Its a New Year, Lets Elect a New Party!

In case you weren't aware, I am very liberal. I was in the Green Party, and active in the Davis Chapter, until I moved out of my liberal haven in California and headed to rolling hills (some here actually call them mountains...) of central Pennsylvania. After growing up a little, I realized that I wasn't going to make any difference in the state of what Ralphie called the Duopoly in this country. So I joined the Democratic Party when I registered myself in PA. And then came 2004... Lets just say Linda and I were both Dean supporters the way.

Well, its a new election cycle and I am not passionate about any choices from any party. Linda like Hilary, but she can't vote since she isn't an american citizen. I definitely don't like Obama because from how he talks it doesn't seem like he has a clue what he is talking about. This certainly goes for non-domestic issues. I think he is very intelligent, charismatic and well-meaning, but like John Logsdon I just feel he is missing something and I don't want to wait until after the election to find out what. I liked Richardson the best on paper, his qualifications are fantastic, but when I heard him on the debates he didn't sound all there. Not a great speaker. And then theres Gravel, Kucinich, Dodd and Biden which have been made irrelevant by the media. Considering the pool of applicants, I was leaning more towards Edwards because I thought I agreed with him on alot of the issues important me and his background and demeanor was something I could more identify with. But at the same time, I keep falling into this trap of who is the most electable. Its all very confusing thanks to 24-hours news blahmentary and the media in general. I don't think Clinton would be bad, but I really want to get out of the Bush/Clinton cycle that I have been in all my voting life!

So I took this survey to find out the candidate that best fits my positions and how strongly I feel about the issue. Below are the top 5 picks based on my support or opposition to the issue and my weight (minimal, important or key). I don't know all the details about the script, perhaps there is a bug in there, though the creator of the survey says it is fine.

Edwards was seventh on the list after Biden. I was quite surprised. Kucinich and Gravel came out as my first choices based only on the selected issues for the survey. Clinton came out ahead of Edwards, so maybe I should be a Clinton supporter? I disagreed with Clinton on some key issues for myself. The No Child Child Left Behind and Patriot Acts, in my opinion, should be abolished, but according to the survey her position is that she supports keeping those acts. She also supports construction of the border fence?? And opposes same-sex marriage?? I didn't know this and wonder if the script for the candidates positions is wrong or outdated? I also do not feel I can support a candidate that considers military action against Iran.

Perhaps there are flaws in the survey. Regardless, I won't support Kucinich. I don't have time to review the candidates positions and their consistency on those positions at this moment, but will do so before I vote in a primary. Considering the pool of Republican candidates is horrendous, they will not be an option this election cycle. I was seriously considering McClain until he opened his mouth. I agreed with him on lots of issues but he keeps changing his positions to reflect whichever voter base he is trying to gets attention. Consistency is a big deal for me. I hate it when people change themselves to appeal to a certain crowd. I think Edwards his head on straight and I like his passion. I need to feel passionate about my country again. I love the people (with exceptions) here but hate the policies/politics.

I want to see progress, increased science funding and education (increased education in general), universal healthcare, fairer tax system (i do believe we should be taxed, but that we should get something for it!), increased international relations (like recognizing other countries have a say in how the world is run), but also a return to domestic issues. I feel that globalization has forced politcians to overly focus on the international community, which may be a good thing, but often domestic issues are relegated to the back of the line. Especially when dealing with the low-income segments of society, of which I am a member of. I've been fortunate to live in 2 states (CA and PA) which have excellent state-funded welfare programs that my wife and I would have been in deep trouble without. I am very grateful for that. But citizens of other states may not be so lucky, so lets get a federal standard. Lets reduce selfishness of the upper classes and to paraphrase Woody Guthrie "redistribute the wealth".

"And they'll take the money and spread it out equal
Just like the Bible and the prophets suggest
But the men that go riding to help these poor workers
The rich will cut down like an unwelcome guest"
- Unwelcome Guest (Words by Woody Guthrie, song by Billy Bragg & Wilco)