Wednesday, January 9, 2008

181. Presidential Politics

I'm glad Hilary Clinton won in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. I like Barak Obama, but I like Hilary better. I think Obama is just as much an old-school politician as any of them, despite his youth. I like his oratory, and his personal success, and his ability to motivate young adults to get out and vote, but I have more confidence in Hilary's ability to judge issues and made important decisions. Hilary is smart, hard-working, capable, experienced, and I like her stand on issues.

So, either way--Clinton or Obama, I think the Democractic party stands a chance of doing a better job in the president's office than the Republicans. But hey, those New Hampshire voters did good on the Republican side, too--McCain isn't all bad. He's definitely got the personal grit to lead.

So now--here's a nifty contest for those who like to make movies or who just enjoy parody: NHPR parody video contest.

3 comments:

Lil' Hammerhead said...

I'm a die-hard liberal, but I actually used to have a fondness for McCain.

I was also a Hillary fan, until I really started paying attention to Obama and actually researched his voting record. He has generally made good decisions with regards to his congressional voting and hasn't simply "gone with the group". Hillary has on any number of instances. So, I changed my candidate.

I do think you're right with regards to either of them being better than what we've currently got. Which certainly isn't much. :)

Anonymous said...

Don't worry about a primary, just place an X under the donkey...Hillary, Obama, Edwards, and Gore are all tied in one important catagory...they are not Republicans. I wish Hillary and Obama would run as one ticket.

justice seeker said...

Jane, read more about Obama. Read his first book, Dreams from My Father. Read The Audacity of Hope. Read David Mendell's Obama:from Promise to Power. Read the July 16, 2007 issue of Newsweek. Check out the material on my Unity Movement and Election '07 '08 blogs.

Study Hillary's negatives and the campaign techniques she and Bill use more carefully.

Consider Obama's potential to change the way the world looks at America, and the way America looks at itself. Compare that with whatever transformational potential you perceive in Hillary.

I think Obama is by far the better candidate. Sure, he is young and lacks experience at these highest levels, but we cannot afford to wait until 2016 or even 2012. And Hillary's real experience amounts to much less than she touts it. Moreover, much of that experience is negative or purely political minuets to help Bill along or out of fixes -- in contrast to achievement of substantive results.

Obama, in contrast, has a proven record of reaching across party lines and bringing people together to achieve real results. The compromises may make purists on either side unhappy but they produce real progress rather than acrimony and stalemate.