The 2008 election is turning out to be a contest of candidates that no one seems to be able to get behind. Given the huge issues that face the United States from Iraq and terrorism to the economy you would have thought we would have gotten a better group of candidates that the two parties could support.
There are national polls that show that each party has one candidate that is polling well ahead of the rest. The problem with the two so called front runners is that not too many people in their respective parties actually like them. When examining more localized polls they show a much tighter race.
Even in a tighter race the negatives for the top tier candidates outweigh the positives. Looking at the Republicans one has too wonder what the GOP is thinking. Their current front runner Rudi Guiliani is demonized by the Christian right for his liberal views on gays, guns and abortion. It is wondered aloud how Guiliani could possibly win the GOP nomination and the general election without the support of this crucial voting block. On the Democratic side its not much better. Hillary Clinton as front runner is demonized by much of the left wing of the Democrats for her hawkish views on Iraq and Iran.Without the support of this wing of the party how does Clinton expect to win the nomination and then the general election.
All this mess with parties doesn’t even include the input of independents who are sure to swing this election. A recent poll of independents revealed that most independents are not impressed with any of the major candidates but do seem to swing more left than right in this election cycle.
Unfortunately for the electorate the alternative to Guiliani and Clinton are not offering much more than the front runners. On the right you have Romney and McCain and on the left you have Obama and Edwards. None of the four has mustered enough support among their own parties to even make a dent in the world of independents.
This election, one that is of crucial importance to the United States and its allies could unfortunately come down to the lesser of two evils. The question is what are those two evils.
Right now, as the pollsters well know, the national polls are all name recognition. Hillary and ‘Mare’ Rudy are more well-known and when the kind of older, more conservative people who talk to pollsters respond, they mention the first name that comes to mind.
In the more detailed state polls, though, Hill and the Rudester don’t do quite as well. Just look at that straw poll the other day among GOP base voters where Rudy came in eighth, well behind Ron Paul and Jesus Huckabee.
While it’s true that independents haven’t made up their minds, about 3/4s, from a poll I read a couple of months ago, said they will NOT be voting for a Republican — any Republican.
Comment by RS Janes — October 25, 2007 @ 5:17 pm