MyDD :: For the Hillary Supporters

For the Hillary Supporters

by IowaMike, Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:00:47 AM EST

I was a county Chair for Edwards in 2004 and 2008. When he suspended his campaign, I wrote this. I hope by seeing the race through a devoted 3rd party member (though I will admit, once the math made clear who the nominee was, I have "encouraged" us to close ranks) might help you see the strengths and weakness of both candidates (though both got better through this process).

This Edwardian Can(Will)not Support Another

I'm not saying that I won't be pulling the big "D" lever this fall. Of coarse I will. I will also work tirelessly for our candidate to get him/her elected. I just think that we are now at a disadvantage for the upcoming fall election and I am not inspired by one or the other enough to help get them the nomination.

Let's be quite clear, both candidates have their strengths. Hillary is a very strong candidate who knows how to take, and give, a punch. She has a strong, loyal following and perhaps one of the greatest political minds ever as her closest advisor. And, it would be wonderful for that glass ceiling to be finally smashed. She may be the stronger candidate.

Obama is one of the greatest speakers we have seen and has motivated more people to political action than I have ever witnessed before. And as a person who worked with inner-city Chicago students a few years back, I can not think of anything that would do more to improve the outlook for young African-American males than to see a Black man elected President. It could be a turning point knowing that our country has finally come so far that yes, even they, can become the President.

But they also have weaknesses that concern me. Hillary, for whatever reason, has probably the largest group of people that just flat out hate her. Every accusation that we have heard before, every questionable relationship will be dredged up again. I can only see a long, drawn-out, dirty election ending it a very close, if not again disputed outcome. I don't think Obama has shown that he can take a punch very well, and has not learned how to use his charm to diffuse attacks. He needs to demonstrate any possible ability he has dealing with negative attacks on the Reznik issue, NOW! Most regretfully, I don't see either one showing the concern for issues, like poverty, that I most cared about that Edwards did.

I await the eventual nominee. Obama and Clinton supporters, your attacks may commence. I will enjoy my rest and see you at the convention.

Tags: Nomination, Clinton, Obama, Edwards (all tags)

Permalink :: 42 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (none / 0)

Iowa represent!

Born in Marshalltown, lived in Atlantic, Jesup, Independence, Waterloo.

Serious question- Is This Snark?

by ragekage on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:04:11 AM EST

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (none / 0)

Married an Iowa girl.

btw might want to go and edit out the

Intro
You must enter an Intro for your Diary Entry between 300 and 1150 characters long.

by notedgeways on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:05:57 AM EST

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (none / 0)

Thanks, I'll try:)

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:06:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (none / 0)

BTW, I had to go out of state to find mine, Illinois.

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:22:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (none / 0)

Midwesterners represent, I guess (in Duluth MN now).

(and I was an Edwards supporter initially, but he was pretty much done by the time it got round to us.)

by notedgeways on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:40:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (2.00 / 1)

Manchester in da house (said nasally as possible)!

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:06:14 AM EST

Starts chanting (2.00 / 1)

Minnesota (long o's there with the t sounding more like a d). Minnesota.

Looks around, oops I am in the wrong place.

Recced.

I was for Edwards too before February. At times I still wish he'd get back in.

Student Guy=JoeMentum. No really Student Guy=JoeMentum, after all JoeMentum was an embarrassment so is Student Guy. This sig is FAIL!!

by Student Guy on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:12:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

luntz is that you? (1.00 / 3)

by Is This Snark on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:19:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

You know why.... (2.00 / 1)

the trees in Iowa lean north?

Because Minnesota sucks, and Missouri blows!

Okay, bad joke.

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:21:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I can take it and dish it (2.00 / 1)

(and to Is This Snark no I am not democraticluntz)

Do you know that over 99% of Minnesotans are in favor of a southern border fence, only it is not along the US border, it is to keep those pesky Iowans out.

{okay really bad joke}

Prairie folk are alright. mojo to you.

Student Guy=JoeMentum. No really Student Guy=JoeMentum, after all JoeMentum was an embarrassment so is Student Guy. This sig is FAIL!!

by Student Guy on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:29:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Starts chanting (2.00 / 1)

More Minnesootian eh?

Being one here is my Joke entry...

"Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, yeah every time they spit they call it a lake".

I won't go into the FIBs, that's more of a Wisconsin thing anyway.

by notedgeways on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:43:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

who da hell is Resnik? (none / 0)

"McSame: He's Constipated and Ready to GO!

by Al Rodgers on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:11:20 AM EST

Re: who da hell is Resnik? (none / 0)

The guy he is accused of the realty deal with, the slum lord guy, I couldn't remember how to spell his name, I was a little upset at the time.

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:19:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

if ya don't know his name, then it's not an issue. (none / 0)

"McSame: He's Constipated and Ready to GO!

by Al Rodgers on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:38:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: if ya don't know his name, then it's not an is (none / 0)

It was at the time....and again, I was too upset to give a damn how to spell his name correctly....but thanks.

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:43:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (none / 0)

I too was an Edwards guy..
After he suspended critical issues disappeared.
I am sure, however that he would have not endorsed Obama if Obama had not convinced Edwards.

"harlequin speech of suicide, demanding instantaneous lobotomy"

by nogo postal on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:18:20 AM EST

Did you know that Herbert Hoover was....... (2.00 / 1)

West Branch.

Spent a year guarding Herbert Hoover's gravesite.

Had visions of Yellowstone, but the NPS put me on a postage stamp sized acreage for my first posting as a ranger.

Not thrilled about Iowa, but I like Iowans.

by emptythreatsfarm on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:23:31 AM EST

Re: Did you know that Herbert Hoover was....... (none / 0)

Mention you're from Iowa and some sad sack has to bring up "Herbert Hoover!" Like its our fault!

Just Kiddin. You actually had to guard it? From what? The communist Amanas declaring it the property of the people?

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:27:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Did you know that Herbert Hoover was....... (none / 0)

We will always have the Field of Dreams.
From Missouri Valley myself, although currently living in Honolulu.

by megantko on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 02:44:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

the glamorous life of a national park ranger (none / 0)

You'd be surprised at the number of angry folks who came to visit the site and just about spit when they said Hoover's name.

Never caught anybody trying to dig up the grave.

Mostly made people pick up their dog poop off the grass!

by emptythreatsfarm on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 10:00:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Woohoo!

by catfish2 on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:24:05 AM EST

Re: Hillary took popular vote lead today! (2.00 / 1)

I will say, as caucus attendee for many a year, having Clinton tell me that:

1. I don't count because I'm not an important state.

I don't count in the pop vote because I got my ass out on a freezing night in January.
I don't count because I'm not really democratic.

really didn't help her cause in my state, and may be why she trails McSame here why Obama doesn't.

Just, again, giving you insight from a battleground state.

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:30:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hillary took popular vote lead today! (none / 0)

You didn't mention my favorite, the fact that you're one of the two states that have never elected a woman to major office.

I never understood why Hillary and her supporters thought it was politically smart to play that particular card. I'm surprised it didn't turn out to be a bigger deal than it was.

"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman

by Steve M on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 02:16:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

In what country? (none / 0)

"McSame: He's Constipated and Ready to GO!

by Al Rodgers on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:39:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Edwards was just too damned shrill (none / 0)

After a while, he turned into a one-trick pony: EVERYTHING was about the greed of corporate America, and how the little guy is getting screwed.

There are plenty of abuses in the business sector, but there are also lots of great companies...like John Deere, Caterpillar, Apple, and so on. Edwards just seemed to lump them all together. By the end of the campaign, he was sounding like George Wallace, minus the racism.

More importantly, the anti-NAFTA drumbeat is getting a little old....in the most recent GDP report, our exports grew faster than any other sector...and really saved the country from going into recession! As the Candadian foreign trade minister wrily noted in a public statement during the NAFTA dustup in March: "Knowlegeable observers should inform Mr.Obama that Canada is the United States' largest supplier of crude oil...perhaps he would prefer to get one billion barrels of oil each year from Hugo Chavez..."

That statement was a real body slam on Obama (Canadians don't suffer fools easily), but the message was clear: loose the anti-free trade rhetoric. It's a bankrupt philosophy economically, and globalization is here. Embrace the future, not the past.

by BJJ Fighter on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:33:17 AM EST

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (none / 0)

All true. I supported Edwards as well. He had his share of weaknesses too!

At some point during the campaign I think I just started cracking up at the realization of how thin his resume was. I mean, he made Obama look like Ted Kennedy! But he still had the right message for this party.

"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman

by Steve M on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:35:34 AM EST

Keep it up (none / 0)

Just keep assuming that no one except the dead-enders will be offended by this sort of childish taunting. Keep it up.

"McSame: He's Constipated and Ready to GO!

by Al Rodgers on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:41:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Keep it up (none / 0)

Well, if my interest were in persuading people to unite behind my candidate in November, that would be a pretty frickin' awesome point.

"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman

by Steve M on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:53:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Hey kids..... (none / 0)

I'll pull this car over if I have to!

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:55:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]

so, as an edwards supporter (none / 0)

Suppose Clinton were close to locking up the nomination, but Edwards was fighting the good fight, was within single digits in percentage of delegates, and could very well win the majority of votes.

How would you react if the DNC took four Edwards delegates and gave them to Clinton?

by souvarine on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:59:13 AM EST

Re: so, as an edwards supporter (2.00 / 1)

The math is the math. I tend to be pragmatic about that. Trying to claim victory based on the results in two states that were far from contested or fair contests would be tainted at best.

And if you think the media was against your gal from the beginning, try being an Edwardian when the media would never talk about you unless someone did a haircut joke.

I have actually lost an election. I have wishes and hopes, but am usually pragmatic about politics.

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 02:10:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: so, as an edwards supporter (none / 0)

I'm not arguing Edwards didn't get screwed. His ideas drove the substance of the primary.

You haven't really answered my question. As a passionate supporter, knowing how important Edwards's ideas are, and as you point out how 'silly' it is to quibble over four delegates, how would you react to them being taken from Edwards and given to Clinton?

by souvarine on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 10:14:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: so, as an edwards supporter (none / 0)

I did, you probably missed it.

I think the 4 are silly, that the math is against me. I don't cry over spilled milk.

I'm a realist. Losing my own personal battle has made me more of one.

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 11:39:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: so, as an edwards supporter (none / 0)

Interesting. I remember many self-described progressives arguing early in the campaign that a contested convention would be a great way to shift the party to the left. At the time I thought the possibility was very unlikely, but I couldn't argue against the justice of putting poverty and economic inequality higher among the party's priorities. Later in the primary, after Edwards dropped out, Joe Trippi was making the case that Edwards should have stayed in to the convention for similar reasons, as a tie-breaker he could raise the profile of the issues that were important to his supporters.

It is strange to me that many who would have supported such an effort by Edwards decline to give Clinton the same consideration.

by souvarine on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 12:46:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: so, as an edwards supporter (none / 0)

I wouldn't have supported such a stand by Edwards. You are just assuming, something you appear to be doing a lot of. And we all know what that makes....:)

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 09:35:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: so, as an edwards supporter (none / 0)

I wasn't assuming you did. I found it interesting that you didn't, and I was explaining why I had pressed the question.

by souvarine on Mon Jun 02, 2008 at 12:19:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: so, as an edwards supporter (none / 0)

I believe in JE, I worked hard for him. I don't follow anyone blindly enough to lose reason, and this November is too important. We can/should win this if we don't destroy ourselves.

by IowaMike on Mon Jun 02, 2008 at 01:02:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: so, as an edwards supporter (none / 0)

And, lets be honest, both campaigns are being a little silly about 4 delegates when its about 200 that separate them.

by IowaMike on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 02:11:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (none / 0)

Yes we had record turnouts, lots of people came into the process and guess what Hillary Clinton won more votes yet all we EVER hear about is Obama bringing all the people in, he might have brought them in but still MORE voted for Hillary.

by rossinatl on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 03:21:44 AM EST

Re: For the Hillary Supporters (none / 0)

No they didn't

From a Hillary supporter: We laughed as that became our mantra - "Barack can't win!"..... ....."he can go to hell and i'll pay for his way there."

by Cochrane on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 04:27:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Well according to the AP, she won more votes (none / 0)

Perhaps there is another vote total in Obama-land. And of course, I'm sure Rev.Wright would tell us that there is a white conspiracy at AP to rig the vote totals in favor of Hillary.

by BJJ Fighter on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:33:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well according to the AP, she won more votes (none / 0)

Provide numbers please. Remember not to include MI.

From a Hillary supporter: We laughed as that became our mantra - "Barack can't win!"..... ....."he can go to hell and i'll pay for his way there."

by Cochrane on Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 04:34:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You are not logged in.

In order to post a comment, you must be logged in. If you have a member account, please log in to comment.

If not, you can make an account right here. It's quick and free.