I vote tomorrow! Still can't make up my mind! Help!

[LeftCoast]

I was going to vote Dean...till he dropped out. Can't make up my mind among the remaining four. Anyone care to help me decide who to vote for? Here's your chance to make a convert.

[slinkerwink]

1. Dean is still on the ballot-----vote your heart in the primary and

then vote your mind in the general election. I'm voting for Dean in MA.

[LeftCoast]

9. Well...what's the point?

Serious question. Since he's dropped out, what purpose does it serve to vote for him?

[slinkerwink]

13. it helps him get delegates, and that way you can vote your heart

and not feel conflicted about voting for others like Kerry or Kucinich. You can still vote for the nominee in the general election. The primary season is all about voting for the candidates you like the best, and the one who your heart is with.

[alcuno]

16. Like Howard Dean, I'm a pragmatist.

My money was well spent on Dr. Dean, but my vote will have to be spent with Senator Kerry. "Wasting" money is one thing; I'd never waste a vote.

[slinkerwink]

31. you can vote for Kerry in the general election--it's still primary season

to vote your heart.

[alcuno]

37. As a pragmatist, I want a nominee.

I don't want a brokered convention or any of that stuff. I want a strong, unified front and I'm just waiting for someone to give me the word so that I can donate my money to defeating *.

The truth is that my first and second choices are effectively out. I have to be practical.

[jansu]

33. He did NOT drop out, he quit campaigning and asked us to still vote 4 him!

It's about the delegates and the ability to have some say on our issues getting in the Party Platform. A brokered convention would make it possible for all the delegates to decide who becomes the nominee. There are so many reasons to vote your choice!

I voted for Dean in tomorrow's primary here. I hope that you will also! Don't let anyone tell you that your vote is wasted by voting your choice. It matters! They just do not understand the primary process.

[truhavoc]

2. I'm thinking the same thing...I vote in Ohio

I was a Dean backer too, now it is either Edwards or Kucinich.

[rucky]

14. Do you really think Kerry needs to be stopped,

or can you live with him as the nominee?

To stop him, you gotta vote for Edwards.

If you can live with JK, but really want to make a statement, vote for DK.

[truhavoc]

17. This is exactly have I've been considering

Kucinich supports my ideals more but I do feel that Kerry isn't the best choice for candidate. From day one he was my least favorite, and now seem him leading is killing me. I like Edwards, and I think other people like him as well. Early on (before clark entered) it was either Dean or Edwards for me upon first glance. I guess it will have to be Edwards for me tomorrow in Ohio. He could have made this easier for me if he would have decided to visit Ohio State like Kerry is doing as we speak.

[DjTj]

26. Edwards is in Ohio today...

...but in Toledo, Dayton, and Cleveland.

He was actually on the Ohio State campus last Sunday, but I guess you missed him.

Like I say below, if you definitely prefer Edwards to Kerry, an Edwards vote makes sense.

[truhavoc]

30. I must have missed him

I live off campus and am somewhat out of the loop since I can't stand the location GOP media. I was driving through campus today and saw Kerry's motorcade, and OSU sent an email notification of his appearance. Maybe OSU is for Kerry and "forgot" to announce Edwards visit.

[redqueen]

3. I say vote for Kucinich

A vote for him sends a message to the eventual nominee, whoever that is, that a progressive platform is something we really want!

Also, he's the only candidate who's PROUD to be a liberal!

Good luck making your decision! :D

[proud patriot]

4. This has been dilema as well

I'm afraid I can't help .

:shrug: I'm thinking Kucinich, if Dean is
still on the Ballot , I might change my mind
again . :shrug:

Honestly can't help .

[slinkerwink]

8. Dean is still on the ballots--he suspended his campaign but you can

still vote for him to help him get delegates.

[MurikanDemocrat]

5. Oh geeze. What are your specific issues with the remaining 4?

You really have to make your own decision.

[LeftCoast]

12. Check my sig tag

I like all of them for various reasons...though Kerry and Edwards have annoyed me with their stance on the Hate Amendment

[truhavoc]

23. Same with me

I am hoping that this is just the typical running towards the right to get votes and that after the election ideals will be more progressive. But really what is my choice, Kucinich who I agree with but don't like, or Edwards who I like but don't agree with. Kerry I don't like and don't agree with. I'm leaning towards Edwards based on the fact that he has the best shot to beat Kerry.

[MurikanDemocrat]

24. Give Kucinich the nod then. He could use the numbers to back up

his work on liberal causes and still has a voice in Congress.

[bobthedrummer]

6. If Dennis Kucinich hasn't spoke for you as an American citizen

then who has?
http://www.kucinich.us/

[RandomKoolzip]

7. Bill and Opus. Beak and saliva in 04!

Vote your conscience.

[DjTj]

10. If it is a clear choice for you between Edwards and Kerry...

...I would vote for whichever one of those two you like better, because it can have an impact on the nomination.

However, if you are really undecided between Edwards and Kerry, just vote your heart, which will probably be Dean if he's still on the ballot.

[flpoljunkie]

11. Lydia, Have you read this "What's right with Kerry" by Nation's David Corn

http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20040315&s=corn

Last four paragraphs of the article:

Investigations were not the only notable moments in Kerry's Senate career. On September 10, 1996, as he was in a tight re-election contest against William Weld, the popular Republican governor of Massachusetts, Kerry voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, which would deny federal benefits to same-sex couples and permit states to not recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states. He was one of only fourteen senators to oppose the measure. Several leading Senate liberals--including Paul Wellstone, Tom Harkin and Pat Leahy--had voted for it. But on the floor of the Senate that day, Kerry, who noted that he did not support same-sex marriage, said, "I am going to vote against this bill...because I believe that this debate is fundamentally ugly, and it is fundamentally political." He refused to pretend that the bill was not a wedge-issue trap devised by conservative Republicans. The legislation, he charged, was "meant to divide Americans," and he argued fiercely that it was unconstitutional. "If this were truly a defense of marriage act," he said, "it would expand the learning experience for would-be husbands and wives. It would provide for counseling for all troubled marriages, not just for those who can afford it. It would provide treatment on demand for those with alcohol and substance abuse.... It would guarantee daycare for every family that struggles and needs it."

The following year, a re-elected Kerry was in another lonely position as one of only five original sponsors of the Clean Money, Clean Elections Act, to provide for full public financing of Congressional elections. The measure would remove practically all special-interest money from House and Senate campaigns. (Kerry's colleagues were Wellstone, Leahy, John Glenn and Joe Biden--all Democrats.) "Kerry was totally into it," says Ellen Miller, former executive director of Public Campaign, a reform group pressing for the legislation. "He believes in this stuff."

In introducing the legislation, Kerry said on the Senate floor, "Special interest money is moving and dictating and governing the agenda of American politics.... If we want to regain the respect and confidence of the American people, and if we want to reconnect to them and reconnect them to our democracy, we have to get the special interest money out of politics." He was also a backer of the better-known McCain-Feingold legislation, a more modest and (some might say) problematic approach to campaign reform. But over the years he's pointed to the Clean Money, Clean Elections Act as the real reform. "It is a tough position in Congress to be for dramatic change in financing elections," says Miller. "It's gutsy to go out and say, 'Let's provide a financially leveled playing field so there is more competition for incumbents.' Kerry and Wellstone were the leaders and took a giant step. It was remarkable."

After two decades in the Senate, Kerry has a long record that can be picked apart by competitors within his own party as well as in the GOP. And though he has been re-elected three times, he has not developed the best political skills. He has not shed a manner too easily criticized as aloof or patrician. He has had brushes with smarmy campaign financing. But there have been times he has shown courage, devotion to justice and commitment to honesty, open government and principle-over-politics. There are few senators of whom that can be said. A full assessment of the man ought to take these portions of his public service into account.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

42. Leftcoast is no relation to Lydia Leftcoast

He may be from some long-lost branch of the Leftcoast family, but we're different people. :-)

[flpoljunkie]

45. Sorry, my mistake. Didn't catch it.

I apologize for the error--confusing you with leftcoast.

[G_j]

15. IMHO

a vote for Kucinich will help bring more of a sense of balance to the convention. Progressive influence on the platform will help many of us feel better about voting ABB in November.

[dpbrown]

18. Dean is no longer pursuing the nomination, vote Kucinich

By voting for Kucinich, you are making the statement that, given a choice in November between two candidates who:

Favor the racist and archaic Death Penalty,

Favor private corporate boondoggle health care,

Favor the invasion, occupation, and privatization of Iraq, and

Favor state-by-state criminalization of gay marriage,

...that you're concerned that some people will stay home rather than vote in November.

How many is too many? Should we take that chance?

The primary is the time to vote principle, and to select your ideal candidate from the candidates who are actively seeking the nomination.

That means Kucinich.

Fear Ends
Hope Begins
Kucinich 2004

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[BL_Zebub]

19. If Dean is your preferred candidate, vote for him!,

The nomination may have been stolen, but that doesn't mean they get the platform with it. Our voice will be heard at the convention.

If you insist on voting for someone still "officially" in the running, then I would reccommend Edwards as he's in the best position to stop the Kerronation. And also in regular communication with Dr. Dean, apparently.

[genius]

20. Kucinich. And if you're in CA, vote NO 0n 58, the givaway to corporations

58 balances all future budgets through cuts in services. The rich will never have to pay their fair share. The compromise was a sell-out. We need to vote out those who supported it in the next primary.

[Mairead]

21. When you vote tactically, you vote your fears.

Vote your conscience instead.

[corporatewhore]

22. well if you are against war and against corporate takeover of us gov then

vote kucinich!!!

[dpbrown]

25. Only DK is for federal protection of marriage between loving people

Of any gender.

If that goes into your thought process, it makes the decision much easier.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[LeftCoast]

27. I thought Sharpton was also pro-marriage?

??

[dpbrown]

32. "Favors" but hasn't come down supporting federal protection

Kucinich's pledge for federal protection goes beyond Sharpton's "aspirational" language.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[gottaB]

35. do you really believe that?

Sharpton has pledged to marry people, for crying out loud.

Rev. Sharpton is clearly disadvantaged by not having the resources to get his message out. But where he has got his message out, I don't see how his support for marriage rights for gays is anything but complete and unequivocal.


http://www.hrc.org/Content/NavigationMenu/HRC/Get_Informed/Campaigns_and_Elections/Presidential_Candidates/2004_Candidates.htm

[robertpaulsen]

28. Same as I told tigerbeat on a similar post

Vote with your heart in the primary. No vote is a waste since you're trying to help your candidate win delegates. But if you were going to vote for Dean, I urge you to take a closer look at Kucinich and ask yourself if his positions on all the issues more closely resembles your own beliefs. As an early Dean supporter, I did when he dropped out. When I vote in CA tomorrow, Kucinich will get my vote.

[MaggieSwanson]

29. Vote for the man who sees through all the lies...

The man with the courage of his convictions, who voted against the Patriot Act, who voted against the IWR, a man who will always keep his promises to his constituents - even if his career is on the line...Vote for Kucinich!

[WitchWay]

34. Try out Kucinich!

Kucinich is an amazing candidate. Please visit his website and take a look at what he has to say. If you have the bandwidth, he has some awesome videos of speeches that he has done and other media. There is also a documentary about him. It's a fun site that is also very informative.

Kucinich is a great speaker, and I think that we don't get to see this when he is in the media or in the debates.

Kucinich is truly a great and rare sort of candidate. If you listen to one of his speeche, you can see just how electable he is (despite the media's outright campaign to make him see unelectable). He can make great speeches at the top of his head. If you check out the debate, Kucinich never cracks or becomes nervous. Nothing gets to him. Even with so few chances to speak, he gets more substantive points out than any of the other candidates. He is honest and sincere.

Plus, Kucinich's primary stance is firmly anti-war. I think that this country is sick and tired of war. Even if Kucinich doesn't get the votes, there is still the possibility of a brokered convention. It would be nice to have Kucinich speak out so eloquently about the need to end this war and to prevent others.

[jmoss]

36. a case for John Edwards

Although Dr. Dean has more time in elected politics as Gov. of Vermont, he was clearly a DC outsider (minus the forums Governors hold in DC every year or so..).

As far as a candidate who had successful professional, private-practice experience, and who then went into politics to make a difference--John Edwards is similar to Dr, Dean.

As far as being a candidate who believes our economic state, our jobless-rate, and enriching the well-being of millions of Americans who live in poverty--John Edwards is similar to Dr. Dean.

It is true that John Edwards voted for the Patriot act (as almost every Senator did), and the IWR. But unlike Joh Kerry, Sen. Edwards did NOT vote the 2nd time through, to give GW a blank check for additional billions to be spent w/o justification or much checks and balances.

The bottom line is that John Edwards is a Senator, and has ample knowledge of how to work inside Washington. But he is NOT a good-ol' boy, 20 year+ Senator, who has spent more time than many voters have been alive, "hurumph-hurumph-ing" on the floor of the Senate.

John Edwards has been out in the real world, fighting (on a contigency-fee-basis, :-) ) for regular folks who were severely wronged by HMO's and other large corporate machines.
He took on these "impossible" cases--and won!!

He will be a VERY strong candidate to beat Pres. Bush in Nov. --and he offers real, granted not overly-liberal, but real change to the culture of the WhiteHouse.

[tryanhas]

38. John Edwards

The Daily Californian (UC-Berkeley)

Endorsements

Monday, March 1, 2004
View as Printable Version
Comment on this Article
E-mail to a Friend

Democratic Party Presidential Primary

Sen. John Edwards

If President Bush is to be replaced this fall, then it is going to take a person capable of articulating a new course for the United States and inspiring disenchanted voters to return to the polls.

Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina is the best candidate to take the fight to Bush this November. Despite falling victim to a flawed primary system which over-emphasizes the role of a few small states, Edwards has managed to keep his campaign moving forward with his charismatic charm and ability to reach out to voters who might ordinarily stay out of politics this year.

Not only does his extraordinary ability to connect with people make Edwards an attractive candidate, his Southern roots make him a strong challenger against Bush in the South, a bloc which has been reluctant to vote Democratic when one of their own isn’t on the ticket. For his commitment to working families and his ability to reach out to voters across the country Sen. John Edwards has earned our support in this primary.

http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=14384

[ScreamingMeemie]

39. I beg of you to vote your consience. We're all going to get a chance

to vote for the nominee come November...so, in this Primary vote for whom your heart and head would want as president. That's what I did. I felt better about myself afterward. :hi:

[mvd]

41. Completely agree with Mrs. Grumpy

I'm exactly the same way. It makes me feel like I'm being true to myself if I vote for Kucinich in the primary. In the GE, you care about getting Bush out. I don't feel like I have to compromise much with Kerry, though.

[LWolf]

40. Dennis.

He stands for the best that we could be, if enough Americans cared about that. He stands up for what we believe, and for us, courageously, with or without support. With support, he can help us to make some of the fundamental changes that would revive the health and prosperity of democracy in America.

[LeftCoast]

43. Still working on making my decision

But, I wanted to thank everyone for their input! I'll let you know who I picked tomorrow (if anyone is interested).

[TheBigDemo]

44. Kucinich is the only one backing Gay Marriage--Vote your heart!