The Independent Vote: Why Hopemongers split from Hillary
My first entry. We'll see how shredded it gets before I post more. :)
Remember 2004? A lot of Democrats said "if Bush wins, I'm moving to Canada." It was an idle threat (or if you were a Bush supporter, it was welcome news), but it was a nice way of registering our frustration at the country's inability to listen to reason and vote a non--idiot into office.
This year, the line I hear (and, I admit, I have said it a few times myself) is "If Hillary wins the Nomination, I'm voting McCain/ voting third-party/ staying home in November." Now, the vote-for-McCain threat is largely as idle a threat as self-exile, and the people who threaten it will in all reality not follow through in any substantial numbers. But the staying-home threat is another story.
It's well-established that a large part of Obama's support comes from the youth vote. Young voters are not Party faithful the way their parents are. Young voters don't know the Democratic Party the way 40+ year-olds do. As such, young voters are voting for Obama, not for the Democratic candidate.
Young voters are tired of the way government doesn't work, and they see Hillary as part of that government that doesn't work. Young voters are tired of divisive politics, and want an America where we can disagree without being disagreeable, and they see Hillary as part of that divisiveness. Is it fair? Maybe, maybe not. But I wouldn''t expect Obama's supporters to just slide on over to Hillary if she wins the nomination.
Discuss.
Remember 2004? A lot of Democrats said "if Bush wins, I'm moving to Canada." It was an idle threat (or if you were a Bush supporter, it was welcome news), but it was a nice way of registering our frustration at the country's inability to listen to reason and vote a non--idiot into office.
This year, the line I hear (and, I admit, I have said it a few times myself) is "If Hillary wins the Nomination, I'm voting McCain/ voting third-party/ staying home in November." Now, the vote-for-McCain threat is largely as idle a threat as self-exile, and the people who threaten it will in all reality not follow through in any substantial numbers. But the staying-home threat is another story.
It's well-established that a large part of Obama's support comes from the youth vote. Young voters are not Party faithful the way their parents are. Young voters don't know the Democratic Party the way 40+ year-olds do. As such, young voters are voting for Obama, not for the Democratic candidate.
Young voters are tired of the way government doesn't work, and they see Hillary as part of that government that doesn't work. Young voters are tired of divisive politics, and want an America where we can disagree without being disagreeable, and they see Hillary as part of that divisiveness. Is it fair? Maybe, maybe not. But I wouldn''t expect Obama's supporters to just slide on over to Hillary if she wins the nomination.
Discuss.
