There goes the last vestige of my support for the democratic party...

Gimme a break! Like the alternative (party) is a whole lot better!

Lieberman's not a Democrat.

But, McCain's against waterboarding.

Yes, and his party keeps pummeling him for it. So why are the democrats getting yelled at because of Joe DINO Lieberman?

Because every party has to have at least one kook... In the case of the Republicans I would say that they are all kooks with McCain being the sane one.

The democrats seem to have the opposite ratio of kooks to sane, its only natural for the sane to appeal for rationality from the kooks.

McCain voted against the bill banning it.

Personally, Obama gives me some hope. He would a big step in the right direction. He is going to win.

I remember McCain being against torture and getting called a trator by Bill O'Reilly.

Whatever happened to the Straight Talk Express, I wonder.

I don't like lumping all of the politicians together most of the time. I personally lean more towards the Republican point of view, but there are many good people in the Democratic party. It generally goes that I vote Democrat locally, but Republican nationally. I have some friends that wouldn't vote republican even if the devil himself was the only democrat running. I think that's just stupid. I'm registered as an independent so that I can vote for whichever candidate I feel best represents me.

There again, getting back to the subject at hand, I actually like Lieberman. I may not agree with everything he says or does, but I do like him.

I have a question for all those Americans here...

Will America really vote for a black or female president?

I mean some states are still trying to get creationism taught as science neverlone accepting something so radically different than the male wasp that they've always had...

Spiky, I'm not sure. I have no problem voting for black or female candidates that have the same views that I do. Our state senator is a black man. I didn't vote for him in the primaries, but I did vote for him during the regular election, after the guy I was supporting got beaten.

I know its not a general thing that Americans are all racist / chauvinists its just that it tends to be very conservative. So when confronted with the same ol' male wasp on the republican side or the black / woman on the democrat side which way will 'the people' lean?

Mr Powell, our state senator, is a Democrat. In the South, or at least in my area of the South, a conservative or any race or gender is more likely to be elected. That being said, there are many over here that will vote colour and gender to their dying day. Sad but true.

There's one thing that I'm starting to notice that may have some detrimental effects later. People are saying that they are proud to be Americans solely based on Obama's leading the polls. The problem with that, if he doesn't win then will they proclaim that the only reason he didn't win is because he's black? Will we not be racially tolerant until there is a black man sitting in the President's chair?

If I don't vote for Obama it's because I disagree with his policies or because I think someone else would be a better President. Same with Clinton on the gender issue. Though I wouldn't vote for Hillary because I really just can't stand her, not that I don't think a woman would make a good leader. Another woman, maybe. Her, definitely not. But that's my opinion.

Would that be his niece and why should she be lynched?

American voting habits haven't been party-based for a long time. Politicians tend to win elections by getting the votes of moderate voters from the opposing party, e.g. Reagan Democrats and Clinton Republican.

A black and/or female conservative republican candidate would have a better chance of winning than a black and/or female liberal democrat candidate.

Unlike in the UK and countries with similar political structures, in the US the president's party has no effect on who the majority party in the legislature will be. So you can vote for a democrat president and for a republican to represent you in congress, or vice versa. Therefore, party isn't that important to US voters.

Also, in the past, people weren't as educated, or didn't have as easy access to information, so many voted based on party because they didn't know anything about politics or issues, they just thought Democrats=Good/Republicans=bad, or vice versa. There are still people who vote like this, but overall people are more educated/aware now.

Since I'm not in the US anymore, I haven't been following the Obama vs. Clinton clash in much detail. But I heard Obama speak once on tv, and it sounded like he was trying to make it a black vs. white thing. That sorta sucks.

I haven't been paying too close attention to anything but from what I've seen and read so far I like Obama and I've always liked McCain even if he frightens me occasionaly.


I don't know if it means much but in the bookstore we've been selling a lot more books on McCain than any other candidate lately. Of course Obama leads in total sales throughout the year.

I'm not particularly crazy about either of them.

I'm not happy that New York State does not allow Independents to vote in primaries.

Will probably end up voting for whoever I dislike the least.

That's my strategy for this election, who ever has offended me the least, so far I haven't a clue who that might be maybe I'll even vote for McCain