Question for people who have a home-state candidate running for president

[UnapologeticLiberal]

For those of you who have candidates from your home states running for president, are you supporting him/her? Why or why not?

I guess I technically could fit into this category, since John Kerry was my senator when I was 3 years old, and he was lieutenant governor when I was born. But we moved to New Jersey when I was three, so I have no recollection of Kerry being my senator or lieutenant governor, and therefore my reasons for not supporting him have nothing to do with his record in Massachusetts, although he is my second choice and the fact that he is from Massachusetts gives him a few brownie points in my book. :-D

[jfxgillis]

1. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the Big Dawg

... but he is, after all is said and done, a provinical Southerner by inclination.

Yeah, he's open, tolerant, a genius, and a HUGE character to be able to withstand the assaults on his human dignity, but I'm TIRED of provincial Southerners ruling our political system.

Southern provinicalism has its good qualities as a cultural framework, and there have been times when a dose of such folksy small-d democratic values were a needed jolt to American politics.

But not now. It's been FORTY-FOUR FUCKING YEARS since we've had a Dem in the WH outside the Confederacy. Although I've sworn not to vote for another Southern Dem until a Northern cosmopolitan gets a crack at the Oval, Bush is SO BAD, I'll no doubt vote for a good ole boy if I have to, but I ain't gonna like it.

Hence, my home-stater Kerry, then Howard Dean, qualify. I most want to vote for Russ Feingold, but it looks like he's out this go-round.

This isn't a Southern-bashing thread. I lived ten years in the Deep South. I love it. I'm just sick of the NATIONAL politics dog getting wagged by the SOUTHERN politics tail.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

2. I hear you

My history teacher said after the 2002 elections that if we want to beat Bush we need a nice moderate Southern governor. We don't have any running, but even if we did I would not want one. No offense to anyone here from the south, but we have been governed by Southern presidents since I was 4 years old and I really, really want a Northerner in the White House. It may be too much to ask for, but I don't care. I WANT a Northeastern liberal...I don't care if people say they can't win. And my mom said today that she thinks that either Dean or Kerry will be the nominee, so if she is right then we will at least be nominating a northeasterner, for better or for worse.

[jfxgillis]

3. Your history teacher is

a banal intellect purveying the conventional wisdom.

You're MUCH smarter!!

Such conventional thinkers as your teacher think "The Democrats have to be competitive in the South to win." WRONG, they have to carry ONE Southern state, which they can do tactically if they have to. FL, LA, AR and TN are all in range, anyway.

We don't have to kow-tow to right-wing Democrats like Zell Miller to win and if we do, winning's not worth it.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

4. Well, she comes from the South

and I think she was just depressed after the election and was thinking solely about who could win. I don't blame her. I should ask her if her opinions have changed at all...I really need to give her and a few other teachers from high school a call.

But I agree with you...if Gore had won New Hampshire he would be president today, and while the reapportionment has kind of screwed us (today Gore would lose by 18 electoral votes instead of 4), we still just need the Gore states plus New Hampshire and one or two other states like West Virginia or Arizona or Colorado or even Montana (which somehow Clinton won in 1996). I think we ought to focus on the Mountain West, which is the fastest growing region and one that could swing our way in the next decade. We need to lock up the Northeast and look west...we can win without the South. We might want to focus a little on Florida, since we did "lose" that state by the smallest margin of all the states last time, but somehow I think unless Graham or maybe Lieberman is the nominee it will be a lot harder this time.

[jfxgillis]

7. Why give up on FL?

GWBush, as we speak, is in the process of alienating his Cuban-American supporters, a key element in his core constituency. Knock down that 82% to something in the 60s and that's a LOT of free votes.

Clinton carried LA with over 50% (none of that "if not for Perot crap) in '96. AR now has two Dem Senators and the Dems ROCKED TN in the midterms (winning a GOP House seat and slaughtering in the Governor's race). No guarantees and it won't be easy, but it's doable.

AZ and NV are both trending Dem; McCain is not going spill his guts to re-elect a man he personally despises and Bush TOTALLY SCREWED NV on nuclear waste. You almost bank those electoral votes for the Democrat.

[efhmc]

5. (As a real Texan, I perfer not to answer that question. Maybe someone

from Conneticut will take it.LOL) When I first heard about Clinton, I was impressed that his wife was a feminist. I didn't care where he was from. I just loved hearing someone who made sense speak.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

6. LOL, I meant Democratic contenders

Texans do not have to explain why they are not supporting their home-state candidate...I think it is pretty obvious to everyone here! :D

[Mel]

11. I hear ya!

wasn't the last President from Texas, LBJ?

Bwahhhh haaa haa!

[TSIAS]

8. I'm from Florida

Bob Graham is my senator and I admire him very much. I think his health problems and late start into the race damaged his candidacy. I would like him to return to the Senate. I believe our Senate hopes are good if Edwards and Graham stay. GOP recruitment disappointments might allow us to actually take the majority.

[Clete]

9. I am a Californian and

I didn't vote for the two Californians who ran and who became President, Reagan and Nixon, for obvious reasons. To tell the truth, I don't any Californians who did. I did back Jerry Brown, who lost to Clinton.

[Mel]

10. NC

Edwards is my Senator I'd rather see him as VP or just stay in the Senate.

I don't want another repuke Senator. :grr:

Edwards just isn't liberal enough for me if we are picking who most fits our ideal for President DK's my pick.

I will vote for Edwards if he gets the nomination.

I do like the fact that he's one of the good guys when it comes to law and the fact that he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The man knows what work is he worked in a mill and due to his upbringing he knows what it is to struggle.

It doesn't hurt my feelings one bit that the pukes don't like him either, means they are scared of him and I like it that way!

From a strategic stance I want him staying on the judical committee in the Senate.
If we don't win the WH at least he can still be there to fight the confirming of right-wing judges and he's done a good job. I especially liked the way he made Pickerton look the fool. Nothing like a nice southern accent combined with a sharp mind! :evilgrin:

[Bombtrack]

12. I have 2 running

I'm a Bay-stater, but I live 8 months of the year in southern Florida

I think both Kerry and Graham would be strong candidates, especially Graham.

But I'm supporting an even stronger candidate, Edwards

Graham isn't/won't be able to get the nomination. Kerry can, and if Edwards did drop out I'd definetely support Kerry. I don't think Edwards will drop out, as he can still win the primaries he has to win

and he has doubled his numbers in Iowa and New hampshire, states he doesn't have to win.

[dsc]

13. Ohioan supporting Dean

I want to win this time which eliminates Dennis Kucinich for me. I also greatly admire Dean for what he did with civil unions, have a good fit with his economics, and like his style. In addition his being a governor helps. I will support whomever the nominee is but I do prefer Dean.

[Lady President]

14. OH

Well, I can say without hesitation that I agree with Kucinich's platform, but while he is a sentimental favorite, I won't be actively supporting him. I don't think he can get the nomination and my time should be spent working for a more viable candidate. I'm proud that my fellow Ohioan isn't pulling any punches though.

I'm firmly in the Kerry camp, but I'll likely vote for any of the dems.

[LSdemocrat]

15. Missourian for Dean

I can't say I really have anything against Gephardt, there's just nothing I really like about the guy. Quite frankly, I can't name anything noteworthy he's done in the last 15 years.

Dean, on the other hand, is the only candidate I enthusiastically support (although I will vote for the Dem candidate regardless)

[UnapologeticLiberal]

16. Is Gephardt your representative, or are you in another part of the state?

And I agree with you that Dean is the only one I enthusiastically support either...I am not sure why, but he is the only one who gets me really excited when I watch them speak.

[KaraokeKarlton]

17. Vermonter for Dean here

I wouldn't support anyone else. Why? Because he was a great Governor who is honest, sensible, gets things done, works hard, has more energy than a room full of 8 year olds with ADHD and he has always done everything based on what he honestly believes is in the best interest of the people he serves...and it IS the people he serves. He also is the only one in the race whose last job was being the executive of a state for 12 years. He inherited a mess when he took that job and did a fine job cleaning it up and I think he's the most prepared to clean up the mess we find ourselves in now thanks to Bush. No matter how good any of the others are on any other number of issues...they don't have the recent executive experience of balancing budgets and running the show. Sorry, but foreign policy experience doesn't qualify anyone to handle the debt and economy issues. There are policy advisors and a cabinet to help in that area. Aside from that...anyone can get foreign policy right if they simply look at the facts and proceed in a fair, just and respectful way. It's common sense based on facts. But you can't just stick someone with none of the budget and financial experience in office because that's a lot more complicated and easy to screw up and make a bad call on.

Dean is the one I have faith in to fix the domestic messes. I don't see anyone else with the experience or ability to handle that. Graham perhaps, but it's been a long time since he was executive of a state and I have no idea what kind of job he did. Dean did awesome...which is why my state had a $10 million surplus this year when almost every other state is in dire straits.

[WilliamPitt]

18. Mass for Kerry here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=262154

[redeye]

19. It really depends on how you define home states

I've lived 5/6ths of my life in NYC, which happens to be where Dean grew up and where Sharpton comes from. Now, Sharpton is my seventh favorite candidate due to his race-baiting and responsbility to the deaths of several Jews in hate crtimes, but Dean is my numero uno. And no, this has nothing to do with his being a New Yorker by birth; when I decided to support him, I only knew he was a Vermonter.

Now, as for my current state... no Californian's running for president, and even if one were, I suspect it would be Dianne Feinstein who needs to be replaced with a more liberal Democrat or Green in 2006, or Barbara Boxer whom I may support over Dean.

[HFishbine]

20. NC

Dean fan!