I've Decided to Vote for Barack in the WV Primary
Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 10:35:20 AM PDT
I have been struggling for almost a year now in the primary season that never ends to decide how to cast my primary vote. My general election vote has never been in doubt- I will vote, donate and campaign for the candidate who emerges from the selection process. Frankly, I never believed my vote would matter that much. In 1960 the West Virginia Primary led to John F. Kennedy's nomination, but we have been late and irrelevant for quite some time.
So finally, I have decided to vote for Barack Obama in the primary. My reason for doing so is ultimately his electability. Hillary Clinton is now unelectable vs. McCain, so I will throw my one vote to Obama, to stave off the landslide for Clinton which will emerge from West Virginia. Obama's failure to convince West Virginia voters is foreshadowing the very real difficulties he will have in winning the presidency. I will discuss the issues which are swaying voters in my State towards Clinton.
Sorry if this support isn't as gracious as it could be, but frankly, I only made up my mind after a week away from this site. Folks here have focussed on this election is a very negative and sexist way- yesterday's Bros before Hoes Diary is one such example. This individual had to ask if this tee-shirt was racist or sexist or both. Sure- that needed discussion. There was a good rejection of this sort of humor which encouraged me. But the Hillary is a Witch and other derogatory comments are not worthy of the sort of campaign that Obama has been trying to run. I would like to vote for a woman candidate, but I want to vote for a candidate who can be elected.
West Virginia regularly elects state Democrats while voting for Republicans for President. McCain will almost certainly take the state- folks here consider themselves independent and admire his record of courage as a prisoner of war, military service and service in the Senate. Bill Clinton was popular in West Virginia- he took the state twice. Hillary Clinton is viewed as strong for unions, and she impressed many on a recent visit with veterans, taking questions. Trust me- she will win the primary by a wide margin.
Obama will have a hard time getting elected here in either the Primary or the General Election because he is widely considered to be unpatriotic. The flag pin was a huge mistake and so was the Pledge of Allegiance Rumor. Obama's wife compounded the problem and now the constant bombardment with Obama's pastor saying "God Damn America." This plays very poorly here and nothing Obama has done to date has had any significant impact.
Hillary's "misremembering" the Bosnia visit will only drive people to support McCain, the real "hero" in the general election. The recent McCain ad, showing him in old TV broadcasts as a prisoner in Viet Nam is cutting right to the heart of why Obama is unlikely to win in West Virginia and quite possibly the United States. McCain is the hero and no one seems to want to replay the "swift boat" mess by actually questioning why we were in Viet Nam.
So why, given my extreme pessimism and my overall preference for Hillary Clinton's positions am I voting for Obama in West Virgina?
Because he is the best chance we have for a successful candidate nationally. I like his staying above the fray. I like his speech on race- it was a good strategy to go right to America and talk about advancing the dialog on race. He has a strong feminist wife and comes from a strongly feminist family. He doesn't say sexist demeaning things about Clinton himself and the advisor who said such things left the campaign. Taking the high road and emphasizing issues is the only way to defeat McCain. I think focussing on jobs and energy and regulation of the industry of finance will play well in this state. He can also address the issues of patriotism- and I wish he would adopt Clinton or Edward's health care plan. His is far too incremental for real change. That said, his middle of the road approach will scare less Republicans. Nationally, Obama will do better if more people vote for him in my primary. So I am adding my vote to narrow the gap and support his candidacy. My spouse is also committed to Obama, although the 3 AM ad really convinced him more than anything else.
And a final plea- move on from the constant nasty campaigning and let the process work. Let the primaries go forward and let people reach their own conclusions- you could be astonished at the results. This site has driven off many people and replaced them with people participating in full contact campaigning. I tire of the boring sameness of diary after diary on the same topic- why Hillary supporters are bad or emotional or sexist or hurt- with no one left to challenge these statements. It is a dull echo chamber and it is not working to get Obama elected. The national news and polls convinced me to vote for Obama in the primary, not anyone here.
It will take a lot of effort to get Obama elected, and the time has come to address McCain and his policies. We better be prepared to NOT run an nasty campaign against McCain- but to stick to issues and not personality, looks, or his wife and children. Obama is correct that America is tired of that sort of campaign. I am tired of that sort of campaign and if the next 7 months keep it up, Obama will lose in many purple states including West Virginia. If Obama runs on his ideas and his character as he is doing, he has a chance of winning the election, and he has my vote.
If Senator Byrd strongly campaigns for Obama or Joe Manchin (our popular governor), this would make a difference in the general election. Rockefeller and Rahall have already endorsed Obama.
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