Who Of The Top Three Has The Best Strategy To Beat The Repub Nominee?

[ruggerson]

Notice I said strategy - this is about political strategy, which may or may not include positions on issues.

I own up to a bias in this, so I will try and represent each candidate's strategic point of view fairly.


Clinton - Fight the Republicans at all costs at all times. Don't let any Repub attack go unanswered. Republicans fight down and dirty and we must respond aggressively to anything and everything they throw at us. Clinton feels she has the depth of political experience to know how to take them on, full throttle.

Edwards - Fight the Republicans as the evil, corporate loving, anti-working man party that they truly are. A Democratic populist has to know how to fight and also use the likes of Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly to get the point across to the American people. If the Republicans try to smear us, expose it and go right back at them.

Obama - Americans are sick and tired of partisan divide. We must stress unity with our fellow countrymen and follow a new path altogether. Americans are ready for a stark change from the past. A Democrat who represents the "new way" will attract a lot of heretofore alienated voters who are sick and tired of partisan warfare.

[terrya]

1. Of the three, I think Hillary Clinton does.

We know how nasty the Republicans can be. And with a shitty record to try to defend in the general election, the only thing they have is negative attacks.

[MethuenProgressive]

2. Only Clinton can beat the Republicans.

And I don't mean merely defeat them, I mean beat the snot out of them.

[cobalt1999]

3. They all win easily

The democrats get revenge for our 1984 debacle.

[vssmith]

4. The Repulicans are licking their lips to get at Hillary

We will hear all about Whitewater again along with Vince Foster.

Gore is the best choice!

[anniebelle]

5. I'm afraid you're right.

That will just be TOO much fodder for the limbaughites. After listening to Edwards these last few weeks, I think he's our best candidate.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

6. HRC wins Florida, Pennsylvania, and ties Ohio. Obama loses all three

Who do you think the GOP really wants to run against?

[TwilightGardener]

7. Obama--

by taking some positions and views that aren't traditionally standard for Dems, he makes himself more attractive to less-partisan Repubs.

[ruggerson]

8. But does he know how to fight when they get in the gutter

and they will get in the gutter. Hussein Osama. Muslim madras upbringing. Magic negro. etc, etc.

[TwilightGardener]

9. He's a fighter. He's already demonstrated it.

[Milo_Bloom]

10. Obama has the best shot.

Clinton would be a tough fight, as many people would vote AGAINST her.

Edwards has no chance and would just lead to a 3rd party winning, which may be the best thing in the long run. If Clinton gets in the race it is unlikely Bloomberg would enter, but Edwards would pretty much guarantee Bloomberg entering and would probably lead to a Bloomberg victory.

Obama doesn't have the negative baggage of Clinton and hasn't flipped flopped on issues the way Edwards has. I am not sure what Bloomberg would do with an Obama candidacy, but I don't believe as many Dems would run from Obama the way they would Edwards, who would lose a lot of the anti-war crowd and those who remember him from his time in the Senate, so it might mean less votes to Bloomberg.

[BringBigDogBack]

11. I think you're correct

[mnhtnbb]

12. Edwards. Both Obama and Clinton are too close to the Republicans

We'll see a repeat of 2000 where the press deliberately tried to make Gore/Bush
interchangeable.

All of Obama's talk about working with Republicans will come back to haunt him
if he becomes the candidate. He will not get crossover votes. He will not
get the votes of the blue collar folks who voted Reagan/Bush. Edwards
has a shot at those votes. Edwards also has the best shot at the vote of
military families who've figured out how they've been used by the Repubs
because Elizabeth is going to talk up her military family background
and concern for Vets issues--as she mentioned this a.m. on Face the Nation.