We are now just one week away from the Super Duper Tsunami Tuesday Primary Smackdown. Twenty two states (including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Colorado) will weigh in on February 5th to help elect each party’s nominee. Since Dennis dropped out, I have to really do some thinking about whether I will vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. While I actually do like John Edwards, it seems like a terrible waste of an historical opportunity to vote for the rich white dude, so he isn’t really in the running for my vote.
After much consideration and hemming and hawing, I finally decided to vote for Hillary. But that was yesterday. Since then I’ve watched both their reactions to Bush’s last State of the Union and taken yet another one of those who-to-vote-for quizzes. The results of those helpful little gadgets keep putting Barack above Hillary for me.
I was extremely pumped about Obama when he first hit the scene. I think what got to me is the same thing that is still speaking to a lot of other voters: there is something truly inspiring about him. He inspires confidence with his tone and charisma, and that will be nothing to scoff at when we try to rebuild our standing in the world. That said, I’ve become more and more frustrated with the lack of details he provides. I keep hearing him talk about hope and change and how “yes, we can.” And maybe he’s right. But at the end of the day I think Hillary might be the one to get more done.
Really, the two are far more alike than they are different (which is great when they’re impressing me and the pits when they don’t go far enough—which is often), but Hillary’s experience, contacts, intellect, and proven record in New York are a more solid foundation than a few out-of-this-world speeches.
And, on a more emotional than rational note, Barack’s peeps are just bugging me.
This isn’t really how I’ll decide who to vote for, but it’s aggravating, so I’m posting about it anyway. Because I was really jazzed about Obama, I joined his email list way back in the day. Over the course of the next several months, I became disappointed and frustrated that I got email after email (multiple messages per week, usually) but they very often said nothing except that I should give him money. They usually went something like this:
“We just made a ton of money. Show the nation that Barack Obama will be our next president by giving us more!”
Seriously. I kept waiting for word of how he’d fix health care, how he’d help the economy rebound, how he’d improve education in America, how he’d get us out of that clusterfuck known as the Iraq War, and all I ever got was an invitation to donate. So on July 16th I unsubscribed for the first time with the following message:
I began this long primary campaign with a lot of enthusiasm for Barack Obama. Though I'm still excited about his potential candidacy, I'm aggravated by the overwhelming number of emails I've received asking me for money. Like many of Obama's supporters, I'm not one of the wealthy elite. To be solicited for donations on a regular basis has proven more than a little annoying. Please take this as a note of caution; I know (from talking to friends and family) that I am not the only person feeling frustrated. I had hoped that signing up for Obama's mailing list would result in a greater understanding of his presidential policy plans rather than simply feeling hounded for cash.I was left in peace for a few months and then started getting messages again in late September. I unsubscribed again but felt aggravated that I needed to do it twice. Well, this month, the Barack team started hounding me again. I am fully aware that Barack Obama himself had nothing to do with the decision to only temporarily respect my wish to unsubscribe, but I’m annoyed at him indirectly anyway.
Yesterday I got emails from both Hillary’s campaign and from Barack’s. Hillary’s asked me to volunteer in a myriad of ways to help her carry New York next week. Barack’s? Just asked for money. Again.
I’m still not sure who I’ll vote for on Tuesday. Now that the field has dwindled to only three democratic candidates, how are you all feeling?
3 comments:
I cast a vote in your poll, but only for the person I THINK I'll vote for - the one I would pick if the voting was today . . . who knows if it'll stay the same by next week. Hell, who knows if it'll be the same tomorrow! :)
I'm voting Obama. It's true that his platform is nearly identical to Clinton's. But I have two good reasons for voting this way: first, I think he'll do a better job of competing against McCain or any of the other possible Republican candidates in the national election. And second, I think he'll have a much smoother time getting things done when he's in office. Regarding the first reason: a lot of people HATE Hilary with this burning passion that I find disturbing -- but we can't just wish it away. And the Republicans have warehouses full of dirt they can throw at both Clintons (and there's no way Bill can stay out of it -- though their campaign tries to have it both ways). We have to face it: stuff sticks to them. It sticks hard. It doesn't stick to Obama in the same way. I mean, the guy's middle name is Hussain, and this doesn't stick! Also, Obama has brought voters out to the polls who would never be there otherwise, and if he doesn't win the nomination, I worry that many of those voters won't turn up to choose between McCain and Clinton (or might even vote McCain). And if Clinton were elected, it might be hard for her to get things done because of the shitload of vendettas people in Washington have against her -- or her husband. Also, I must say that I hate to think of the presidency as a dynasty passed down from family member to family member. It symbolizes something ugly about the way power is inherited in this country. It's very Bush-Bush. And the Clinton campaign's recent spin on the SC results and the comparisons Bill made to Jesse Jackson's success in that state made me more than uncomfortable. So here I am in Obama's camp, having just defected from Edwards' (no hope left on that front).
I should stress that whoever gets the nomination will get my total support!!
Obviously, you know where I stand. I like both Obama and Hillary, but ultimately, I'm supporting Hillary for many of the reasons you mentioned in your post. She doesn't just call for change - she has real, detailed plans ready to enact change in both our foreign and domestic policies. When elected, her familiarity with the workings of both Congress and the White House will allow her to hit the ground running. And, while she may have made some enemies in Washington, she was liked and respected by international leaders during her time as First Lady, which will make it easier for her to jumpstart her plans for getting us out of Iraq. I don't want to bash Obama, because I'll certainly support him if he wins the nomination - I just think Hillary is the superior candidate.
Post a Comment