what is at stake this year
I was originally a Kucinich supporter since I felt he had the most progressive policies. Then, when it appeared John Edwards was gaining more traction I planned on voting for him in New York in the hopes that he would get some delegates and fight for economic justice at the convention. When he dropped out, I was left with Hillary and Obama. I had problems with both of them. I preferred her Health Plan but was still upset with her vote on the Iraq War and I had serious concerns that she would follow the triangulation policies of her husband in the white house (Welfare Reform, Defense of Marriage Act, expansion of the Death Penalty), so I voted for Obama with reservations.
I approach this election as a progressive. I vote for the candidate I think offers the best hope of progressive change that will have the greatest effect on people's lives. The racial and gender considerations are secondary at best.
Whatever happened, my intention has always been to support the nominee, no matter who I supported in the primary. The issue differences between Obama and Clinton are miniscule when compared with McCain. In all truth, this primary has been a personality contest between two center left politicians.
Which is why I cannot understand the vitriol between Obama and Clinton supporters. I voted for Obama, but if Clinton won the nomination, even by using Super Delegates to thwart the will of the elected delegates, I would support her in November. The stakes are too high to sulk if my candidate doesn't get the nomination. We have to keep this in perspective.
There will be at least 3 Supreme Court vacancies in the next few years, all Liberals. If McCain wins, it's all over, and not just Abortion Rights, but church state separation and are constitutional government as we know it. There will be no action on health care, none, leading to more suffering, the war in Iraq will rage on forever and more people will needlessly die. It goes on and on.
We need to think beyond our candidates and focus on the millions of lives that will be devastated by a McCain presidency.
That is the situation we are in. The Democratic nominee must win in November. It is a matter of survival for a lot of people and we cannot let this internal popularity contest enable a continuation of the Bush presidency. If we do, people will suffer and die and it will be our fault for letting the true reason we all care about politics disappear behind the shouting of Clinton and Obama partisans.