This is an account of my personal journey towards deciding which primary candidate to support for the Democratic nomination. I do not belong to any faction now and have not joined one at any time during this primary season. Moreover, since 2000 I have committed myself to support the Democratic candidate in the presidential election, no matter who it was. That decision still holds, particularly given the Republican field for 2008: I'd never vote for any of them.
In this primary cycle, I haven't been able to decide who to support. Early in the primary campaigns, I thought I might choose Bill Richardson, but he never seemed ready for prime time.
After that brief flirtation, my default support has gone to HRC. In my view, she is competent, smart, experienced, and interesting. I'd like to vote for a first woman president. I have nostalgia for the (mostly) good times of the Clinton years. But I have problems with some of her positions, and they have grown rather than diminished as the primary cycle has continued. For example, I am not a supporter of free trade; rather, I support fair trade...or, at least, careful trade. I was disgusted with her unwillingness to say the U.S. would be out of Iraq in 15 (!!!) years and horrified by her vote on Iran.
Follow the march over the flip...
But after the campaign's slimy attacks on Obama in the last two weeks, I've had to make a final break with HRC, at least in the primary. I am finished with this kind of politics. I hated it from GWB and I hate it from HRC. It turned me off completely.
So I've been taking a fresh look at the candidates. I like Chris Dodd a lot and I'm thrilled by his stance on FISA and constitutional issues. I had never really forgiven Joe Biden for his high school smirkiness in the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings. Currently, I disagree with him on Iraq partitioning. Nevertheless, he has pretty much redeemed himself in the last few months; perhaps he would be a strong contender for Secy of State.
There there's Obama, a wonderful charismatic speaker (how refreshing it would be to have a real communicator in the WH!). But I don't like his position on Iraq and health care. I find him short on the specifics of what he would actually do, and I just don't get a sense of substantive commitment from him. I'll listen again, but that's where my thinking is today.
A few days ago, I watched John Edwards on C-SPAN, the first time in the last few months I'd seen an entire speech by him. I wasn't impressed with him during the '04 campaign (or Kerry either, for that matter). I thought Edwards came across as a lightweight.
However, as I followed the speech last week, I found myself liking Edwards' overall point of view: He is liberal enough for me. He takes a traditionally Dem anti-establishment direction that I would like the Democratic Party to take as a whole. And I am in substantial agreement with his positions, particularly on the war in Iraq, limiting lobbying, and no child left behind.
So, although I will keep an open mind and listen to the candidates until the primary in California, right now I am leaning pretty definitively towards John Edwards. (This may not be great news for the John Edwards campaign -- as you have read, throughout this primary season, I have leaned towards a string of can't-win candidates and now find myself supporting the one who seems to be running in 3rd place.)
And it's possible that I could change my mind again. But for now, I am most comfortable with Edwards. In the end, I will support any Democratic nominee enthusiastically, with money, time, and commitment.