Wednesday, January 30, 2008

John Edwards To Drop Out Of Race - Politics on The Huffington Post

What ticks me off about this is that the vast majority of Democrats in this country has had no say in who our  nominee will be.  The system is broken -- and it needs fixin'.

DENVER — Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies but never diverted his campaign, The Associated Press has learned.

John Edwards To Drop Out Of Race - Politics on The Huffington Post

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Drinking Liberally Presidential Caucus Survey Results

Thanks to all that participated in the Survey this past week. The results are presented below, along with supplemental information presented during the survey. After the online survey results are presented, then the January 7th Drinking Liberally question results are presented.

There are some differences between the two, which may or may not be surprising to you. I will leave the analysis up to you.

Introduction to Survey

Who is your ideal liberal candidate for president? Choose your favorite person even if that person is no longer running for president.All responses are anonymous. Please be sure to read the introduction at the beginning of each page. It will give you the context on how to answer the questions.
These questions replicate a DL Olympia Caucus that we conducted at the first January Drinking Liberally meeting in which 16 people participated.

After you vote on each page, the following page will provide a description of how people voted at the January DL Meeting. Please make your selection first and then proceed to the next page -- No looking at the results first and then voting, and no changing your vote after you look!


Now on to the survey...

Favorite Candidate

On this page, you will identify your favorite candidate for president independent on whether he/she is still running or no longer running.

Which candidate would you most likely support for President?

Percent Count
Hillary Clinton 15.40% 4
Barack Obama 19.20% 5
John Edwards 23.10% 6
Dennis Kucinich 23.10% 6
Joe Biden 7.70% 2
Chris Dodd 0.00% 0
Bill Richardson 0.00% 0
None of these choices 11.50% 3

2. If you selected "None of these choices" above, please write in your favorite candidate.

Percent Count
Ralph Nader 7.70% 2
Russ Feingold 3.80% 1

At the first January DL Olympia Meeting, here are the results of the poll of the 16 people who participated during the meeting:
5 Barack Obama
5 John Edwards
4 Hillary Clinton
2 Dennis Kucinich

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Your preference for "viable candidates"

These questions will identify your preference for candidates who are currently running for President, and who have gathered significant support in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries

Which candidate would you most likely support for President?

Percent Count
Hillary Clinton 18.20% 4
Barack Obama 22.70% 5
John Edwards 54.50% 12
Do not wish to respond 4.50% 1
answered question 22
skipped question

4

At the first January DL Olympia Meeting, here are the results of the poll of the 16 people who participated during the meeting:
6 Barack Obama
6 John Edwards
4 Hillary Clinton

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for an interesting twist....

Let's assume that no Candidate can garner enough electoral votes to win the nomination. After much arm twisting by Democratic party leaders, Al Gore decides to be considered as the party's nominee.

Which candidate would you most likely support for President?

Percent Count
Hillary Clinton 4.50% 1
Barack Obama 22.70% 5
John Edwards 40.90% 9
Al Gore 31.80% 7
answered question 22
skipped question 4

At the first January DL Olympia Meeting, here are the results of the poll of the 16 people who participated during the meeting:

Of the 16 people who voted, 14 changed their votes to Al Gore.

Sorry, I lost the notes that contained the records for the other two votes who didn't change their votes....

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, January 07, 2008

Clinton accuses Obama of flip-flops - Decision '08- msnbc.com

You know--I kind of like flip-floppers.  They show the maturity to change their position if wrong, if they get new information, or they found out how to do something better.  Look at where our country is today because Bush refused to take a second look at failed policies.

Flip-flopping is NOT a sin......the sin is changing your position, or refusing to take a position for political gain.

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democratic presidential front-runner no longer, accused campaign rival Barack Obama of changing his positions on health care and "a number of issues" in a debate three days before the crucial New Hampshire primary.

Clinton accuses Obama of flip-flops - Decision '08- msnbc.com

Sunday, January 06, 2008

The Obama Phenomenon | MetaFilter

Metafilter has an extensive community dialogue on the rise of Obama.  Tonight, it's reported he is favored by 10% over Clinton in New Hampshire.

One who follows the link below will find that they can spend hours--and I mean literally hours--following the links about the ascendency of Barack Obama.

It is quite amazing to witness what he appears to have unleashed--an energy and an excitement that calls for all of us to work together to rebuild a country that we can all be proud of.

It's going to be interesting!

The Obama Phenomenon

The Obama Phenomenon | MetaFilter