Quote:
Originally Posted by Newman
What are you others going to do on caucus day in colorado? Obama? Grandpa McCain? Ron Paul? Or sit this one out. Feedback?
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The other night, I went to a a neighborhood meet-up at a couple's house that was mainly about socializing and finger food, but really was a sales pitch for Hillary. The man hosting the event spoke for 10 minutes toward the end of the festivities (a charming British man who's an American citizen and just moved back from England in August). He was so articulate about Hillary, admitting she'll never be the orator or inspirational the way Obama is or even Edwards, but that she understands how Washington works and can get the job done. His pitch was simply that Obama isn't ready and Hillary is, and he used very specific examples to support his argument.
I came away thinking that this undecided voter (me) would end up caucusing for Hillary. However, upon further reflection, and after reading comments from other independent voters like Jackass, I am now thinking strongly about supporting Obama. Why? While I agree with the British guy that Hillary is more prepared and sophisticated to run our country, I don't think it matters. Hillary has such high negatives in the polls that independents would never vote her into office, and in order to win in November, you need to get the independent votes and some crossover votes.
It is now my belief that McCain will get the GOP nomination. If so, I think he is much more attractive to independents than is Hillary, and that he would stand a great chance of narrowly beating her in November. As I heard on Sunday morning talk shows yesterday, the GOP is fractured right now and bickering amongst themselves. But the one thing that could unify the party is if Hillary is the Dem nominee.
This is why Obama probably needs to be the nominee if the Democrats are to re-take the White House.
So, if it still looks like McCain is the GOP nominee on Feb. 5th, I'll likely caucus for Obama. If Romney or (less likely) Huckabee is gathering steam, then I probably support Hillary, because I think the Dems will beat any Republican other than McCain, and I'd prefer that our next president be Hillary (the devil you know) than Obama.
The key question for Dems isn't "Who's most qualified" for the Oval Office. It's really "Who can beat the GOP?" If McCain's the opponent, I have little doubt it's Obama.