elsewhere: a political moment

[iainpj]

Grim Amusements: a political moment:

I will admit, I have at times cordially hated both sides in this interminable Democratic primary contest; both have periodically used tactics and language that made me wonder if either Clinton or Obama deserved a chance. But more than that, I've been puzzled by the backers of either candidate who state publicly that they will not support the other candidate should they be the nominee. Moreover, that they will cross party lines to vote for McCain rather than sully their ballot by voting for the person who defeated their candidate. In all fairness, I've heard that far more from Clinton's supporters than from Obama's -- for good or ill, Obama's supporters have tended to be somewhat more diverse than Clinton's, and it's hard to justify voting for the Republican party line in those circumstances. What many Obama supporters have said instead is that they simply will not vote. And in either case -- voting directly for someone you hate, or indirectly by not voting against him -- it's a baffling position. I've said, in various places, that because I think that either Democrat would be more supportive for the issues that are important to me, I'll hold my nose and vote for whichever one got the nomination, that I think either of them would be a better president than McCain, a.k.a. Bush encore...

[...] On the other hand, Mark Morford demonstrates one of the things that has most annoyed me about this campaign. I mean, I get that American politics is the politics of personality. It shouldn't be -- we absolutely should not be voting for president based on whether or not we "like" someone, but on their policy proposals and their political record. But American politics is what it is. That said ... honestly, this type of attitude makes me want to smack someone....