*sticks tongue out at friends who live in California*

[faerylore]

Vistors to the University of Maryland, College Park campus:

Mike Fuckabee- today, only I didn't trust myself to go (did notice an increase in families today on campus, who knew that ppl actually like Fuckabee outside of the South?  Though we are very close to virginia....)

Chelsea Clinton- tomorrow, if I remember I am totally going (though I wish it

Comments

[stardruummer]

i re-registered as democrat to vote in the primaries (was Green before) but i think they offered quite a few candidates at the primary voting (california already voted).

as far as McCain, i think he is the most palatable of the republicans - however, thats kind of like being king amoung beggars, not much to brag about. not because he's "liberal" like the idiot conservatives keep saying, because he isn't. but he's an old school republican conservative, with moderate leanings. as opposed to the rabidly conservative neo-con running against him. Hukabee really creeps me out.

as for the Democratic front runners, Clinton and Obama are nearly identical in their policies, so sadly it becomes more nebulous, and much more like a popularity contest. as can see the positive and negative aspects of either. i finally decided to vote for Obama in the primary, because he pisses off less people than Clinton and i think would be better at bringing people together to agree on things, since we don't have enough democrats in congress to force everything through. although Clinton's more confrontational style might be effective as well, just that less people would like her while she did it. but also there are a lot of people who say they would not want to vote for her who are traditionally liberal or moderate, and i really don't want a republican to win again! i think she'd make a decent president, and i wish people would stop talking about her femininity or lack thereof. it doesn't matter, shut up!

and on the media portrayal, i totally agree. i HATE how they cover the race, from start to finish. and fox news i've started to call "the anti-Hillary channel". but from the start, they show ratings on who people would vote for, and everyone sees "oh, these two people are most likely to win" and the next time they take a poll, more people switch over to one of those top picks. and its a positive feedback loop. instead i with the media would spend time talking about candidates issues and backgrounds and strength vs weaknesses, so that people get an accurate reading of them. instead all you head is "clinton is too masculine to win! obama is too black...er, inexperienced to win! obama is so charismatic! clinton is so cold and unemotional!" fine, tell me something real now please?

[faerylore]

I totally agree (in mental angwish) about the media and the total lack of information (unless you count the constant updating of the polls). As for the electability of the candidates, the part I wonder about is I think people are just more up front about their sexist tendensies than with their racist ones, I don't buy this idea that Obama's going to unite the country and we'll all start getting along and all discrimination will magically disappear. I do think most dems would go for Obama, assuming another Bradley Effect doesn't happen. I think at least most third wave feminists are willing to go with him (I actually think most are already there, the disconnect and distaste btwn Clinton and 3rd wave feminists seems to be pretty large, at least in my experience online though I'm not totally sure why).
But I think most republicans would be very happy with McCain if he picks a southern conservative as his VP. Both McCain and Obama are popular with and will draw from independants. Right now they say that Obama would win in that matchup, but that's only in the polls (which have been shit lately). And I kind of think that the conservatives who don't want a woman (esp a Clinton, granted) in the white house, won't want a liberal black man either. The question then, will be if Obama getting to the general election will drive the conservatives out to vote against him (he seems popular enough I think amongst the more middling repubs). I would expect the backlash with Clinton, but wouldn't be surprised if it happened with Obama either. Esp. because if he gets the dem ticket I expect him to get all the bad press and spew that the repubs are currently directing to Clinton.

The sad part is that I don't see either dem having an easy time in the general election, and considering the other possiblities, it looks like we'll be settling once again.

And if Obama picks Edwards as VP or Richardson (who I guess would be an okay VP), the repubs would be more likely to come out to vote against.

With McCain I have this irrational fear that he'll have Jeb Bush as VP and then croak of old age after getting elected. I really don't want another Bush, even if it's the smarter (not hard to manage granted) of the two sons.