I know we're not supposed to discuss politics and religion... but since we ignore the latter request, why not the former?

Here's a topic to discuss your favorite or least favorite candidate, my only request is to say 'why' you feel that way. We've got 10-11 months to make our mistake (and 4 years to live with it ) so discuss away...

Caveat: we do not endorse any 'official' candidate on this site, so any views expressed our totally our own personal views. Any quotes will be linked directly where possible.

What are the issues important to you? Which ones do you not care about? Any local races you wanna yelp about?

I am politically challenged and embarrassingly uneducated on everyone's platforms, but I think that it is difficult to facilitate change (regardless of the party you are affiliated with), if your senate and house are opposed.

For me, I vote almost solely on moral issues. Pro choice, pro gay marriage, partial birth abortion, no thank you. I even have problems with stem cell research.

I have a problem with Hillary Clinton because I think she purposely stayed with Bill because she had her eyes set on the White House, not because she loved or had forgiveness. Not only would she be the first woman President, but she would also be the first single (divorced) President. I think after she left office she would drop him like a hot potato.

However, with Hillary AND Bill in the White House, they could eliminate the need for a Vice President and save us some money that way.

I think that might cost us a LOT more in the end...

The field is at least getting a bit narrower, Fred Thompson dropped out this week on the republican side ( - he was my favorite all-around candidate) and Kucinich is supposed to be dropping out in the next day or so on the democrat side.

Top contenders:

Democrat:
- Obama
- Clinton
- Edwards

Republican:
- McCain
- Huckabee
- Romney
- Giuliani

Did I miss anyone serious? Anyone a Ron Paul fan?

I can't agree with every thing that Ron Paul stands for but I sure could live with his policies for four years.

He is the ONLY candidate that has come aout and actually said that unconditionally what he is for and against.

I think that's open for a lot of debate, but he is just too all over the place in his opinions, conspiracy theories, and voting records for my taste; I couldn't vote for him when we need a commander-in-chief.

i think at this point I am a Romney man. Mccain cant win. HUckabee - i just dont know. But i like him. and Giuliani. Just dont think he can be a good Prez. And I dont think he can beat obama or clinton , especially debating. They are vicious.

So what are the rules? The person with the most delegates gets that party's nomination at the convention? Can anyone run as an Independent? (Independents split votes right?) *sigh*. I should know more about how our country is actually run...

Yes to each question

I think Thompson would have done well in any debate with either opponent, but since he dropped out we won't know unless he's a VP candidate. I'm undecided on the rest right now, I don't know enough about them to make an informed decision. All the campaigning has been away from TX so far...

I liked Thompson too.

It's ridiculous, but I get "feelings" about people. I don't like McCain, and I don't really know why, but there is something that bothers me inside, and I surely don't want Hillary. Barack is intellectually up for the job, (again, not knowing his position on the issues) but to listen to him go on and on there's something in his voice that brings me back to a former pastor who could never hold my attention in church... Romney says all the right things, but comes across slick to me and reminds me of that actor (whose name escapes me) who is always tanned. Not knowing all their views yet, my "gut" likes Huckabee just because he's a Christian and a pastor and is not ashamed to bring God into everything. I liked John Edwards because I think he is "human", but he supports civil unions and I don't/can't.

It is going to be a tough decision I think...at least for me.

McCain has issues with his policies he's backed and positions on issues in the past, a lot weren't conservative.

Hillary has her own well-known issues.

Barack is inexperienced and backs liberal policies

Romney's positions 'evolve' over time (he tends to flip flop) and no-telling where they will end up. He's been on the wrong side of immigration (like McCain) in the past but has evolved since running for prez. You were thinking of George Hamilton?

Huckabee has had fiscal positions/backed policies in the past that were/are liberal. It would be interesting to see how he would 'evolve' much like romney.

John Edwards is probably one of the most "politician-like" of the group. He's doing as badly as Ron Paul (distant last place finishes), not sure why he's still in except he likes the spotlight and likes spending other people's money.

Giuliani is similar to Romney in experience, tho more McCain-like in policies. His biggest problem has been to wait until Florida to campaign, he's running third there so far and will probably fade more afterwards if not drop out.

Like I mentioned before, they haven't campaigned in Texas yet, so I'm not very familiar with their positions except what's been on the debates.

McCain is getting some heat for hia immigrations views:
McCain seems to have conned a lot of Rep... on immigration

And so is Obama: Sen. Barack Obama easily won the African...gal immigrants.

Ugh, both are on the wrong side of the wishes of the over-whelming majority of American voters...

Just when we needed it, Dave Barry gets everyone caught up on the presidential race:


On Tuesday, millions of Florida voters will head for the polls. Being Floridians, many of them will become confused and drive into buildings, canals, cemeteries, other Floridians, etc. But some will actually make it to the polls, where they will cast ballots that will play a crucial role in the presidential election. Or, in the case of Democrats, not.

It turns out that the 2008 Florida Democratic primary doesn't count. Florida will be sending the same number of delegates to the 2008 Democratic convention as Uzbekistan. This may seem unfair, but there's a simple, logical explanation: The whole primary system is insane. Consider the process so far:

First, Iowa held ''caucuses,'' in which Iowans gathered in small groups at night and engaged in some mysterious Iowan ritual that for all we know involves having intimate relations with corn. Right after that, Wyoming had a primary, but it was only for Republicans, because Wyoming Democrats (apparently, there are at least two) will hold their primary on March 8. Most of the candidates ignored Wyoming and focused on the New Hampshire primary, except Rudy Giuliani, who's following a shrewd strategy, originally developed by the Miami Dolphins, of not entering the race until he has been mathematically eliminated. After New Hampshire came Michigan, where the ballot listed all the Republicans, but only certain Democrats -- including Chris Dodd, who had already dropped out if the race -- but not including Barack Obama or John Edwards.

After Michigan came the Nevada caucuses, in which Hillary Clinton got more votes but Barack Obama got more delegates. (If you don't understand how that could happen, then you have never been to a casino.) Then came the South Carolina Republican primary, which of course was not held on the same day as the South Carolina Democratic primary, which was Saturday. Then comes Florida, in which Republican voters will elect some delegates, although the total will only be half the number Florida was originally supposed to get. Meanwhile, Florida Democrats, as I mentioned, will have the same impact on their party's nomination as if they fed their ballots to ducks.

I am not making any of this up: This is our actual primary system, except (I hope) the part about the corn. We're selecting candidates for the most important job in the world via a process that's less rational than the one used to choose Miss Kumquat of Pasco County.

How did we end up with this ridiculous system? We got it through endless petty squabbling, in both parties, over the issue of which states get to go first. That's right: When confronted with what should be a minor procedural problem, the leaders of our major political parties can't even work intelligently with their own allies, let alone their opponents. This is why, no matter who wins in November, I am optimistic about the future of the nation. (I'm referring to Uzbekistan.)

Anyway, for those of you who plan to vote Tuesday, here's a quick overview of the political situation:

THE REPUBLICAN RACE: It's still wide open. Mitt ''Mitt'' Romney holds a slight edge in delegates, plus a heifer he got for winning Wyoming. Right behind him are John McCain, Chuck Norris and the late Ronald Reagan.

Bringing up the rear is Rudy, who needs a win and has been frantically courting Florida voters. He's mowing your lawn right now.

THE DEMOCRATIC RACE: It's down to Obama vs. Clinton, and it's getting nasty. They hate each other, with the kind of passionate hatred that you see only between two people who hold essentially the same positions on everything. Edwards is still running, but at this point they don't even bother to put a microphone on him for the debates. He just waves his arms to indicate how he's going to take on the big corporations.

There are also some referendum questions on the Florida ballot. The big one concerns the plan to amend the state property tax. This is a complicated question, and it's your duty, as a citizen, to do the research, get the facts and figure out whether the amendment will help -- or hurt -- me. Then let me know, OK? Because I am way too busy.

So that's the situation, Floridians.

On Tuesday, it's your turn to stand up and be counted, unless of course you're a Democrat. But whatever you are, you should get out there and vote, even if you have no earthly idea for what or whom you're voting, or why, because that's what democracy is all about.

Also, Rudy, if you're reading this: My hedge needs trimming.

Gotta love Dave Barry!

For those who want to follow the race closely, there's more info than you can shake a stick at on: www.realclearpolitics.com - they're the people most quoted when it comes to polling - they seem to do a good job of averaging all the other polls to give us a pretty even view of what's where.

I did read a story today where one guy is advocating a fred thompson write-in - it's much more than a non-vote, but tells a story of the people we want to see run.

After McCain's win and Romney's second place yesterday, Giuliani is expected to drop out today. Edwards is expected to drop out today on the democrat side.

Any of them your favorites? Help or hurt your candidate?

They took a "Survivor" poll on one show today and they voted McCain as a "keeper" due to his POW experience. They kicked Hillary to the curb.

i just dont know. as long as it aint hitlery clinton or Barak hussein Obama Bin Laden

It *could* be both

Did anyone see the debate tonight on CNN? I caught some of the pundits afterwards - they seemed to think Romney did real well, McCain not so well and Huckabee kinda middlin.

talking heads are calling Mccain the man for the republicans.
Is he the best we got. I dont how many have said (at least in Tn),"i wis Fred hadnt dropped out". He didnt know how may voters he had...
In this great country we have
CLinton
Obama
Mccain
Huckabee
ROmney

None of them are STRONG leaders like Reagan or Bush or JFK or even Bill Clinton, at least he was decisively strong, albeit with wrong motivations.

Well, if it comes down to McCain or Romney, I think I'm with Romney. I have to register to vote in the primary. Right now I'm in as an Independent

I miss Fred too

I'm still waiting to see who shoots themselves in the foot by the time the primaries get around to Texas on March 4th.

Here's the delegate count so far:

Pubs (1,191 Delegates Needed to Win)
McCain - 93
Romney - 59
Huckabee - 40
Paul - 4

Dems (2,025 Delegates Needed to Win)
Clinton - 256
Obama - 181

Less than 10% in, we don't know anything yet

Ralph Nader is thinking of running?

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4215961&page=1

HA! He's done so well the last 10 times he ran...

Ralph Nadar ALWAYS runs. The Green party has no better candidates.

Personally, I want to see Obama win for the democrats. I cannot stand Hilary, especially after her whole crying stint.

For the Republicans, I'd like to see McCain pull the win here. Originally I wanted Ol' Huck to win it but he's no longer contending. Romney's biggest flaw to me is that fact that he's a Mormon! Just kidding Joel. Nah, Romney seems too much like a used car salesman to me. Talks an excellent talk but there's just too many smiles and not enough to show for it.

McCain has just went so far outside what's considered a conservative vote numerous times. I also tend to believe Romney when he says being a senator doesn't really mean you are qualified to actually lead anything, your life is a series of comittee meetings. That's small fries tho when compared to what side of the issues McCain has been on.

Tomorrow's the big day, anyone get to vote?

As I said earlier I remembered that when I moved back to CT I was registered as an Independent, so yesterday I went to Town Hall to change parties and they wouldn't let me. Not only were they impatient, they were just plain rude. They originally just yelled "We're Closed" when I first knocked. They wouldn't even open the opaque glass door. I couldn't see anyone and I had to raise my voice to ask and answer questions through it. They said I had to be there before noon in order to make the change...

I was going to vote for Mike Huckabee, but they say a vote for him helps McCain and I just don't want him.

Romney won't commit to anything but being non-commital.

McCain actually believes he is a Republican.

Hillary is a publicly bitter, overly emotional, irrational socialist. With her record of ourbursts we do not need her finger on the nuke button.

Obama is wet behind the ears and is way to dodgy on his upbringing. He has no plan for anything but says we need change. He has an agenda that I don't like the smell of.



We are SO hosed!

I would almost cast a vote for Bloomberg if he ran just to show my disaproval of the party lackeys that have been offered up.

From a well-known conservative blogger:

Three Reasons to Vote for Obama

excerpts:


- If McCain gets the nomination, I just might vote for Obama.

Besides... I've thought for a while now if McCain gets the nomination by votes from moderates/independents due to his central/left leaning tendencies, it's just a throw-back to the Dole/Kemp race of 1996 - we're doomed as a party to a mediocre oatmeal candidate who wil get stomped in the general election. It will be between 2 centrist/left candidates and one of the other 2 has a lot more experience in those issues - it's kinda like arguing with an idiot, they drag you down to their level and beat you with more experience

I won't go that far - McCain definitely isn't conservative, but he's miles and miles from Clinton/Obama.

Huckabee is having a good night - much better than expected. I kind of wrote him off because the other 2 took the majority of the limelight. We'll see...

I would love to see Mike Huckabee in there. Sadly, I'm worried that if McCain gets in there for the Repubs, we will surely have Clinton or Obama as President.

The reps need to smell what is cooking. They need to put their money behind a candidate that has a chance of winning. McCain will get slaughtered by an Obama nomination. If McCain were smart he would throw in the towel and go as a VP on a Huck-McCain ticket. That would be a smart way to run.


Alas, smart and politics often do not live in the same galaxy....

well... i don't like hillary because i don't think we need to have a woman for a president. now people probably disagree with this but i don't think it's a good choice

I'd probable pick huckabee or romney

you all are just baiting me.

Huckabee is an idiot.

Romney is a conservative. I must admit the flip flopping on the abortion issue could be considered problematic, but frankly his position was never pro-life before he changed rather it was that Government shouldn't legislate morality. A position that I actually shared until I became acquainted with the horrific psychological effects of having an abortion on a first hand basis with folks I counseled as an ecclesiastical leader.

So for me, that someone has altered their view on this issue is perfectly understandable. People grow and people change.

The fact is, that Huckabee did not govern Arkansas as a conservative. Huckabee's Record as Governor is that of a Democrat. Taxes were raised, Government programs increased. He sidesteps these issues by saying crap like "I raised hope." when the fact is, he raised Taxes.

He's incredibly soft on Crime, Go to Prison and find Jesus and you'll be pardoned.

This is not the man we want.

McCain is a horrible choice also for the conservatives.

Romney is the man.

I'm not entirely certain why Huckabee, is so intent on keeping the nomination from Mitt. If Huckabee had dropped out, Mitt would be well ahead in the Delegate count today and the Republicans would have a viable alternative to Hillary. As it stands, McCain will lose in the General Election to Hillary. Beyond a doubt.

My guess as to why Huckabee seems intent on ruining Mitt's chance and the Republican Party's chance at the Presidency is that he feels he is on some sort of secret mission from God to stop the Mormon.

A Mormon in the WhiteHouse or as the conservative candidate is too much for the Evangelical Wing of the Party to stomach. They can't be politically behind a guy whose entire religion they've condemned to hell. It gives the religion viability and opens doors for LDS missionaries.

In my opinion that's why Huck is staying in. And our nation will suffer under Hillary's watered down Socialism for his supreme idiocy.

I say choose the smartest guy in the room.

Mitt Romney

I think you're reading a little into Huckabee's reasoning - he was won several states and no-body has nearly enough delegates to clinch yet. McCain has more than Romney and Huckabee put together, so even if all of Huckabee's delegates had went to Romney (no way that could be said for anyone of them) McCain would still be ahead. And... he still barely has half of what he needs.

I'm not happy with any of the candidates. Hillary is Hillary, Obama is the most liberal senator in office, McCain is not conservative, huge past liberal issues, Romney has past liberal tendencies (not just abortion) and Huckabee is no different. The only true conservative (Thompson) dropped out, so like 1996 we're left with choosing between the lesser of 3 evils.

It's entirely possible none of them will have enough delegates to clinch the nomination prior to the convention. Deals will have to be made at that point...

Anddddd - it's also entirely possible Obama will beat Hillary, he is surging in most polls.

If Huckabee was out, it wouldn't just be his Delegates that would have gone to Mitt. A large number of McCain's also would have gone to Mitt on Tuesday. For instance, California?

at this point i am a mitt guy. just cant go with mccain or huckabee.
i only hope he can debate fiercely eith either "islama" obama or clinton...
take the gloves (mitts )off so to speak and lay it down. becasue i gaurantee Obama will not play fair and hillary will have bill telling her what to say...and how to sya it.

Looks like it's going to be Mitt in 2012.

I think he'll be pulling out today

Done deal. Wow.

I tell you a real suprise for the Dems would be a Huck-Condeleeza ticket. They could pick up a lot of votes of people who will vote on race or sex, plus the conservatives will get behind Huck faster than McCain.

Possibly, everyone I've started to take a liking to/second look at has promptly dropped out after saying "I'm going all the way" It's more and more looking like the Texas Primary March 6th is going to be a moot point, unless you are a Ron Paul fan

So far there's no reason for huckabee to drop out unless he's running short on cash and I haven't heard that one yet. Where the delegates for romney go now I guess is anyone's guess.

ugh...

Technically he's only suspended his campaign. So in the event that McCain dropped out (not very likely) He'd still have his delegates.

McCain would have to have a heart attack or something (not likely, but at his age...) but by then Huckabee would have a few more delegates I imagine

It will be decided by the time it gets to Texas. The only thing left is choosing a running mate - any guesses?

Condi?

Michael Steele?

Romney?

Thompson?

Leiberman?

Giuliani?

Hmmmm,

That's a tricky one.

Condi may be too closely associated with Pres. Bush and those against his leadership might back away from all of it.

I like Joe L. and I believe that he has done a great job for our state, I think he'd be a good VP.

I just like Thompson, so on the off chance that the VP could become President, that would make me happy too.

Not sure about the rest.

Just when you thought you didn't have a conservative choice:

http://www.alankeyes.com/

Alan Keyes joined the race recently.

Er, I just found out Mr. Keyes was running



Definitely a long shot, but at least there's someone I can vote for in the primary and feel like I am choosing the lesser of 2 evils.

He was in Beaumont this past Saturday, spoke in several places. Jerry and I caught up to him at one of the engagements: