Politirazzi

Dan's last choice

I like the idea of instant runoff voting. The candidates I tend to gravitate to are generally the ones who poll between 1 to 3 percent nationally. This is the first time in a long time my guy is leading. So looking at the remaining 3 major candidates for president, it's pretty easy for me to rank my choices. John McCain has got to be my last choice for president.

I actually like John McCain, the mythic character, more than I like Hillary Clinton, the candidate. At least McCain's shown he's willing to say something unpopular, and that counts for a lot, even if I disagree with it. But even I must admit, Hillary's triangulated policies are closer than McCain's to my cup of Joe, so I've got to hold my noise, and put the guy I'd like to have a beer with at the bottom of the list.
— Dan

Bilal's not a fan.

By Bilal

That for me would be Hillary "road to hell" Clinton. I'm an Independent with a Democrat tilt, but with Hillary as their nominee, I will distance myself from the Democrats for good.

Being against Hillary might automatically be construed as male chauvinism, but that is not true. I believe women can be leaders; I just don't see Hillary as the right candidate for the job. It may be her constant bragging of "oh, I've been there, done that" when she really has NOT or her constant distortion of facts.

Case in point her Bosnia fibs and her misquoting of Obama during the current campaign. Case in point when she claimed that Obama has said that Republicans had better ideas than Democrats in the last 10-15 years when Obama hadn't said anything of the sort.

I think Clinton has created a big questions mark over her credibility. Do you think she'd repeat this sort of behavior if she's elected President? Absolutely! This is a woman who will say anything and will do anything to get elected ... nevermind lying to the American people!

(continued)

By Lynne

Last year, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney left the Democratic party and decided to seek the Green party presidential nomination. Last month, Ralph Nader announced his fourth presidential run, his second as an Independent. Last week, former Senator Mike Gravel announced that he was leaving the Democratic party and seeking the Libertarian party nomination.

But the two-party system still has three main presidential candidates remaining, whose combined fundraising will make this the most expensive election campaign in history.

Frankly, I don't want any of them in charge.

(continued)

Clinton family friend and political pundit James Carville

She advocates for pantsuits, but not for homemade cookies,
Trusts Maggie Williams and her predatory sub-prime bookies,
“Every state matters”, but only when she wins it,
Which is why Michigan and Florida just must be made legit.

If Florida matters so much to her, she can eventually retire like a real New Yorker to Boca,
Run for President of a condo board and review the 9Cs of Lee Iacocca
She confused a vote for war with a vote for inspections,
But “Day 1” of the presidency doesn’t allow for such hindsight reflections.

And hey, Carville, Governor Richardson isn’t Judas, he’s the Apostle Paul,
Having been blinded by the truth, he now sees it all,
Grassroots, hard work, judgment, hope and renewal,
Over campaign debt, Mark Penn and money from lobbyists of fossil fuel.

In our Democracy, we do not have to vote consistent with our sex,
Nor should votes and the Presidency be quid pro quo,
But we should elect a leader of transparency, honesty and who reflects,
And Senator Clinton, that’s not you, “As far as I know…”
— Erin

By Meg

I’ve been arguing with myself for some time now about whether McCain or Clinton is the lesser of two evils (or the evil of two lessers). If La Clinton wins the Democratic nomination — which I still think is a possibility — I’ll have a hard time deciding whether to vote for her or Senator McCain. Let’s take a look at where the debate (the one in my own head) stands as of today.

An argument for McCain as the lesser: Man, does he love this war. Supportive though he was of the invasion, McCain scored big points with me at the beginning of the occupation by arguing that if Bush continued to mishandle the war so egregiously, we had a snowball’s chance in, well, Iraq of achieving the “victory” we sought. So you can imagine my disappointment when I flipped on CNN a few months ago and saw McCain at an Iraqi open-air market doing his best impression of Sally Field in that Boniva commercial (“The surge is working! This tomato is SO RED!”). Now he stands hand-in-hand with Bush in the Rose Garden and talks of staying in Iraq for a hundred years. As childishly simplistic as this next statement is, I don’t think I can vote for someone who is not committed to ending this war.

(continued)

By Matt

Hillary Clinton is the candidate I’d least like to see taking the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009. I fear that a Clinton victory could again paralyze Washington — if not because of scandal, then because of the potential for renewed enmity and the re-opening of bitter wounds left by her husband’s terms in office. For better or worse, rightly or wrongly, Bill and Hillary Clinton are polarizing figures. I worry that the personal and political history with which Senator Clinton is saddled may burden her ability to compromise and to work cooperatively with other leaders, particularly congressional Republicans. While Senator Clinton has been a model colleague during her two Senate terms, as President, she will not have the luxury of being one of 100.

The buck will stop with her, and she will necessarily have to take clearly defined stances on the most controversial issues of the day. Indeed, she will be not only the head of government, responsible for the shaping of national policy in myriad ways, but she will also be the head of her own political party, shaping its agenda and defining the Democratic platform during her time in office.

She will have no choice at times but to be a partisan, and combined with her exalted office, this will make her the primary target of the opposition. This of course is no different than the political barriers faced by any other President; however, the unique amalgam of this expected political turbulence, the scandals of the recent past, her husband’s return to the White House, and lingering feelings of mistrust from her husband’s years in the Oval Office may affect President Hillary Clinton’s ability to govern.

(continued)

Hillary Clinton. While this may sound misogynistic, it has nothing to do with her sex. She is, in a word, divisive. Asking people if they're for Hillary is almost as bad as asking them if they agree with Roe v. Wade. We may see the South try and secede again if she is elected. She exudes a sense of uninhibited ambition that leads her to pay any price to win. Her second of humanity and a few tear drops in New Hampshire, her whining at the last debate in Ohio about the media's seeming love for Obama, and her campaign tactics are simply childish and ugly. She is the Democratic Karl Rove.

George W. Bush was elected as a self-described "uniter, not a divider." The nation has wanted someone to bring us together — a president that the nation as a whole can be proud of — since 2000. Hillary is not this person. While she would be a capable President, I only see her continuing the partisanism that has defined the last seven years.
— Adrian

By Jeff

Like much of the rest of America, out of the three remaining candidates, Hillary Clinton is the person I'd least want to be president. Her campaign comprises nearly 100 percent of the people in the country who don't realize this fact.

First, and most broadly — I just loathe her personally. She's just immensely selfish and arrogant; she knows what's best for everyone and will not relent until everyone caves in. Every day she stays in this unwinnable race only makes her look worse in my eyes. When Mitt Romney was in her position, he dropped out and threw all his support behind McCain; taking a back seat in order to help his party. Hillary refuses to do this. She is in full-on attack dog mode, running out Rove-ian tactics like the desperate 3 a.m. ad and the saying that she'd take Obama "at his word" that he's not a Muslim. She is doing everything in her power to make Obama look bad, while letting McCain take a two month nap in advance of the real campaign.

(continued)

By Kimberly

Technically speaking, I am assuming that one of “the three main presidential candidates” we are to comment on would have to be Ralph Nader, but for the sake of entertainment purposes I’ll pretend that we are talking Mac, Barack and Hil. Of this universe to choose from, I would vote McCain off the proverbial island.

“But what do you have against McCain and the Straight Talk Express — what a maverick!?” you might ask. First, I want to acknowledge John McCain’s service as more than admirable and he seems like the kind of loving grandpa who would give a kid a shiny roll of Arizona quarters and candy dots. Aside from the obvious quips about senior moments, a speculative run with Lieberman or Romney, keeping us in Iraq for 100 more years, his poor choice in karaoke humor, and lack of any support for national homeowners insurance reform, I want to focus on the rampant hypocrisy already appearing in campaign when it is convenient and beneficial to him.

(continued)

By LaShawnda

It pains me to say this — as my answer, six months ago, would have been an absolute: McCain trails a distant third. But now, I would least like to see Hillary Clinton run the country.

McCain for all his wrong-thinking, in regards to our invasion of Iraq and continued occupation has at least remained consistent in his viewpoints and allowed us to follow his thought process. He has remained stately in presentation and resilient throughout the primary season. We know what McCain is thinking and in many respects we know how he came about those thoughts. Hillary Clinton on the other hand, is proving herself unworthy of the public trust.

(continued)

By Peter Brookes, Times Online, UK

By LaShawnda

Did you scratch your head with a, huh? when Hillary Clinton suggested she would consider Barack Obama as her running mate a few weeks ago? Did your head tilt to the side when the former First Lady retold her commando combat moment in Bosnia as she evaded enemy sniper fire?

Perhaps your heart tugged a bit when her eyes watered in New Hampshire.

And maybe you cheered when she strongly suggested the media wasn’t playing fair by catering more to Obama.

Have you noticed Barack Obama hasn’t done anything remotely offensive or antagonistic? Hillary has been running a slash and cut (or in Bill’s word, clipping) campaign offense, while painting herself in the woe-is-me victim to Obama’s big-ole-bully campaign defense. Her strategy has been so successful that every time Obama responds to her attacks he is assigned equal blame for the nasty turn this campaign is taking. She’s brilliant! But we knew that.

(continued)

In West Virginia on Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton, ever so graceful on the campaign trail, reminded us that ""If a politician doesn't wanna get beat up, he shouldn't run for office. If a football player doesn't want to get tackled or want the risk of an occasional clip he shouldn't put the pads on."

CNN's got the video.

The thing is, clipping is illegal (and quite dangerous!), even if it's only done occasionally. The penalty is as strong as it gets in football — 15 yards! Just like low blows in boxing, political "clippling" may be an occupational hazard, but it's certainly not something we should be glib about. This isn't Matt Lauer talking to Tom Cruise about Ritalin!

Penalties — be it in yards, or points on a boxing scorecard — are what's appropriate when someone gets hit unfairly. Fortunately, karma seems to be sorting this one out all on its own.

According to Chuck Todd, in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, it's Sen. Clinton who's really suffering from using the "Tonya Harding option" to kneecap Sen. Obama.

"Hillary Clinton is sporting the lowest personal ratings of the campaign. Moreover, her 37 percent positive rating is the lowest the NBC/WSJ poll has recorded since March 2001, two months after she was elected to the U.S. Senate from New York."
Maybe clipping, low blows, the kitchen sink and President Clinton's Jeff Gillooly impersonation aren't such a winning strategy after all. Maybe someone should've asked Tonya Harding how that strategy worked out for her? Or better yet, ask Nancy Kerrigan, she won a medal that year!
— Dan

Senator Obama takes Manhattan today, just like the Muppets did! Only instead of Kermit and Miss Piggy, it's Sen. Obama and Mayor Bloomberg who are "Together Again." Personally, I think it's great. I can't think of anything America needs more right now than a national 3-1-1 — except maybe another Muppets movie!

After being introduced by Bloomberg this morning at Cooper Union for a speech on the economy, Obama was off to CNBC for some luvin' from that money honey, Maria Bartiromo.

And if all of that money talk wasn't enough for you, there's an evening fundraiser, if you got $2,300 for a plate. I just hope none of those Wall St. wizkids were planning on using their Bear Stearns stock to pay for the meal.

Personally, as one of Obama's million little donors, I can't help but feel a little left out today. I guess I'll just have to try my luck at his lottery for a sit down dinner with the man from Kansas/Hawaii/Indonesia/Columbia/Chicago himself.

(Photo by AP)

— Dan

By Erin

As I was seated in the fifth row of the historic Cooper Union Great Hall watching Mayor Bloomberg introduce Senator Obama to address McCain’s determination "to run for George Bush’s third term” and to unveil a comprehensive overview of his economic plan and policies, commuters were digging into The New York Times’ story, Early Dazzle, Then Tough Path for a Governor. And, thanks to The Times, something was revealed this morning, something that has been underreported and not adequately investigated this entire campaign season:

Senator Barack Obama and Governor Deval Patrick are both black.

Did anyone really see this coming? I heard about some robocalls in New Hampshire to that effect, and a few of my co-workers received some chain e-mails alluding to it, but, thanks to The New York Times, the truth is out. The facts have been checked. The sources confirmed. See? Do you see it now?

What confuses me the most about the use of a picture of Sen. Obama and Gov. Patrick is that the article makes the oddest, irrelevant, off-the-cuff references to Sen. Obama in the course of the article, leaving us to conclude what the hidden message is. Reading this article and trying to determine why Obama is pictured is like watching a Japanese game show without knowing any Japanese and trying to figure out what the heck is going on enough to turn around and explain it to your 92 year-old great uncle who is partially deaf and loves to tell you about how much trouble he got into when he snuck out to the Tommy Dorsey concert last week.

(continued)

The daughter of a Democrat almost sent to prison for his conscientious objection to the Vietnam War, naturally Meg Boyle grew up dreaming of being a law-abiding Republican. It was not to be, though, as this 28-year-old operations coordinator registered as an Independent and once broke into a bar. Like Jesus, Meg lives a nomadic lifestyle and has issues with authority. She can’t wait for November. To quote her directly: “This election is better than porn.”

Matt Knox is a registered Republican from the Bronx. This 25-year-old law student encourages people to visit there for something other than Yankees games. Like the Democrats, he is still waiting for his party to name its real candidate, and looks forward to discussing the issues this campaign season, particularly the economy, immigration and foreign affairs.

Lynne Serpe, 36 of Queens, is an avowed refashionista and mass transit junkie who combines a passion for the environment with a dislike of the two-party political system. She’s worked with the Green party around the world, specializing in voting system reform. She hopes to someday achieve “green goddess” status but fears a fluency in bitchcraft won’t count as a supernatural power

LaShawnda Jones, 32, has been a registered Democrat since reaching legal voting age; however she doesn’t care for labels and doesn’t necessarily toe the party line. In fact she’s considering registering as an Independent, but that’s just another label, too, isn’t it? Her ideal ballot would be an a la carte menu for candidate selection. Check McCain for heroic Service and dedication. Check Hillary for bulldog tenacity and multiple personalities (the better to relate to different demographics, deary). Check Obama for social and political reform.

Kimberly Rescigno, 25 of Manhattan, keeps it a well-guarded secret that a perfect night to her involves a bottle of Coke Zero, Wi-Fi and political talk radio. This CPG broker and amateur politico has been a registered Democrat for seven years and is passionate about dissecting spin reported by mainstream media while also reporting on the stories nobody talks about outside of the “internets.” Much like her favorite Sunday talk show, she’s truly an “American Original!”

Jeff Akston is a 32-year-old atheist Libertarian who works on Wall Street. He’s still on the fence in regards to McCain/Obama since he doesn’t know which is more important to him in this election: Economic freedom of the Republican or social freedom of the Democrats.

Erin Evenson is a 35-year-old, anxiety-ridden liberal living in Bay Ridge. The Midwestern daughter of a bohemian textile artist mother and a reformed conservative gun-toting Norwegian father, Erin was thoroughly confused in her youth and became an Independent, vegan, punk, Brit- and power-pop-adoring Hindu, only to realize in adulthood that she is truly a left-leaning, bacon-worshipping agnostic (who still adores punk, Brit- and power-pop).

(continued)

Dontré L. Conerly is a Democrat concerned most about the abolition of the middle class. This 25-year-old journalist laments the fact that Americans now fear their government, which has effectively killed any sense of hope and idealism for change and new ideas. This country used to be governed by utilitarianism, now it benefits a select few. Oh, and he wants his stimulus check “tanow” — today and now!

Dan Goldman is left-Libertarian who gets uncomfortable when too many people around him agree with his views. This 28-year-old legal assistant is also a conservative-progressive who just likes messin’ with your mind. His commitment to social justice, specifically civil liberties and youth rights, led him to work in various “save the world” jobs in drug policy reform, immigrant rights and environmental education. But today, he just works for the man to pay the bills.

Bilal Salahuddin, 33, is still adjusting to his new nickname of “haji” endowed by his friends and colleagues at his construction firm. Originally from Pakistan, he feels he is a true product of the future, of what this world is becoming — multi-cultural, multi-lingual — and can see why Obama is a voice of the future that can be heard in the present. Bilal feels that people hate change … yet it is the only thing that has brought progress!

Adrian Lee, 25, is a Libertarian-Republican who once worked for Ron Paul but has been swept up in Obamania. He thinks the 24-hour news cycle is ruining political life and loves to see pundits make completely absurd predictions that are forgotten as quickly as they are declared. This Texan straight-shooter prefers dodging taxis and tourists in Times Square to dealing with government bureaucrats, and thinks it’s ridiculous that the government spent over $42 million mailing tax rebate notices. Can’t you just mail me my check? Check that, how about a little direct deposit action, you know, 21st-century style?

Adrian Lee, 25, is a Libertarian-Republican who once worked for Ron Paul but has been swept up in Obamania. He thinks the 24-hour news cycle is ruining political life and loves to see pundits make completely absurd predictions that are forgotten as quickly as they are declared. This Texan straight-shooter prefers dodging taxis and tourists in Times Square to dealing with government bureaucrats, and thinks it’s ridiculous that the government spent over $42 million mailing tax rebate notices. Can’t you just mail me my check? Check that, how about a little direct deposit action, you know 21st century style?

The daughter of a Democrat almost sent to prison for his conscientious objection to the Vietnam War, naturally Meg Boyle grew up dreaming of being a law-abiding Republican. It was not to be, though, as this 28-year-old operations coordinator registered as an Independent and once broke into a bar. Like Jesus, Meg lives a nomadic lifestyle and has issues with authority. She can’t wait for November. To quote her directly: “This election is better than porn.”

Dan Goldman is left-Libertarian who gets uncomfortable when too many people around him agree with his views. This 28-year-old legal assistant is also a conservative-progressive who just likes messin’ with your mind. His commitment to social justice, specifically civil liberties and youth rights, led him to work in various “save the world” jobs in drug policy reform, immigrant rights and environmental education. But today, he just works for the man to pay the bills.

Matt Knox is a registered Republican from the Bronx. This 25-year-old law student encourages people to visit there for something other than Yankees games. Like the Democrats, he is still waiting for his party to name its real candidate and looks forward to discussing the issues this campaign season, particularly the economy, immigration and foreign affairs.

Dontré L. Conerly is a Democrat concerned most about the abolition of the middle class. This 25-year-old journalist laments the fact that Americans now fear their government, which has effectively killed any sense of hope and idealism for change and new ideas. This country used to be governed by utilitarianism, now it benefits a select few. Oh, and he wants his stimulus check “tanow” — today and now!