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I think one negative stereotype about supporters of any candidate here is that they are unthinking zealots who can't see any bad side to their candidate. Well, let's dispel that, shall we? Let's have both what you love and what you hate about your favorites. Personality, issues, history, anything would be good--I'm particularly interested about what people have to say about Clark, because he's largely an unknown to me at this point beyond the half-superficial and mysterious bio stuff.
I'll go first--my favorite three are Kerry, Kucinich and Dean.
Kucinich:
Favorites--The best set of policies and platforms in the race, no question. He is like our modern Ralph Nader with a voting record to back up what he says. He is the ONLY candidate who voted against the IWR and Patriot Act, and is very unique in having a record of speaking out against the runup since February 2002--he blows away anyone else's antiwar credentials. He's the co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, and he is not your average politician--the only candidate about whom this can be said. He would change the status quo in the Executive Branch, as he changed it in Cleveland. Plus he has Willie Nelson on his side., wants a Department of Peace and plans to cut the Pentagon's budget. Who doesn't love this guy? :)
Least favorites--Mediocre appearance (short, which is a prez no-no), and an often too-energetic speaking style that turns some people off. His flag amendment stance and slightly belated enlightenment on abortion aren't favorites of mine. He is on the fringe, for whatever reason, and will likely not be nominated or elected. I really wish he'd get nominated, though.
Dean:
Favorites--Smartest campaign out there right now. The candidate trips up sometimes, but the campaign is rock-solid. Part of that is due to the supporters, but the ideas (the bat, first-out-there statements) that fire up the supporters belong to the campaign. Dean is able to excite people about politics, and he doesn't fall into the "I wanna be JFK" speaking style. He is not afraid to own up to a mistake, such as that of identifying Southerners via the Confederate flag, even though his supporters will tell me it wasn't a mistake. :) Dean took the smartest risk of his campaign when he opposed the war, and his gradually built up opposition was masterfully played out. His appearance is generally good--has a big wrestler neck, but isn't fat or completely out of shape. He's a former governor (no Congress record), and he is raising tons of money--usually two good signs for an apsiring prez. :)
Least Favorites--He's not the best on the issues, and his record isn't as liberal as I'd like. He seems to have taken a shift left for this race, and I don't know how authentic that shift is--so much as I can see, he was a run-of-the-mill DLC type. I also don't really know as much about his Vermont days as I would want to (what's there to be seen, I've seen). I have heard some disturbing things about that time in Vermont, and some of them give me pause about the candidate. Up until now, though, I haven't seen anything so egregious as to make me withdraw support. Death penalty support is a no no for me, as is continuing the war on drugs. His opinion that "further testing is needed" is also a half-lie. Finally, as much as he is an exciting personality with generally good stances, he represents the standard politician to me--blue blood ambition.
Kerry:
Favorites--Great record, great rankings from most liberal Congress scorecards. His pledge to end the chasing of Medicinal Marijuana users is an important first step. Has some undeniable moments of greatness when speaking, both effectively looking and acting the part of the elder statesman--plenty of the ol' gravitas there. His actions during combat in the Vietnam War are admirable, and so are his actions in the antiwar movement. He's very tall, and would give me one immature moment of amusment, when and if he is nominated, as he stood next to Bush in the debates. :) He has a good history on investigating BCCI and Iran/Contra, pushing the investigation by relying on outside prosecutors when the DOJ dragged its feet. Plus he windsurfs, which is just cool to me. :)
Least Favorites--The IWR vote, the Patriot Act vote, etc. Add to that the relative inability of his campaign to live up to the potential of his candidacy. I mention those together because his position on the IWR may well have torpedoed much of his support from the activists in the party. His voice has a rough time of it sometimes (this is true of most of the candidates), and can be distracting when he is trying to make some point. Kerry is also your standard-mold politician, but he takes fewer risks than Dean, and is not as exciting. Kerry has roughly the same problems as Dean as far as the drug war. Again, his campaign is making him into a worse candidate than he really is, and matching up against Dean in the crucial-for-both NH primary is causing Dean's campaign to really go for the kill. If Kerry can't defend himself, if he can't be savvy on the political stage as well as the cloakroom, he probably shouldn't be President.
Whew! Long post! Thanks for reading it. :)
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