feel strongly about the 2nd Amendment and I hope his conversion is genuine. Hopefully that can be managed with feet-to-the-fire.
As for illegal immigration, well, that may be bad for the USA, but IMHO it is good for New York. Wages or not, you need illegal Chinese immigrants to make world-class Chinese food. It’s just a fact. But I think he will close the Mexican border, which is what is on everybody’s minds, and take steps internally. A Thompson VP would boost this.
But domestic policy? Other than the above? ‘Splain pleez. You mean like cutting taxes?
I do agree that being the front runner early, he has slowed. But unlike Huckabee, he has time to rise again. Also, as I read it, his strategy is that he doesn’t need flashy primary victories, but to keep racking up delegates and placing substantially.
Any thoughts of something Macchiavellian with Huckabee throwing him his support…well, that would amuse me. That would be the kind of judo I would like to see out of a President.
Between Rudy and Romney I see no reason to pick Romney except that he seems to have been able to stick with one woman. And has a great head of hair .
But what I will always love Rudy for is straight talk. I mean, giving a straight, thoughtful answer to a straight question. He would do better if we heard more from him. Some of the things he says make you want to cheer.
I’m thinkin’ its the year of holding your nose and voting.
While this year seems a bit unusual in that there are a lot of interesting choices, none are a great choice unfortunately.
I think everyone is just going to make a list of the one’s that they could stand to vote for but never be enthusiastic about any of ‘em.
The McCain-Feingold Act is an awful lot for a 1st Amendment absolutist to swallow.
McCain-Feingold is a lot for 1st Amendment moderates to swallow.
The nightmare scenario is Huckabee vs. Edwards.
Jeez, Bill, did you have to go there!? I’ll lose sleep over that comment.
If Edwards-Huck (or even Obama-Huck), I’m going to start going to Mass every week and pray for McCain and Leiberman to start listening to the Unity08 folks. I mean, either’s a long way from what I want (both being moderates on the wrong things), but sane, serious men (or women) are needed in the White House right now.
Nice post, thanks.
There have been times when I’ve listened to Joe Biden talk and thought that he was a lucid, and even more rare, rational politician.
Then, he comes up with some of the seriously most screwed-up stuff that I can’t figure out how his brain managed to force that stuff to his mouth.
At least with GW you know he knows what he was going to say, he just screws it up.
With Biden it’s like unlocking the door between two universes and seeing stars from strange and unknown universes.
“Biden, for whatever reason, has been unable to gain any traction at all. That
I’m leaving the GOP too if Huckabee gets the nod. Actually, not only will I leave the party, I will join Kierkegaard in waging an all-out war on Christendom (just kidding, just on the evangelicals that voted for Huck and who’ve ruined the GOP).
Mitt has my vote because I believe we need someone with his brilliant business acumen to have a bright economic future and to compete with the ever growing China and India.
Thompson is my distant second choice. I just wish it seemed that he actually wanted the job.
Rudy would be fine but his presidency doesn’t inspire me to get out the vote for him.
I’ll sit out the election if McCain gets the nod. There is just too much I don’t like about his record. Also, I don’t think he has the composure to be POTUS. He’s very snarky and snippy. Probably just from his age but I don’t want to hear that for four years either.
The more I watch the race, the less I seem to have the slightest clue who I want. I *think* Hillary is my preferred candidate for the Dems, just because she’s the least anti-war and otherwise probably the least crazy, but if it comes down to my preferences for Democrats then the election’s going really badly.
On the Republican side, I know what I want, but none of the candidates are even close to delivering it. Paul’s great on fiscal policy but a loon otherwise. Huckabee is just as much of a loon, but without the virtues. Thompson seems to be running decent policies but being gruff and unlikeable seems his only strategy, and that’s a good way to put a Dem in office. Giuliani pushes most of the right buttons on foreign policy, but he seems a little too enthusiastic about it, and most of his domestic policies are terrible. McCain I respect a lot in the abstract, but on the policy level he’s very good at aggravating me endlessly with asinine proposals. Romney might be the best of the bunch, but he’s managed to squander most of his incoming credibility with stupid things like changing his opinion on abortion. I think I’m backing Romney, but I’m about as certain of it as I am of how I’m going to do on my upcoming stats exam.
I can’t believe your comments on Biden. He is almost purely evil and conniving.
I don’t like Obama, and I think it would be more than odd to have a war against Islam with a President named Barrack Obama Hussein, but he seems at least to be genuine. Genuinely communist/socialist, but definitely NOT in the Pelosi or Clinton machine. His victory would quash that for now.
If Obama were president, I fear for the war. He won’t stop the war, only victory or defeat against Islam can do that, but he will make it worse for us. He will also revert the judicial branch back on track to the FDR New Dealism that we’ve only begun to partially reject in the past decade or so.
But that drawback is better than perpetuating the Clinton machine.
And the republicans haven’t done anything to deserve power in the past 8 years, so I see no special reason to reward their behavior.
So, the country is doomed to learn the hard way. Again. Let’s hope that whatever happens in 2008, we can fix it in 2012.
Would like to understand issue with Giuliani domestic policies; please explain?
I want enthusiasm on foreign policy specifically GWOT; I want an SOB to tell Putin, Ahmadinejad, etc., not to mention race merchants and other pressure groups, where to get off; I want somebody with a record like he amassed in NYC (ask any native).
I am sad about some of his ‘values’ policy stances: soft on gays and abortion is one thing, but I feel strongly about the 2nd Amendment and I hope his conversion is genuine. Hopefully that can be managed with feet-to-the-fire.
As for illegal immigration, well, that may be bad for the USA, but IMHO it is good for New York. Wages or not, you need illegal Chinese immigrants to make world-class Chinese food. It’s just a fact. But I think he will close the Mexican border, which is what is on everybody’s minds, and take steps internally. A Thompson VP would boost this.
But domestic policy? Other than the above? ‘Splain pleez. You mean like cutting taxes?
I do agree that being the front runner early, he has slowed. But unlike Huckabee, he has time to rise again. Also, as I read it, his strategy is that he doesn’t need flashy primary victories, but to keep racking up delegates and placing substantially.
Any thoughts of something Macchiavellian with Huckabee throwing him his support…well, that would amuse me. That would be the kind of judo I would like to see out of a President.
Between Rudy and Romney I see no reason to pick Romney except that he seems to have been able to stick with one woman. And has a great head of hair .
But what I will always love Rudy for is straight talk. I mean, giving a straight, thoughtful answer to a straight question. He would do better if we heard more from him. Some of the things he says make you want to cheer.
My,my, Thompson just isn’t entertaining enough!
Down-talking Thompson without paying attention to his policy positions is doing yourself a disservice.
Joe Biden??? Well, I see Tim P. has already laid it all out but I’m surprised at you, Stephen Green, for being taken in by such an obvious fraud.