As someone who voted for Clinton in the Texas Democratic primary and worked for her husband in 1992 and 1996, I can only say that the latest turn of this campaign has begun to really, really piss me off and may force me to give money and support to Obama.
Let me start by saying I was for Edwards to start this party. I believe that his message of people vs. the powerful was not only the correct tact, but he was the right messenger and someone who genuinely believed what he was saying and had the drive to implement it.
When he dropped out, I seriously considered Obama, but felt his health care plan was too timid and the exact wrong approach for what must be done in 2009 and 2010. I've been dealing with health care policy since 1995 and my wife is a health care policy expert, so this was a big, big, big thing to me.
Sure, some of his more boistrous supporters on the net and elsewhere turned me offto Obama as well. Those two things, combined with what I know to be Hillary's toughness and readiness to get in the ring with the Republicans led to my choosing her when the time came to actually cast a vote in the primary.
I am now very close to jumping ship and doing whatever I can to help Obama.
The pandering on the gas tax is just pathetic on its own merits. It is about the worst idea for this country in sheer policy terms. As I mainly chose Hillary over Obama on policy, this is huge to me. But, putting aside the pandering political expediency of it, Hillary has compounded her capriciousness by a) giving McCain a boost as some sort of rational policy maker and, b) truly gone over the deep end in saying that this is an issue of "elites vs. the people".
No, is is an issue of anyone with a brain over political hacks hoping to score points. Just because everyone with a brain is attacking your plan doesn't make them "elites", it makes them sentient creatures who give a shit about energy policy and the future. The "elite" would be those who benefit from this bat shit crazy idea, the oil companies and Republicans like McCain.
Stop this now, HRC. Back off the edge, because I don't think I'm the only one of your supporters who is more than a bit queasy about this and other things that have occurred in this campaign. While I believe both major camps have consistently hit the stupid button and gone below the belt, the thing that unites us is our belief that the government can do good for its citizens and not just pillage and give away money and power to the rich.
The more you push this stupidity, the more votes you are going to lose, not gain, all while strengthening huggy bear.