Make your case for YOUR candidate here (and help your fellow DUers)

[senseandsensibility]

I don't hang out in GD Politics all that often, but in the other forums most DUers seem to be undecided. It seems that all the true believers are here, in GDP. So as a public service, please post and let us know why your candidate is the best.

I, like most of the undecideds here, could use some of that passion. Plus, I trust DUers more than the corporate media.

So, who's your candidate? And why? Keep it brief, or not as you wish. But help us decide, please!;)

[Coexist]

1. Yes, please - so far no one has gotten a penny of my money

tell me why I should send it to your candidate.

[senseandsensibility]

2. And so far no one has responded with a shout out

for their candidate...hmmm...I guess they have nothing to share with us. :-(

[slipslidingaway]

3. Kucinich for a variety of reasons...

Two top priorities for me, the top domestic issue being not for profit health care and the top foreign issue is to stop the NEXT aggression and provide for future security by not making any additional enemies.

In addition Dennis has the courage to not run with the herd, even though that decision might cost him politically.

He did so when he voted no on the trade bill with China back in 2000, he did so in opposing the Iraq War saying there was no conclusive evidence, he did so when he voted no on the Patriot Act, he did so in voting no on the Iran Freedom Act last September.

As a candidate Dennis speaks out on issues that others dare not touch, the privatization of Iraq Oil and the provision placed in the latest Iraq supplemental. Calling for an investigation to the latest Hunt Oil deal and calling for and introducing legislation for paper ballots in a presidential race. He has also spoken out on the need to reform our media and the control by a handful of companies.

He has taken the bold move of introducing articles of impeachment, not only to hold Cheney accountable, but to try and stop the next war.

He cares about everyone, he was the first to call for a cease fire in the summer of 2006 and is the only candidate to visit not just Israel, but also Lebanon in September 2006 and again this year. He held a hearing with the authors of the Lancet study on civilian casualties in Iraq after Bush dismissed the report by saying that the methodology was flawed.

He takes a long view approach when making decisions, for example when voting on the China trade bill he noted that we would lose jobs, our deficit would skyrocket and workers rights in China would not improve. Recently he has spoken out about the theft of oil in Iraq and meet with union representatives from Iraq who have asked for our help.

Some of our candidates propose to fix problems they helped to create, I wish they had the foresight to not create the mess in the first place instead of running with the pack.

[slipslidingaway]

4. Please note, this is what Dennis HAS done, not a promise for

the future and these are not small matters.

[senseandsensibility]

7. Thank you

and I agree with everything you said about Dennis.

[Think82]

5. BIDEN:

1) Leading foreign policy expert in Dems. His Iraq plan, which he came up with 2 years ago with virtually no support, got 75 votes in the Senate last week (including all dems except feingold and 26 repubs)

2) He tells the truth and doesn't sugar-coat it. HE answers every question at the debates and can back every answer he gives with facts, figures, and anecdotes, and gives steps exactly how to get there. He doesn't hide anything or throw red herrings like the other candidates tend to do.

3) He can win Red States, and wouldn't have to hope for florida or Ohio in the general. He also has unimpeachable foreign policy credentials which the repubs will try to win on. He would completely destroy them in a debate. His son is also set to go to Iraq next year.

4) He has been through several personal tragedies and bounced back stronger (his 1st wife being killed, he's had 2 brain aneurysms.

5) he has a track record of getting things done. (Crime Bill, Violence agaisnt Women act, his Iraq legislation). He can be a leader in health care reform and energy reform because of his ability to bring peple from both sides of the aisle together.

6) He's funny.

7) I believe he has the highest rating on the environment of all the senators running (I THINK) and also one of the leaders on Darfur intervention.

8) Did I mention Iraq? ... Then there's Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, North Korea, etc. I want the best foreign policy mind we've got as president.

[senseandsensibility]

8. He does have a lot of good qualities

When he wants to, he can really go after chimp and his cronies. No one is perfect, but his vote on the bankruptcy bill is a negative. However, the good points outweigh the bad by a large margin and I could definitely vote for him.

[PatSeg]

11. Biden has a long history in the senate

and was an advocate for finance reform when he was still a very young senator. He has taken on unpopular causes many times, but still maintained considerable respect from his colleagues even when they disagreed with him.

Though he is mostly known today for his foreign relations experience, he has been involved in many domestic issues as well. His experience and leadership is proven. There is no conjecture necessary. He speaks the truth, not what he thinks people want to hear. He doesn't make empty political promises.

We have a great selection of candidates to choose from. I hear people say that "so and so" is the ONLY one, but I think that is very limited thinking. We need to look at the times we're living in and the problems we face and choose the candidate most qualified for right now. And the candidate who will win the general with a large margin.

[goodgd_yall]

6. My brief reply

Edwards because he is pro-consumer and pro-working person. His voting record isn't flawless but none of the candidate's is. You need to judge by what your most important issues are. Edwards has always voted pro-choice. He has a strong civil rights record.

I find this site very valuable in looking at voting records and ratings by interest groups (the latter being a quick overview at the general trend of a candidate's votes):

www.vote-smart.org

[senseandsensibility]

9. Thanks for the link

and Edwards is truly a friend to labor.

[Guaranteed]

10. Al Gore. Re-elect him.

He's the only one truly up for the job.

[seasat]

12. Here's a case for Richardson

He's got the most experience. He spent 15 years in the US House where he was Chief Deputy Whip. He was UN Ambassador and Energy Secretary. He is going on his 5th year as Governor. He has also served as a diplomat throughout his career negotiating several hostage releases and helping restart the talks with N. Korea. This shows that he knows how to manage and has experience in areas that we need.

He wants to get us out of Iraq within 6 to 8 months. He has the diplomatic skills and experience to bring folks together on a plan for peace in Iraq

He's got a great record on civil liberties. He managed to push through a Medical Marijuana law in NM. Gave state employee GLBT folks partnership rights through executive order. He has stood up for Native American rights. Has a great ACLU rating. He opposed most of the provisions of the patriot act back when it was originally proposed. He has a 100% rating on pro-choice issues.

He's got the best record on the environment. His League of Conservation Voters record is high and he just received an "A" rating by them as Governor of New Mexico. He sponsored a bill to increase the energy efficiency of federal buildings and voted against Yucca Mountain while the legislature. Pushed through higher appliance efficiency standards while Energy Secretary. As governor, he's enacted through the most aggressive green house gas reduction plan of any state. He's successfully fought against drilling and mining in protected lands. He has stood against the Shrub Inc administration in protecting recently introduced wolves in NM from slaughter. He has a policy on water conservation. His proposal on global warming plan was rated the most aggressive of any of the candidates by several environmental groups. His green house gas reduction plan is incredibly detailed and he is publishing a book laying it out in intricate detail.

He's very electable. He's Hispanic which would appeal to the fastest growing voter demographic. He's a Western Governor and could help tip the balance in Western and Midwestern states where they share many of the same political ideals. He's a great retail politician and has shown the most growth of any candidate in the state primary polls. He also has one of the lowest disapproval rating of any of the Democratic candidates according to Rasmussen polls indicating his across the board appeal.

He's a big supporter of fiscal responsibility. He supports a balanced budget amendment with exceptions for economic downturns and national crises. He has proposed over 57 billion in cuts to old cold war military programs. He has proposed eliminating corporate welfare by using an up or down vote on it by a plan submitted through a committee similar to the military base closure committee. He would let the Shrub Inc tax cuts expire and replace them with some middle class tax cuts.

He has a decent proposal on Health Care. He's proposed reducing the age for Medicare to 55. A Hero's card that would allow veterans to go to any doctor or hospital. Opening the Federal Employee Health plan to anyone that wanted to buy into it. He also proposed tax credits for the poor for health care. He's boosted health care in NM through various programs while governor so he has experience with managing a health care system. I'd prefer a single payer plan like Kucnich's but his is pretty good.

He's got a good moderate plan on immigration that is the most extensive of any of the candidates. He calls for a path to citizenship for the undocumented workers already here. He supports increased enforcement and penalties on employers of undocumented workers. He wants to double the border patrol but opposes the border fence. He has experience on the issue as a border governor and he has served as the OAS special Ambassador on immigration.

He significantly raised teacher pay in NM and has produced some gains in their education system with his policy. NM was at the bottom of most rankings when he became governor. He wants to get congress to repeal No Child Left Behind. He has proposed some good education policies such as increased science and arts in schools and wiping out student loans in exchange for national service.

To provide balance, I'll list some of his negatives. He sometime commits gaffes or malapropisms in speaking. However, he's committed fewer in the last couple of months and the ones he made were obviously not reflective of his actual views nor could a Repug candidate use those against him. He is not the best in the debates. He has shown considerable improvement over his earlier performances but I doubt he'll ever be as good in debates as the senatorial candidates. He at his best when working a crowd or giving a speech where he can address them in his folksy manner and mix in a lot of humor. Some folks disagree with his stance on the balanced budget amendment and support for 2nd amendment rights but I personally view those as pluses.

[ginchinchili]

13. Senator Biden, hands down.

I'm so sick and tired of canned or evasive answers. This guy is a straight shooter. It's part of why he is isn't higher in the polls; he's not a walking commercial. He's proud of his Iraq plan, and I believe he genuinely believes it's the best way to go, yet he's the first to admit that it's not a sure thing, that the situation is so bad that no answer will necessarily lead to a good outcome, but it's the best plan anyone has devised, and it's a plan. But who can you find these days who will admit that their plan might not work? No one.

These days honesty takes courage, strength, and integrity, because it doesn't pay off by our culture's standards. Too many Americans have gotten to where they don't want to hear the truth. I believe in taking the truth across the chin if necessary. Biden's the rare type of guy who will give it to you. I like this guy. There's something very traditionally American about him, something that is all but disappearing.

Biden has extensive foreign policy experience and is best qualified to go about the job of restoring our credibility in the world. I feel confident in his ability to deal with any leader on the international stage. He's a pragmatist, but he's tough. If we elected him as our president the world would definitely be impressed with our choice. He'd have no trouble gaining respect and could regain respect for our nation.

He's smart and personable. He's not only experienced in leading and legislating, but he hasn't been spared serious personal challenges like so many top politicians. Just after is was first elected to the Senate, he lost his wife and I believe a child (someone correct me if I'm wrong) and was left to raise 2 young children on his own. He was 29. He'd had 2 brain aneurysms that nearly cost him his life. He has a son in the military who is due to go to Iraq next year. He's had to wrestle the gator like many of us real people, and he's handled each with dignity. He's a pretty down to earth guy. Comes from a blue collar family.

If we had the ability to weigh people purely on their qualifications, everything from experience, ability to think on their feet, temperament, Joe Biden would be the Democratic nominee and soon President Biden. But Americans tend to be attracted to shiny objects and flavors of the month. I hope you'll at least give this guy some objective consideration, because he's very much an underdog and needs our support.

[LWolf]

14. Kucinich on issues and record.

I'm an issues voter, so it makes sense that I'd look for the candidate who is best on issues, and has a record of working for those issues to back up the campaign rhetoric.

Some of the others have a few stances on issues that I like, but none come anywhere close on these key issues:

Iraq, Iran, and pre-emptive war and march to empire in general
health care
labor