Politics have been heating up recently, with Iowa's caucuses over and New Hampshire's primary today. I'd like to weigh in on each of the candidates.
The Democrats
Obama
Fresh off his win in Iowa, he'll probably take New Hampshire as well. I haven't really been a fan of Obama because his health plan doesn't cover all Americans, and his attacks of other's plans has been from the right. Not only is this a bit against the interests of the Democratic Party (Dems get criticized enough by the Republicans, no use adding to it), but it also opens Obama up to attack should he ever win the nomination. "If forcing people to purchase health insurance is bad, Barack, why do you support Socialized Medicine?"
Edwards
He lost in Iowa when he really needed to win it. He's been a little slick in attributing support for Obama as support for "change" and hence a support for himself. I think he wants to be vice president really badly. His worst moment was at the NH debate when he was asked what was the best thing he had accomplished in the Senate. He said the Patient's Bill of Rights. Which passed the Senate, got stuck in the House, and wasn't signed into law.
Hillary Clinton
I've begun to warm to Hillary Clinton. I find her rhetoric convincing regarding change. Obama says he represents a new take on Washington, that he is Change and Hope incarnate. I've heard that before from a man who wanted to "change the culture of Washington" and be a "uniter, not a divider." Bill Clinton ran on the same message, everyone runs on that message. Perhaps the only person ever to run as a Washington Outsider that actually WAS one was Jimmy Carter, a President I have enormous respect for, but also one widely considered a weak and ineffectual leader because he alienated the Washington establishment and couldn't get stuff through.
This is not to say that an Outsider would be weak now. The standoff between congressional Democrats and Carter has been resolved by changes in the party and nation: the Dems have mostly eliminated the Dixiecrats from within their ranks. However, the other things hurting Carter, OPEC and stagflation, could just be getting in gear.
Clinton makes the argument that she can work within the system, using those patented Clintonian smarts, to at least get SOMETHING through. To get his agenda past congress, Obama plans to use his ability as a uniter. Unless Republicans get significantly less pig-headed, that won't work.
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The Republicans
Mike Huckabee
He plays the guitar and has a hamburger named after him. Surely those are good qualifications to be President, right? Maybe. He's made an effort to portray himself as a compassionate conservative, and I find him more convincing than Bush in that respect. It always seemed a convenient way to get votes for Bush, but surely Huckabee means what he says.
As for his policies, I'm sure to disagree with most of them as I'm more liberal than he is. I like his stance on immigration, but his tax reform is really really scary. The Fair Tax is not fair at all. Any way you want to slice it, people making more than $200,000 a year will pay less in taxes. That means to be revenue-neutral, that money has to be made up somewhere. That means the middle class.
Mitt Romney
Why he would run away from his Moderate Republican past that got pretty good results, I don't know. "A man with executive experience and business experience who looks beyond ideology to get results" works for me, but it doesn't work for Republican primary voters, I guess. If he wins the nomination, he'll tack back to the center, and eventually we'll have an overeager candidate who states, "Those are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others."
Rudy
Thank goodness this guy has fallen off! You can't ride September 11 forever. If you thought Bush was autocratic, caustic, unwilling to compromise, secretive, and in love with military force, you'll love Rudy.
Ron Paul
I was initially attracted to Ron Paul. He had the guts to criticize Republicans over the war in Iraq, and talked so fiercely about balancing the budget that I thought he just might do it.
Of course, those traits have become cartoonishly distorted, now. Not only does he want us out of Iraq (good!), he wants us out of Saudi Arabia, Germany, South Korea, and everywhere (ummmm). Not only does he want to balance the budget (yes!), he wants to do it by slashing military spending (cool!) and basically all spending everywhere (not cool).
Add in his absolutely goofy statements about race, civil war revisionism, property rights, and private discrimination, you have a frightening man.
McCain
I've always been suspicious of McCain, because he has this habit of being known as a Maverick, but when he votes, it's really conservative. That said, I think he'd be a little less bad a President than Romney or Rudy. He's staged a bit of a comeback, which is cool. His stance on immigration is practical. He still supports the war, though, and that's too bad. But I haven't heard anything about the war for a while, which makes me think it's going better. Still, there is nothing to change my fears that Iraq is not worth what we put into it.
Fred Thompson is a joke. Richardson has been bad in debates. Did I miss anyone?
1 comment:
Democrats
Obama: My second favorite candidate overall. Seams reasonable, honest, and no glaring moral defects (his experimentation with drugs are not a major concern because he does not, at the present, seem to be a coke addict)
Edwards: One of my least favorite candidates. Seems hypocritical (Evidenced by his super rich status and championing of "the poor." Has spent $200 on a haircut. Do you know how many starving africans he could have sponsored with that money?)
Clinton: Perhaps the best politician in the race. She is intelligent and she takes subtle, almost artful stances on issues. I dont think the country would be destroyed with such a capable politician at the helm. I know there is a great deal of hate directed at her and I don't understand much of it. However, I disagree with many of her perfect positions, as I tend to disagree with the Democratic party. I am sure she holds strong convictions but I wonder how willing she would be to ever take an unpopular, but necessary stand.
Republicans
Huckabee: I almost instinctively distrust him (-1 point). He appeals to the evangelical wing of the republican party (-1 point). Wants a massive overhaul of the way the government generates revenue. (The current system definitely has its faults however a massive overhaul would definitely have problems. Yes I have looked into papers regarding consumption taxes and yes there are reasons to believe it could work, however I think we could make the current system work with minor less dramatic, ultimately less costly fixes. Thats not to say I wouldnt favor an increase reliance on consumption taxes and a new carbon tax. -1 point)
Romney: The almost too skilled politician of the Republican party. Where I trust that Clinton has firm beliefs and principals with evidence to back them up, Romney seems willing to say whatever it takes to win. I wont put points on it but this guy is just too slick. He even takes the kind of Republican positions I dont like.
Paul: This guy has the opposite problem of Romney and Clinton. He is unwilling to compromise and firm in his beliefs. Ultimately though I dont want him to be president. His desire to return to the gold standard, his constitutional fundamentalism (I never thought that would be a negative but the constitution has the elastic clause for a reason, its meant to be a living document) and his isolationism are negatives. I respect his candor and disagree with enough of his positions to eliminate him from my consideration.
McCain: I have been a McCainiac since 2000. Has run largely clean campaigns. I believe that he is honest, principled, and reasonable. He is willing to compromise and refuses to demonize the democratic party. Holds positions that are closest to my own (Independently confirmed by a quiz on the WashingtonPost.com). The one negative has been his almost fanatical commitment to the Iraq war and his slight pandering to the republican party. Lacks major moral defect. Pretty much has my vote locked up, and if he makes it to the general election I will be a strong volunteer for his campaign.
Fred Thompson was a joke. I only incidentally watched clips of the debates so I will have to trust that Richardson failed. However, the washington post quiz told me that he should be my second favorite of the democratic candidates.
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