Democrats Debate

The candidates for the right to represent the Democrats got into full swing last night at the University of South Carolina. All together 8 hopefuls mostly talked about the war in Iraq with very little confrontation. It was a safe topic for all the candidates as they all oppose the war. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards took a shot when he said "Sen. Clinton and anyone else who voted for this war has to search themselves and decide whether they believe they voted the right way." Sen. Hillary Clinton's response: "I've said many times, if I knew then what I know now, I would not have voted that way" Fresh off a vote to authorize more spending in Iraq but with a deadline to bring troops home, nearly all agreed the president should sign the bill, except for the most anti-war lawmaker in the group. "Every time you vote to fund the war, you're reauthorizing the war all over again," argued Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. He is not considered a legitmate contender in the race however.

Edwards Continues Campaign

John Edwards has announced that he will continue his second bid for the Presidency despite the return of his wifes cancer. This comes at a bad time for the Edwards family as Fmr.Sen Edwards is one of the favorites to win the Democratic ticket. While their is no cure for the type of cancer she has, it is treatable.

Internet and the Election

In 2004, the emphasis was heavily directed towards the younger voters and this upcoming election seems to only magnify that approach. This week, sites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Friendster are all allowing viable political candidates to set up pages or videos on their websites aimed specifically at a younger, more tech-savvy generation. While some are lagging more than others, candidates like Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, and even Sen. Dennis Kuchinch (D-OH) have taken the lead and be more pro-active. To me this is the same gameplan laid out by Fmr. Pres. Clinton back in 92' when he appeared on MTV and answered varied questions from the first war in Iraq to even smoking marijuana. Fast forward 15 years and the resources available now are varied and cost effective. If a candidate can tap the "Gen Y" or "Gen X" in this upcoming election they will definatly be a force to be reckoned with. The problem is motivating them enought to get off the couch and vote which is a task in and of itself.

Democrats Iraq Plan

Several major Democrat politcal candidates have outlayed their Iraq pull out plan and they all seem to be strikingly similiar. Senators Obama and Clinton have a plan that enables the US to pull out all troops by 2009. Their plan is different than the Republicans with US forces acting strickly in a supporting role and almost as "Terrorist Police" north of Baghdad. They both seem to be taking a lot of heat from the left for being too soft on the war with Pres. Bush. The only candidate to go on record wishing that he could recount his vote is Fmr. Sen. John Edwards. He has stated repeadly that voting was a mistake and the war is a disaster. Experts have predicted that Sen. Clinton will have the toughest time with the Democratic party since she already is perceived as having a "Lover her Hate her" reputation and this will only hurt her with anti-war Democrats.