I just voted in the first Va. Dem primaries in 16 years

[underpants]

At least that is what they were saying this morning on the local TV stations. That fact was surprising to me but I guess Va. usually is so late in the game they don't hold a primary, I don't know.

I literally walked into the booth still not sure who to vote for. I based my decision on the following:

Kerry-I don't vote because "He is going to win anyway" (both in Va. and the nomination) so that was out the window. My vote for Kerry could help to show that he can win in the South even in a open primary where anyone can vote. It would also help him IF he gets the nomination when he comes back through in the General Election.

Note to Kerry: Don't say you aren't giving up on any part of the country because Southerners are concerned about the same things as other people around the country are (it suggests that they might not) rather say that you plan to lead and govern for the entire country, it sounds better and suggests that W doesn't which he doesn't.

Edwards-I actually like him the best. Experience schmerience he has the same, if not more, experience in foreign relations and national security as Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and dimson. My vote for him could help secure him as the southern candidate but then it could also portray him as ONLY a regional candidate. My wife voted for him as did both of my in-laws.

Clark-I like Clark a lot. It is hard to hit the ground running in your first bid to be elected for anything. His outsider kinda image could help but his sort of a Son of the south doesn't really connect with me, yes he grew up in Arkansas but he really hasn't lived there for a majority of his life, he (like Cheney in a way) had other priorities. It is IMHO important for the field to stay in the race to create attention and make it a part of every newscast and "above the fold". My vote for him could help do that.

As for the others, no.

DK believes what he believes and those are for good things but he isn't going to win here or nationally and he never was. He has done great to give a voice to those who so strongly hold the same opinions but I don't see him giving up before the convention (that little ****er WON'T GO DOWN!!!) which brings that to the table come platform time.

Sharpton is great. I love hearing him speak and he is like DK in that he will make sure that those voices will be heard on the national level. I think Edwards trumps him a bit on the race element as Edwards makes it a central part of his message.

Dean might just have saved the Democratic party with the shift kick in the ass he provided. I hope he stays in too and my vote for him could help him do that. Problem is if you think Kerry is going to be painted as a New England liberal it would pale in comparison to the shellacking Dean would take coming from a state that a sizable part of this country probably couldn't find on a map.

So I stepped into the booth, pulled the lever to close the curtain.....my hand naturally went to the switch for Clark......and I raised it up to the one above it and I voted for Kerry.

[molly]

1. Great!

[BlondieK143]

2. Glad you voted!

But I can't say as though I agree with your candidate. Especially considering he didn't need the South to begin with, but go dems anyway!!

[commander bunnypants]

3. You rock Rev. Al

I am voting at lunch time.

DDQM

[underpants]

8. My brother (a Repub) is voting for Sharpton

in his own smart-a**ed kinda way. How could two brothers be so different?

[maddezmom]

4. glad you voted

just wish it was for my guy. :(

[flpoljunkie]

5. Thanks for revealing your thought processes before you voted, intriguing..

I, of course, like the results you arrived at and I appreciate your suggestions to Kerry about being a president for the whole country--I hope he takes your suggestion, as it is a good one.

[underpants]

7. Thanks

I can't believe I haven't gotten attacked for this yet. Maybe I'm a natural triangulator.

:shurg:

[DjTj]

24. I'd attack you...

...but I'll save it for later when Edwards loses Virginia by one vote. :P

I personally like to vote my heart in the primaries but to each his own.

Thanks for voting!

[MaineDem]

6. Congratulations

Sometimes it's hard to make a choice when we have such great candidates.

You've done your part. It's a good feeling. :)

[CWebster]

9. You're the one that has to live with it. nt

[underpants]

12. Let me add this about DK-His early NAFTA stance gave others cover

to not call for its complete repeal but to tweek it. Will that actually happen? I don't know but it makes for good campaigning.

CW I don't know if you are pro-DK (I should do a search) but I just wanted to add that and this was the place to do it.

[cosmicdot]

10. that would have been 1988 ...

I remember that ... I lived in north Arlington at the time, and my precinct went over-whelmingly for Jesse Jackson ... my memory may fail me here ... it was 16 years ago, but I think JJ won the Virginia primary in '88

[underpants]

19. Didn't vote in that one...I *gulp* was a Republican then

Oddly it was Jesse that finally helped me see the light. His speech at the '92 convention was the final straw so to speak. Especially when you juxtapose it with Buchanan's speech at the Repub convention, I watched in my barracks in Germany and simply didn't recognize the country he was talking about.

[jmoss]

11. You should have zigged, where you zagged :-)

Was Edwards one to the left. I think you made a wrong turn in Fairfax somewhere. You should have come South to JRE, as your family did :-)

3-out-of-4 isn't bad, though.

But seriously..I'm glad you voted! See you in November!!

[underpants]

14. Welcome to DU

:hi: if'n I haven't before.

[jmoss]

17. thank you

Thanks. Not many edwards supporters here, though. I guess he's not "underground" enough. Though, maybe that's a good thing come November! :-)

[spooky3]

23. welcome, jmoss, we are outnumbered but we're still here.

go Edwards!

[Ficus]

32. here's one

alternate delegate from IA for JRE

[carolinayellowdog]

13. Voted for Edwards today

My thought process was about as convoluted as yours. I can't forgive Kerry or Edwards for their IWR votes, but can't let that stand in the way of choosing the most electable and likable candidate. At this point a vote for Edwards is meant to encourage Kerry to select him as running mate; that seems crucial to victory not because of his regional base but because he will be a tremendous asset in the campaign nationwide. Those two need to stop sniping at each other over who can win which states; such words can/will come back to haunt them later.

ON EDIT-- Hooray! I'm out of the 700 club, which is especially welcome for a lib Dem from Tidewater VA!

[underpants]

16. I prefer "unique" or "involved"

rather than "convoluted" what that works too.

:bounce:

[jmoss]

18. Go Edwards! (from a Mets/old Tidewater Tides fan)

;-)

[spooky3]

22. I also voted for Edwards. Low turnout when I was there (not prime time).

[NewYorkerfromMass]

15. Wow. That was exciting!

You are awesome! Congratulations!

[Donkey007]

20. I don't think I could follow "The Swing of Things"

[teevee99]

21. don't ever compare clark to cheney

your post was fine, but that line was completely absurd. Clark didn't spend his whole life in the south because he was serving to protect this country. Cheney was being a flunky playboy.

please retract that.

I can't believe anyone would have the audacity to compare clark to cheney. You've lost complete credibility in my eyes.

[underpants]

25. That was meant to be a joke

irony if you will. I think that the juxtaposition of Cheney's "priorities" were (staying out of harm's way) and Clark's (dedicating his life to service) could not be more opposite.

Sorry, I threw that in there because as I was writing that phrase popped in my head and it was an obvious contrast between the two.

If Wes is the VP candidate Dick will have to face that quote head on.

[teevee99]

27. thanks

we're cool then. i was pretty surprised. some nuances of humor aren't very easy to express online.

[magnolia]

26. It may take a....

...fellow southerner to truly understand your reasoning. I don't think people in the rest of the country realize how challenging it is to be a Dem in a state like Virginia. Last Saturday night was the first time I saw (on CSPAN, not in person unfortunately) our gov and lt gov act like proud Dems. I adore them both and understand why they have to keep their party affliation low key.

My daughter voted this morning...went to Starbucks after...and still made it into work before her eight male co-workers. (That's just bragging.) Her first choice was Clark...second Dean...but she voted for Edwards for the same reason I and my husband intend to vote for him later today. First...I admit it...I LOVE his positive attitude. Second...I know Kerry will win here and ultimately the nomination (which is fine with me), so my vote is to help get Edwards on the ticket. This election is much bigger than personal preferences and in my opinion the Kerry/Edwards ticket is the strongest.

My greatest desire today is that Virginia have a big Democratic voter turn out.

[underpants]

28. at 8 AM I was the 44th voter in my precinct

I don't know if that is a lot of just a few.

My precinct is pretty liberal mostly. Bobby Scott is our Rep and this is the district that Panny Rhodes used to represent, I actually went in to vote in the Repub primary just to shove it in Gilmore's face.

[magnolia]

31. It'll be hard....

...to determine voter turn out until the end of the day. My primary residence is on the Bay (secondary residence is an apartment in Richmond) so my representative is Joanne "let's get out of the UN" Davis.

[democratreformed]

29. Here you go:

:cry: for Wesley Clark (oh, and me, too.)

[pezcore64]

30. aw

i thought you were going to vote for someone besides kerry while i was reading it.

oh well
the heart of democracy can stand another thumb tack in it i suppose.


glad you voted!
wish more people would!

[Eurobabe]

33. #26 in my precinct at 8:15am

pretty steady turnout. Was cool to have a voice, and choose CLARK.

[underpants]

34. NPR said that the last Repub primary had 600,000 turn out

I think that was in '00. I heard that the Dems are expecting 15% turn out and since there are 4,000,000 registered voters in Va. that would be about the same number. Expect the local stations to compare Dem turn out with the Repubs if the Dems are a lower number.

[Zomby Woof]

35. Super Tuesday 1988

I voted in that primary in March of '88, just a few months before leaving VA. Pat Robertson was running back then, and he cast his vote at Brandon Junior High (now a middle school), the same place I cast mine (Brandon was my alma mater). It was the first time I registered as a Democrat, which was done orally at the polling place.

[underpants]

36. Um

Insert own joke here

which was done orally at the polling place


What are you trying to bait me?