Summarizing the Dem Candidates
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Categories: Equality / Civil Rights, Civil Liberties / Privacy, Peace & Social Justice, Foreign Policy & Security, Economic Fairness & Security, Environment / Conservation, Smart Energy Policy, Public Infrastructure / Transportation, Effective & Ethical Government, Electoral Reform, Affordable Healthcare, Education, Property Rights, Separation of Powers / Federalism, Media Accountability, Research & Technology, Corporate Accountability / Workers' Rights, Crime & Penal Reform, Budget Priorities, Religion, Immigration, Reproductive Rights
I woke up at 4:00 AM to watch the YouTube debate (I am currently in a time zone 11 hours later than Colorado. ) I was struck by what the questions said about America. Maybe the lineup reflects more on CNN's screening process than the full range of questions that were submitted. Will the unscreened questions get posted on YouTube?
After it was over, I for the first time went systematically through my feelings about each candidate. For whatever it's worth, here goes:
Hillary Clinton: Clearly competent and politically savvy, but politics as usual if she gets elected. I got no real sense of a vision for the direction of the country; more a laundry list of policy papers.
Barack Obama: pretty much the opposite of Hillary Clinton; "you got policy papers; we got policy papers." But I think that he has a vision for a better America that is not evident from Hillary. Sadly, I still think that America is still too racist and sexist to elect a black man or a white woman.
John Edwards: One trick pony: poverty. It's a great trick and a great pony, but it's not enough.
Joe Biden and Chris Dodd: stay in the Senate, guys. You're doing a good job there.
Bill Richardson: I started out favoring him - I feel that Dems need to stop nominating candidates from the Northeast Kennedy machine. Richardson has a great resume and is a westerner as well as having the Hispanic thing going for him. He has executive experience as a governor and is clearly a gifted diplomat. But he just doesn't seem presidential to me; I would love to see him as Secretary of State.
Dennis Kucinich: one trick pony: end the war. Like Edwards, it's a great pony and a great trick. I'm glad he's there to hold others' feet to the fire, but he ain't gonna be the next President.
Mike Gravel: kudos for his stance in Vietnam (I am a vet of that era), but I don't want that anger running the country.
What about stupid drug laws, fighting terrorism by inconveniencing terrorists (that stupid no-fly list, nail clipper confiscation, taking off shoes), the death penalty, media concentration and other antitrust enforcement, clean water and air (global warming is important, but not the only environmental issue), lobbying reform, union organizing, prescription drug importation, .... Maybe the Republican debate will address these things.
After it was over, I for the first time went systematically through my feelings about each candidate. For whatever it's worth, here goes:
Hillary Clinton: Clearly competent and politically savvy, but politics as usual if she gets elected. I got no real sense of a vision for the direction of the country; more a laundry list of policy papers.
Barack Obama: pretty much the opposite of Hillary Clinton; "you got policy papers; we got policy papers." But I think that he has a vision for a better America that is not evident from Hillary. Sadly, I still think that America is still too racist and sexist to elect a black man or a white woman.
John Edwards: One trick pony: poverty. It's a great trick and a great pony, but it's not enough.
Joe Biden and Chris Dodd: stay in the Senate, guys. You're doing a good job there.
Bill Richardson: I started out favoring him - I feel that Dems need to stop nominating candidates from the Northeast Kennedy machine. Richardson has a great resume and is a westerner as well as having the Hispanic thing going for him. He has executive experience as a governor and is clearly a gifted diplomat. But he just doesn't seem presidential to me; I would love to see him as Secretary of State.
Dennis Kucinich: one trick pony: end the war. Like Edwards, it's a great pony and a great trick. I'm glad he's there to hold others' feet to the fire, but he ain't gonna be the next President.
Mike Gravel: kudos for his stance in Vietnam (I am a vet of that era), but I don't want that anger running the country.
What about stupid drug laws, fighting terrorism by inconveniencing terrorists (that stupid no-fly list, nail clipper confiscation, taking off shoes), the death penalty, media concentration and other antitrust enforcement, clean water and air (global warming is important, but not the only environmental issue), lobbying reform, union organizing, prescription drug importation, .... Maybe the Republican debate will address these things.
