<p>I am a republican women/mother/wife. I am voting for Obama…He is the best choice for our country…Hillary(liar/narcisitic), McCain(hawk), are also dividers. Our children need a future…for the first time I have had hope and am inspired that our children will have a better life than us. I cried tears of hope/joy yesterday. Go Obama !!!</p>
<p>I think Caroline’s endorsement is more important than Ted’s. As an editorial in the Washington Post today said, are you going to argue with JFK’s daughter over who is following his legacy?</p>
<p>Got to admit Obama stirs me and the Kennedy endorsements gave me goose bumps and a few tears. But would he be best for the country, really? Was JFK so wonderful, really?</p>
<p>Having listened to Ted’s endorsement speech last night in which he strongly advocated “change” and new blood, isn’t it about time he gave it up? After all, he is still clinging to his role as Senator. How about practicing what you preach!</p>
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<p>Wow. You really haven’t been following along.</p>
<p>Go into their websites, or listen to the debates, and you can learn a lot.</p>
<p>Clinton’s stance on Iraq, to my mind, is the least detailed. She has repeatedly made the [rather ambiguous] statement that within 60 days of entering office, she will convene advisors to draw up a plan and start withdrawing troops. What she means is, she will have a plan drawn up within 60 days. When she will start withdrawing combat troops and how quickly is another matter.</p>
<p>On Iran, the last I heard, is that she has urged Pres Bush to not make any unilateral decisions about storming Iran. She’s been very vocal about him taking things slow, but that’s it as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>Edwards’ and Obama’s plans for withdrawing all combat troops from Iraq, leaving some protection behind for the embassies, and a smaller combat “Quick Reaction Team”/group behind, outside Iraq (for Edwards, he has said, possibly in Kuwait), in the event that Al Qaeda attempts to move into Iraq-- are fairly similar. Obama’s complete withdrawal, he estimates, would be ~16 months, while Edwards’ would be closer to ~10 months. They would both help to stabilize Iraq (though not prop up their government). Obama has pledged billions to help with the Iraqi refugees, as has Clinton. I have not seen any mention of that by Edwards, though I may have missed it.</p>
<p>Obama on Iran: I don’t know his stance on Iran and can’t seem to locate it on his website.</p>
<p>Edwards on Iran: Has been the most detailed on Iran; for his detailed comments about Iran, check his website. Suffice to say, he would try to negotiate with Iranian leaders who have already met criteria, and use a number of incentives and pressure, including new sanctions for both American companies and foreign companies. He would also reach out to China and Russia to work on reaching their economic objectives that don’t assist Iran’s military nuclear capability. Check his website for much more detailed information.</p>
<p>I would urge anyone to read the websites of the individual candidates as they’re very informative.</p>
<p>^^^ I am with you 100%</p>
<p>Before you choose a candidate know their platform.</p>
<p>I recall Obama stated he wants a face to face with Iran</p>
<p>“Mass is still heavily populated by a lot of old money and they have a different economic system.”</p>
<p>Wha – different economic system? You mean capitalism?</p>
<p>Kennedy would still be in the Senate even if he’d been elected by another state. Why? Because virtually no state votes out powerful senior senators. There’s nothing special about Massachusetts hanging on to someone powerful through thick and thin. Look at Thurmond, Byrd, Lott, etc…the old guard retires or it dies in office.</p>
<p>We let our HS senior son skip school to go to the rally at AU yesterday. When he got home I asked him how it was. His response: “I didn’t know Ted Kennedy was so awesome!” Apparently the gym was really rockin’ when Ted was speaking. Oh, and Obama was okay, too.</p>
<p>Do you think Hillary will name Bill her running mate if she gets nominated? Could she?</p>
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<p>No, I think that falls under nepotism, doesn’t it? They stopped all that nepotism – after JFK and Bobby Kennedy.</p>
<p>I think this is great. Obama has all the southern primaries locked up. Ted Kennedy’s endorsement will soften New Hampshire and he will be able to sweep the Midwest. All he needs is a good showing in California and we can kick the witch and her broom back to New Yak.</p>
<p>“Not to stray from the topic, but how in the world did Mitt Romney ever get elected Gov of Mass-being a Republican and not a Kennedy? Can someone please explain this one?”</p>
<p>The Massachusetts Democratic Party has a history of producing gubernatorial candidates who are either not very compelling, or who actively rub one the wrong way (like John Silber). That is mostly why Romney – a Republican – managed to eke out a victory in this usually-Democratically-dominated state (as did Weld and Cellucci before him). It also helped that he shaped his message to what he thought Massachusetts voters wanted to hear. Contrary to what the rest of the country might think about Massachusetts, it is a state full of hard-working people with a very high cost of living, and the anti-tax message of Republicans will always find something of a following here. But my sense of Romney-as-governor was that he spent more time running around the country running for president than he did serving the people of Massachusetts, and he wasn’t above dissing the people he had been elected to serve when it suited his presidential ambitions.</p>
<p>I’ve never been particularly fond of Ted Kennedy – Massachusetts keeps voting for him because he brings home the bacon and he works for issues that are important to people of this state – but I have to say I think I saw his finest hour the other night when he came out so passionately on behalf of Obama. </p>
<p>btw, the current governor of Massachusetts – Deval Patrick – is a friend of Obama’s, and bears watching for the future. He has his friend’s thoughtful manner of speaking, his clarity, and his dignity. It is that dignity that I find so lacking in every presidential candidate of either party but Barack Obama.</p>
<p>Our entire household is so excited about Obama. I switched from Independent to Democrat in order to vote in the primary and found out that it wasn’t necessary because this year Independents can vote in the Democratic primary. My husband switched from Repub to vote for Obama. We are both actively campaigning for him</p>
<p>Both kids will be voting for the first time and they are voting for Obama too. I can’t remember ever feeling this excited and hopeful about politics. For that I am so grateful to Senator Obama.</p>
<p>For those of you who are undecided or just want to know more about him I urge you to check him out:</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to Obama for America](<a href=“http://www.barackobama.com%5DWelcome”>http://www.barackobama.com)</p>
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<p>^???</p>
<p>a) Obama is behind in the polls in many Southern states: Alabama, Tennesee, Texas, Florida (I know it doesn’t count - but this will be a HUGE loss for Obama if he wins the nomination - Obama won’t even be competitive in this state since he has abandoned it now)… among others</p>
<p>b) An endorsement from Ted Kennedy will not have a huge impact on the Midwest, if anywhere. In New England, Clinton’s support is VERY strong and one endorsement (or two, if you include Kerry’s won’t do much more then put a dent in it). And, softening New Hampshire won’t do any good - now that the primaries are over in NH, it only matters in the general election and that state has almost always been a pretty strong Democratic state and won’t add to the electoral vote count</p>
<p>All the endorsement will do is get Obama more media coverage and that will turn a few votes - the endorsement in and of itself won’t change many votes at all</p>
<p>Also, having Kennedy’s and Kerry’s endorsements seems to go against his message of change a little bit… They have both been in the Senate a long time and have been involved in politics since before the Stone Age - after having been there (in Washington) so long, I don’t see them changing a whole lot.</p>
<p>That’s my little rant… I could go on longer about Clinton</p>
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<p>Sorry, but I think neither Clinton nor Obama showed much dignity in that last SC debate. I thought they both were embarrassing and completely undignified.</p>
<p>Edit: Just saw the above post, and agree.</p>
<p>fwiw - my hubby says that Ted Kennedy is the kiss of death for Obama getting the hispanic vote. The Cuban Americans loathe and despise the Kennedys due to their feeling JFK betrayed them with Bay of Pigs. The Mexican Americans love Robert Kennedy and all three of his kids have endorsed Hillary. People where I live tend to loathe and despise Ted Kennedy, so they move away from Obama accordingly. However, also fwiw, the boys at S’s hs are for Obama 'cause they hate Hillary 'cause she’s a woman. But if Obama gets the nomination these guys (really their parents) will vote republican no matter who they put up.</p>
<p>The general feeling here is that Rove is secretly helping orchestrate an Obama nomination since his brand of republican feels they can easily wipe him off the map and they’re not so sure they can do that with Hillary. Of course I live in a place where people put Ron Paul signs in their yards.</p>
<p>There is one Mitt Romney sign though.</p>
<p>“It is that dignity that I find so lacking in every presidential candidate of either party but Barack Obama.”</p>
<p>I thought in the last debate Obama was talking down on Hillary.</p>
<p>Gee, mercymom, your kid’s hs and your neighborhood sounds awful. sexist, racist and full of loathing…:(</p>
<p>I’m hispanic as is my whole family and a lot of friends. I admire and respect the Kennedy’s as do most of the people I know. </p>
<p>I don’t know what kind of hispanics your hubby knows.</p>
<p>The hispanics H knows are mostly Cuban Americans in Miami and south Florida. For the most part they are all republicans and strong Bush supporters. In fact, the group we got together with at his college reunion love W. The stuff about Robert Kennedy I am picking up as I go along trying to follow this.</p>
<p>There are many things I love about my kids school, but yes, there is a fair amount of sexist sentiment. This is definitely NOT California. It’s a very red, very republican place with a fair number of narrow minded people (lots of evangelicals too). But you guys also need to be reminded (here on CC) that you are a very small select group of people that don’t really mirror the masses as it were.</p>
<p>Anyway, we have a nice paycheck, low crime and low cost of living. Maybe we’ll retire somewhere else.</p>