For me to do three more blogs on Clinton, Obama, and Edwards is futile. They are so much in the media at this time of year, people should no about them. Also, I am tired of these blogs. However, to make my documentation complete, I will write a statements of each.
Edwards - I am not sure where he stands. His current MO is to slam Hilliary. this tactic is fine, but John, "You need to tell where you stand." He is not telling us what he will do once he is in office. His entire rhetoric is about condemning Clinton and her old school politics not working. If you are a true liberal, Edwards is your vote. As he thinks it is okay to read gay relationship stories to little kids in the classroom. There is nothing really conservative about this Southern Boy. You are basically getting John Kerry of 2004 in 2008, except for the fact Edwards is a smooth talker. My first thought of Edwards is that he does not have what it takes to win. He is in the running, but he needs to begin to define himself a little more.
Clinton - It is true. You basically love Hilliary or you hate her. She is a savvy politician who can wiggle her way out of a tough situation better than her man Bill. If you do listen to her speak, you will hear vagueness. She only once answered a question directly as her common practice is to say something that appeases everybody. Additionally, she typically answers in a manner that is inclusive of the other candidates to make it seem that they all agree with her and there are no differences. With Hilliary, you are getting somebody who as seen the dirty ways of the Oval Office. I do not know where she gets 35 years of experience from because she has only been a Senator during this century. She is polarizing and potentially will not be able to work across party lines due to excessive baggage from her husband and her senate term. Clinton tells us what she is for, but she is not admitting or specify details of what makes her different. Her claim of experience is hogwash because there is no experience that will make anybody ready to become the president of the US. The only person who can claim this advantage is Bill Richardson.
Barack Obama - Obama is the fresh face on the scene. He is realatively untainted by the political process. Unlike the other Big 2, he is doing a good job of what he wants to do and enough detail to differentiate himself between the other two. He says things that people may not want to here like raising the salary tax level to pay for health insurance on top of balancing the budget. This is not what I want to hear as I will soon be in that tax bracket, but you have to respect his view. A vote for Obama will be vote for an unknown an new direction. He for sure is more culturally aware than the other candidates and will use that to drive his foreign policy. He has a better opportunity to work across party lines than the other Big 2 as he seems to be more of a peace maker than a fire starter. The strike against Obama, is not his experience, it may be is the fact that he is black. However, it seems through recent polls that the country may be overlooking this fact. A good move on his part is that he is running on his platform of initiatives without crying out any race card. You cannot compare Obama to Jesse because Obama is much more intelligent, articulate, and has higher moral values. Obama is the JFK vote in this decade.
Comments (3)
You have given a good analysis Taj. I agree that Edwards is the only true liberal of the three. However, I wonder if Obama's lack of experience isn't indeed his Achilles heel more so than the fact that is a black man. It is refreshing to see (it's about time that race was not a factor), but he also -like Edwards- needs to define his platform a little better, and find a way to distinguish himself from Clinton. At the Las Vegas debate, he seemed to merely respond to(and at times agree with)Clinton. He looked like he was waiting for her to set the tone, and he would then respond to her platform. It might a good strategy in that he is forcing her to take a stand (thereby sticking her neck out, exposing the so-called jugular), but I fear that in the long run he will not have the opportunity to let the voters know that voting for him means taking the new direction you talk about. It's a really tough race, Clinton is somehow the centrist candidate that appeals to mellow liberals and wishy-washy republicans alike. I would like to see Edwards take the lead as he has the liberal values that could effect some real change in the years to come. He seems like the only one (barring Al Gore's return to the political arena)who could turn things around domestically and erase the abuses of the current administration. Fingers crossed, January will be filled with surprises and the polls will begin to reflect the truer commitments of voters. Perhaps as the 2008 clock begins to tick, people will feel more involved, and a sense of urgency will be coupled with a desire to vote for the truth-speakers and not the accomodating centrists. Thanks for these excellent posts Taj, and peace to you and your loved ones.
Posted by Anonymous | November 24, 2007 2:47 PM
Posted on November 24, 2007 14:47
I'm tired of hearing about "experience" being an asset. If by "experience" they mean the politician in question is cynical, knows how to lie, can't answer a question directly, and hasn't accomplished anything for years, then I get it. Hillary is "experienced" and experience sucks. Experience hasn't gotten us anywhere. Bush had four years of experience as President of the US, and if anything it made him worse. So give the reins to Obama and let's see what he can do. We already know the alternative.
Posted by workmonkey | November 24, 2007 8:04 PM
Posted on November 24, 2007 20:04
There are only 5 weeks left until Iowa. December, retorically speaking, will be month of differentiation. We are already seeing differences being more defined this past week. If it was not already clear on health care, Obama is stating his plan is to make it afforadable for people to have. As opposed to Clinton, and I believe Edwards, where they are mandating people must have it under their proposal. I am not sure how that will work? I side with Obama on this one.
Posted by T. Haynes | November 25, 2007 11:43 PM
Posted on November 25, 2007 23:43