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It's simple: Each of these candidates attract a diverse group of people into the process and the more people we can get interested now in the campaigns, the better chance we'll have a chance to beat Bush in the long run.
My upstairs neighbor is an elderly African American woman who just loves Carol Mosely-Braun. She knows Ms. Braun doesn't have a strong chance of winning, but my neighbor has been watching the primaries, listening to the candidates and not only has interests in some of the other candidates but her disgust in Bush is growing stronger.
I have family members in the Unions, which support Dick Gephardt. They too have been watching the primaries. Many of them voted for Bush but have been frustrated with how Bush has been treating Labor. Again, they've been watched a few primaries and are showing interest not only in Gephardt, but a few of the other candidates out there running.
The primaries will be an education for all of us and the candidates and when it's all overwith next July, the eventual winner will be even stronger and will hopefully have a wide diversity of voters out there. Maybe many of these candidates do not stand a chance, but how do you think Unions or Minorities would feel if we demanded certain candidates drop out now because we feel it'll hurt our chances in the long run? And I'm sure for the other 8 candidates I haven't discussed there would be a unique set of voters who would be offended if we demanded he/she should leave the race.
This primary process will build strong candidates and I love the fact that we're having debates now because I'm finding more people out there getting interested in watching them. I'm irritated when they bash each other and feel they should all be focusing on the real problem - the status of our country should Bush be given another 4 years to serve.
Let's embrace the primaries; that's what they are here for.
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