What are your thoughts on the people that have put their hat in ring??

So what do you think about who is campainging so far? How much do you think the media controls who the front runner is or will be? How much weight do you put into what a "star" says and who they are campainging for? Do you take into account the flip flopping they do on issues? What issues are important to you? At this point the only vote I know for sure I'll make is who I'm voting for tomorrow in our local school board election! Share with me please!

Currently, I look at the best resume - how long a person has been in politics. The political science training i have, which is only some college courses and about 8 years of working with a lobbyist for a professional organization i am active in, tells me that a presidental vote is a vote for the party - the person on the ballot is merely a figurehead. Having said that... I do NOT like the flavor of the Republican party lately - cramming religion into politics. That is scary scary rhetoric. I'm far from a heathen, but when I hear our president use terms like "axis of evil" and "God tells me to do this", i feel creeped out. Hello - you can't legislate morality, either. They better start singing a new tune or it will be a long time before i can vote for a Republican. As for flip flopping - I'd rather see that than some of the hard line crap i see. Situations change, evolve, so a different vote may be in order. I think it was Goerte who said, "i'd rather trust a man who has honest doubt than follow a man who thinks he's right about everything." (Think Hitler) I'm not for gun control - would like us to enforce the gun laws we have. i'm not for the death penalty. Any crime committed with a gun should be rewarded with no parole ever. I'll gladly pay the taxes it takes. I think an abortion descision belongs between a woman, her doctor and her God. No law should ever rule out all abortions - all that will do is make it so only rich women can get abortions - guess whose dirt poor babies will be born, and no body likes social programs. Poor women will be the ones who die from botched abortions. I am VERY MUCH against term limits - our system is such that let the voters decide who stays in office for however long they vote that person in. What term limits have done in California is cause a 60% new legislature every couple years - we have literally handed over the institutional memory (I mean the history of bills, the intent of law) to the office aides and lobbyists. Man, my fingers are tired.

So far the only one that has really gotten me interested is Barack Obama. I understand that he has a short 'resume' but I like what he stands for, I like what he says and I get a good feeling about him. I am a person of few words on a subject of this, and I really hate getting into debates and in the past have not felt strong on many of the candidates, other than my strong feelings AGAINST BUSH. I am not pro right or pro left. Although I tend to vote more towards the left on any given subject. I am not conservative....but that does not mean I think a handout should be given either... I have seen far too many people sit around and collect welfare checks. ok... i think i am saying too much. j.

The only thing I KNOW is that we need to get those Republicans out of there before irreparable damage is done if it hasn't been already. I don't know about Hillary. I would like to see a woman do the job but not sure Hillary would be able to do it because she has made too many enemies already. Barack would be nice, but I think he is too inexperienced. Maybe John Edwards??????? Not sure, but the one thing that the Republicans did is get a lot more people (like me) involved who used to just sit by the sidelines and be apathetic about it all. Not any more, that's for sure.................. Jillie P.S. Thanks for starting the thread...

Hilary is the most qualified, but I know she can't win. Obama can't do it alone either Both are eloquent speakers and could do it with their hands tied behind their backs! I think she or Obama will have to be vice...probably with Edwards. I fear most people have not evolved enough to vote for a female president or a man of color. People are not over Nancy Pelosi, fagawdsakes - they act like she has three heads. I would love to be wrong about that, but check out Congress - not exactly a good cross section of gender or color, eh, for the group who is supposed to be representing *all* of us? Rudy Giuliani? Give me a break???? Lispy wannabe hero of 911. That's all he's got.

Barack Obama won't have half the hard time with his color as he will with his name. The 'middle America' and Southern Bush voters will say, "didn't we catch and hang that guy?" I love what he has to say; he's intensely charasmatic and beautifully upfront about a lot of BS that politicians all to often get hung up on and waste a lot of potentially productive time on. I think it's gunna be Jim Edwards. From everything I know, I do like what he represents. On a (sadly) more important level, he is electable. He's a great speaker, good 'looking' (looks like a president), and most importantly is from the South. That was Kerry's biggest problem, he was a Yankee intellectual. Edwards can speak to Middle America and The South. As dreamy as it would be to have a black man or a woman president, I just don't see it happening in this election. I wouldn't die if Gulliani won, anything but what we've got now. At least he's a real Republican, instead of a religious whack job. I don't think it'll happen tho, I really think (assuming diebold hasn't figured it all out yet) this country is finally disgusted enough by what the Republicans have done; I hope so anyway. Politics are so exciting these days!

"he's a real Republican, instead of a religious whack job." I like Bush for the most part, but I have to laugh. I thought I was the only one who called him that. Thanks for the giggle. Tammy

I vote strictly by party. Republican. And the media definately controls alot of the campaining. Stem Cel research is a pretty important issue to me. Jess

I'm just guessing but you're against it, right? Thank God you have healthy children...I had my 2nd child 17 yrs. ago and he was born with a craniofacial birth defect. After 3 surgeries and one yet to go, it was fixable and not genetic but unless you walk in someone elses shoes (life) you should try to be more open minded and open hearted. I really hope that you don't vote on just one issue...there's so much more out there at stake.

Actually no, I am for stem cell research. I have a son and hope that reasearch can be done if he gets any disease that can be cured by it. I agree with some democratic issue but mostly rebublican. So I vote republican. Jess