And then there were four… As we approach Super Tuesday on 5th February, when over 20 states vote in their primaries, it’s clear there are two two-horse races for the Democrat and Republican presidential nominations. So when better than now to ask: who would you prefer to see occupy the White House in a year’s time?
Here are your four choices:
Sen. Hillary Clinton (Dem)
Sen. John McCain (GOP)
Sen. Barack Obama (Dem)
Gov. Mitt Romney (GOP)
Eyes right to cast your ballot. If you want a helping hand, there are a couple of quizzes you can take to match you up with the Presidential candidate who most closely matches your views on a range of issues. In both cases, it turned out I should support Mike Gravel, the 77 year-old former Democratic senator for Alaska: an interesting guy. He is, technically at least, now the only other Democratic candidate in the race – but as he polled 0.14% in the New Hampshire primary, a late surge seems a tad unlikely.
Incidentally, about a month ago, LDV hit upon the cunning, if perhaps over-ambitious, idea of putting six questions to each of the seven main Presidential candidates – the four above, plus Democrat John Edwards, and Republicans Rudy Guiliani and Mike Huckabee – to see if they’d respond at all, and, if they did, what their answers would be.
Our questions were as follows:
– Do you believe it’s now time to set a framework for the withdrawal of US and British forces from Iraq?
– Do you think there is any more a ‘special relationship’ between the US and United Kingdom?
– What do you think is the greatest threat to future well-being and prosperity in the UK and US?
– What role do you see for the United Nations during your presidency?
– How big a threat do you believe global warming to be?
– How would you respond if a US citizen were indicted for war crimes in the International Criminal Court?
Interestingly, only Clinton’s and Obama’s sites were set up to allow/encourage media inquiries from abroad. Edwards’ and McCain’s contact forms didn’t allow for enquiries from anyone outside the USA (so I lied, and said I was from Moody, Alabama). Guiliani and Huckabee both provided catch-all email addresses, while Romney’s contact-me form permitted only 100 words – which meant half the last question was missed off.
And what was the net result of all this net questioning?
Well, I’ve been subscribed to Obama’s and Edwards’ email distribution lists. The only candidate who responded at all personally was Mitt Romney – by copying ‘n’ pasting his key campaign themes. So I’m afraid there’s no EXCLUSIVE interviews with the Presidential hopefuls to be had here folks. Maybe in 2012…
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14 Comments
Hillary Clinton. Men have been ruling the world for far too long. Let’s just say that the results have been mixed.
Almost anyone but Hillary Clinton.
We’ve had enough of the Bush dynasty, we don’t want to replace it with the Clintons.
Its not about women and men. Clinton is just another sanctimonious, big state, nannying, authoritarian US politician. Think a female Tony Blair without the charisma.
The fact that there’s nothing resembling a liberal on offer makes the choice difficult. I’d go for Obama I think (on the basis he’s not so bad as the others, he’s Bears supporter and its rather poetic that the first black president would be from Illinois the ‘Land of Lincoln’).
After him McCain, despite his dire record on the war and free speech.
It’s not about women and men.
Most things are.
Clinton is just another sanctimonious, big state, nannying, authoritarian US politician.
I think she’s lovely.
Think a female Tony Blair without the charisma.
OK, I’m thinking of Ruth Kelly. Can I stop now?
No Huckabee? For shame! 😉
My vote (if I had one) would go to Obama. While I’d normally agree with Laurence that it’s high time for a woman to be president of the United States, Hillary’s campaign has just been so cynical and opportunistic that it’s completely turned me off to the prospect of her winning the nomination. Although, having said that, I’d rather her than any of the Republicans…
Obama on the other hand is something completely different. He’s a genuine world citizen (Kenyan father, American mother, spent four years in Indonesia when he was growing up, apparently supports West Ham United…) – he was against the Iraq War when it was deeply unpopular to be so – and he’s a truly inspirational speaker. That’s all I need from a US President at the moment, really.
“Hillary Clinton. Men have been ruling the world for far too long. Let’s just say that the results have been mixed.”
Thatcher, Catherine the Great, Lucretia Borgia, Mrs Marcos…
OK it’s a flippant response but I think the idea that a woman leader is a good thing in itself has some serious flaws.
You have to admire McCain for a pitch for the Republican candidature which involves a telling a Fox news & CNN hustings on why we don’t do torture.
http://tinyurl.com/2ya6av
http://tinyurl.com/ytu4et
There are lots of reasons why I wouldn’t vote for McCain if I had the choice but if he wanted to get me running naked through the snow to campaign for him that’s not a bad way to start 🙂
Oh come on, we’re Liberal Democrats! Limiting it to this lot is like forcing us to make a choice between Labour and Conservative. There must be some decent minority party candidates we could be given some information about. Denis Kucinich was an inspiring radical candidate, but needless to say has now fallen by the wayside.
Yes, but Hywel, the first attempts at anything are always a disaster.
Kucinich is apparently facing a tough primary battle in his district. Though his opponent seems not to have mastered the “huge crowd behind him holding posters” technique 🙂
http://joecimperman.com/videos.asp
I’m not quite sure how his wife will have taken the comment that she’s so beautiful she’s the reason he gets out of bed every morning either! 🙂
Hey, that is such a great line!
Ron Paul. But I don’t believe the powers that be would permit him to get anywhere near it and if he did, he would be carried out in a box before inauguration.
The Obama-Clinton debate is on CNN in about an hour (506 for those who’ve taken the Murdoch “shilling”) – probably online as well
Mike Gravel! Since I can’t vote anyway, either in the US (because I’m in Yorksher) or here (because Mat has already voted from our joint IP address)
It is time for a change. White men have ruled this country since the Independence Day. It’s time for a competent woman to restore the reputation of America. One of the strongest financial powers in the world Germany elected a woman Angela Merkel as Bundeskansler. The UK had a woman as Prime Minister already in the 80’s Margaret Thatcher. America would like to have to have the image of the front-runner in all areas. But when it comes to political America is far behind the rest of the world. Elected the most competent person as the President, elect Hillary Clinton
Obama. I don’t have anything personally against Hilary, but the dynastic implications for what is supposed to be a meritocratic democracy are worrying.