I love Kamala, but I'M IN FOR GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE

[frazzled]

18. I agree he is definitely the candidate for climate change

And that climate change, and achievable policy in that realm, must be a top priority. But any candidate for president has to expound on a range of topics to prove ready for the presidency: foreign policy, economic policy, social policy. And they have to display their managerial and communication skills, character, and electability as well. I like Inslee (as well as several others), but I will wait until I compare all these vectors across all umpteen candidates, and over time as the campaign progresses. We're just at the starting gate.

Having just emerged from a mayoral race that included 14 candidates, I can testify that these large-pool elections are very tricky. You can't just pick the one you like on the basis of a single policy issue, because everyone will have a different opinion on that, and splitting the vote among 20 candidates can lead to very odd results when none can get more than, say 12 or 17%. You have to be strategic. I think we need to look beyond personal-preference voting in the primary this time and think about the general as well: who can win.

This probably is not going to be an ordinary primary, where among 5 or 6 candidates 1 or 2 will emerge as early leaders. I may end up liking Inslee best in the end, but if I sense he is not going to emerge near the top of the pack and have broad public appeal, I will not vote for him in the primary. This is not a time to "vote one's conscience." It's a time to vote for whoever, from this vast pool of talented candidates, looks like they could really win in the general. I'm not going to throw away my vote on someone I like a lot only to get Trump in the end. I may have to hold my nose a bit, but this time I'm going to try to consider a whole bunch of logistical issues before I pick my candidate in this crowded primary.