With the Iowa Caucuses on Thursday, I thought I’d go ahead and make my endorsements for the primaries. (I’ll apologize for my brevity here, since I’m writing this just before making an evening visit to check on our dog at the animal hospital.
Republicans
- Ron Paul gets my nod, if only because it would be hypocritical for me to not put him at the top of my list, when I’m planning to vote for him in February. I disagree with many of his views, or find them just plain nutty, but the fundamental concept of practicing fiscal responsibility with government funds while protecting individuals’ liberties is a combination that is sadly too lacking among today’s leaders. I’d like to see Dr. Paul continue to attract some media attention if only to remind others that it’s OK to want the government to manage its books better while leaving us the heck alone. Thus, I’ll do my part to help his poll numbers along.
- My second-choice among the GOPers would almost have to be determined by rolling a die. I think most of them are likely to be able administrators and many of them would likely be adequate foils against the excesses of a Democratic congress. I appreciate McCain’s willingness to stick to his guns even when they’re unpopular. I’m still somewhat enamored by the idea of having someone with a “nice guy” image in the White House, even though my prior fondness for Huckabee has come back to reality. And, I appreciate some of the fiscal discipline exercised by Romney in Massachusetts even if he reeks so badly of spoiled politician. So, if you can’t bring yourself to cast a protest vote for Paul…well, I think the die roll method will probably be not much better or worse than selecting any one of the other candidates.
Democrats
- Among the Dems, Chris Dodd is the candidate I’m most inclined to like, for the balance of seeming realistic (at least about things other than his own candidacy), his experience, and his stances on privacy and technology issues. He does, however, also suffer from the stink that seems common among many politicians. And, given his lack of support, he’s probably not a viable nominee for President. However, unlike the GOP field, among the Dems I do find a reasonable second choice.
- Barak Obama is my clear second choice among the Dems. I worry about his inexperience, and I wonder how much of his “crossing the aisle” spiel is act rather than reality…but among the viable candidates, he is clearly the least of the evils from my viewpoint. I can’t support Edwards for his campaign tactic of demonizing the insurance industry (not to mention his being a trial lawyer). And Hillary…although she’s an impressive candidate, whom I suspect would be a more able administrator than her husband was…I can’t get over the fact that I think it’s dangerous to throw support to Hillary because we liked the world her husband reigned in, given that some analogous thinking is how we we got saddled with Bush 43.
So, I don’t know if any of this that I’ve written will influence an Iowa caucus-goer or a New Hampshire voter…but on the off chance you fall into either category, perhaps those comments will provide some food for thought.