Would you vote for Edwards if it meant we defeat Hillary, the most conservative Democrat?

[liberaldemocrat7]

Would you vote for Edwards, the least conservative Democrat, in your primary or caucus if it meant we defeat Hillary, the most conservative Democrat for the nomination?

Most liberals like Kucinich as I do, but will America vote for him or some trogolodyte Republican. Don't forget America voted for Bush twice with a little help from KKKatherine Harris and KKKenneth Blackwell.

Political compass shows Edwards as the least conservative of the Democrats, with Hillary as the most conservative.

If we don't split our votes among Biden, Gravel, Richardson, Kucinich, Obama, etc. and coalesce around the least conservative Edwards who does talk like a populist at least we could defeat Hillary for the nomination.


Question: Would you vote for Edwards in the primary or caucus as he appears the least conservative according to political compass, if it means defeating Hillary for the nomination?

[AllyCat]

1. Voted no only because I refuse to vote for a pro-war candidate

for ANY office.

[liberaldemocrat7]

10. So you mean you will get another prowar candidate Hillary instead?

I agree that the invasion of Iraq appears a very negative action. Hower if Hillary gets the nomination, your action may by default allow the prowar Hillary to get nominated, therefore defeating your own wishes.

At least Edwards had expressed regret for voting for the war. Hillary has not. More and more I see Hillary as a moderate Republican.


I don't want healthcare turned into Medicare Part D, not helping the middle class but enriching corporations. Hillary will do that. She hadn't lifted a finger to get Medicare Part D repealed since the Democrats took over the House and Senate. Nothing.

[AllyCat]

18. Edwards will continue the war until 2013, just like Clobama.

Iraq does not "appear" to be a negative action. It IS an abominable action. Edwards will continue it, therefore, I see no difference between him and HRC. And her mandatory medical insurance thing is an utter joke.

[SaveAmerica]

31. You're not listening to Edwards if you think he has plans of continuing the occupation...

His answer to the stupid debate question of 'Do you pinky swear on a stack of bibles there will be no troops in Iraq by the end of your first term in 2013' was that he can't promise that because there could be support troops in the Embassy, etc. He has maintained that he will start bringing the troops home as soon as he's sworn in. Stupid question asked by someone who is owned by the Republican Party.

[liberaldemocrat7]

47. kick

kick

[MrCoffee]

48. shhhh...the last thing they want to hear is the truth.

don't ruin it for them.

[AllyCat]

54. Then I will be happy to listen because I liked him until I heard that

But one thing I don't like is that we will have ANY embassy there. We just need to scrap it and get out. If the Iraqis want us to have one, that is different. Otherwise, out we go, troops and all. That palace we are building there for an embassy would make a nice youth center for the Iraqi kids (those who are left).

[rusty quoin]

13. Strong standards and good standards.

But, myself, I am working to take over the Democratic Party, bit by bit. I know Edwards made a mistake giving authorization for the Iraq War, and I know he did not pledge to pull all troops in a debate (got mixed feeling about the way it was phrased and set up), still I don't think that Edwards is pro-war.

[Critters2]

60. He sponsored the IWR.

What would it take to prove he's pro-war, if that doesn't do it?

[elle1sf]

2. Voted Yes

Because if I were planning on voting for anyone else I'd switch - but I'm already planning on voting Edwards (so does that count?)

[Swamp Rat]

4. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I'm conflicted...

But I am giving it some serious thought.

[NoPasaran]

5. Nope

I'll be voting for the next President of the United States, Hillary Clinton.

[quinnox]

6. No, Hillary all the way

Its interesting logic though that Edwards, a co-sponsor of the Iraq war resolution, is so popular among bloggers.

[Moochy]

9. What with bloggers and their crazy irrational hatred

of illegal wars.... how can "they" forgive him?

Hey do you blog?

[quinnox]

11. no I don't

yea I agree, just because Edwards said "I'm sorry" wouldn't do it for me either if I was passionately anti-Iraq war.

[skids]

7. Voted no because I'm already going to vote Edwards...

...and as such, I would not be "switching" my vote. You have to phrase these polls carefully! :hide:

[mitchtv]

8. I haven't decided yet

I like Edwards and Dennis, I have eliminated Richardson

[scarletwoman]

12. Interesting. I've been thinking about this for awhile. I'm a Kucinich supporter, but

I know that, realistically, he simply won't get enough votes to push Hillary out of the running. So I've had a possible post running through my mind for several months now: Will you vote for Edwards in order to defeat Hillary?

And my answer is -- yes.

sw

[durrrty libby]

14. As some pundit said of Edwards today..."There is no there..there"

That sums him up for me.

[liberaldemocrat7]

16. Yes no there there, which helped Edwrds get elected a Senator.

You have to have something there there to get elected to the Senate.

Edwards appears the least conservative of the conservative Democrats. Hillary appears the most conservative Democrat of the field according to political compass.

[durrrty libby]

28. The there was good enough for senate not for president.

[liberaldemocrat7]

33. and the Chimp served as governor of Texas and look at the idiots who voted for him.

Edwards shows more substance than Bush and as much substance as Hillary and he does not appear as conservative as Hillary who likes these private public partnerships which will not help the middle class but enrich these companies.

[durrrty libby]

45. Edwards has substance? No, he has pennies and puny support,

which has driven him to dumb desperate remarks.

[Mz Pip]

15. What if, what if, what if...

Edwards doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I like him and don't really understand why he isn't doing better.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[liberaldemocrat7]

19. because Democrats have split their votes among the nonHillary

If Democrats voted for Edwards and not split among the more conservative Democrats and picked the least conservative ( Edwards ) Hillary would lose just like Howard Dean lost.

Howard Dean appeared the inevitable front runner until he got sideswiped by Iowans who went for Kerry. Then the Republicans destroyed John Kerry.

Whoever wins the nomination, and I hope not Hillary, will need to act truculent towards the Republicans and smear them with the truth.

[scarletwoman]

20. Edwards doesn't seem to be "going anywhere" because the MSM has already decided that Clinton will be

the Dem nominee. He's not my first choice by any means, but if voting for Edwards in the Primary will dislodge Hillary, it would be worth it to me.

sw

[Mz Pip]

27. I live in CA

and even with the bumped up primaries I suspect this will be pretty much decided by time I get to vote. I haven't decided on a candidate yet. I like Edward, I like Obama, I like Hillary, I like Biden. Actually I like all of them a whole lot better than any of the Repukes.

This time last time around the MSM had all but declared Dean the prospective nominee before the first vote had even been cast, so I take this certainty about Hillary with a grain of salt. We shall see.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[sojourner]

41. you noticed that too, eh?

THAT'S my main reason for distrusting her.

[Froward69]

17. resounding NO

why not everyone rally behind

[liberaldemocrat7]

23. because Biden appears more conservative than Edwards according to political compass.

.

[Froward69]

29. it would seem Biden is left of Hillary right of Edwards

the spot to somewhat, unify our party. without having to curb ideals.

[liberaldemocrat7]

34. Well according to this poll as of now 77 percent will united behind Edwards to defeat Hillary.

Well according to this poll as of now 77 percent will united behind Edwards to defeat Hillary.

[cali]

46. self- delete

[tnlefty]

21. My spouse and I broker primaries when our top 2 candidates

are the same. There will be 1 vote for Dennis and 1 for John, unless something freaky happens between now and Feb. 5th. I'll consider switching to John, but I'll admit we've both stated that all bets are off if Al Gore enters the race.

[Warren DeMontague]

22. "Political Compass" shows no such thing. Unless you completely ignore the authoritarian-libertarian

axis.

But, then, what's the point of using the political compass?

I think Biden is quite possibly the "most conservative" of our potential nominees, but it's subjective.

[liberaldemocrat7]

26. John Edwards appears closest of the conservative Democrats towards

the x=0 y=0 point on the graph. Biden's point appears longer away so he in my view appears more conservative. Hillary appears the most conservative of the Democrats.

If every nonHillary voted for Edwards we could defeat Hillary severely.

[Warren DeMontague]

30. I like some of what Edwards has had to say. Some of it I haven't liked.

If he's within striking distance I may vote for him in the Primary, but right now I'm voting for Kooch.

Bottom line, though, I will enthusiastically support any of those folks in the general. Even Biden.

[pnwmom]

39. Your subjective impression that Biden is the most conservative

is backed up by his voting record, which you can view at www.progressivepunch.com

I compared his record with that of the other Congressional candidates below, at post 38. HRC actually has the most liberal lifetime and current overall record on progressive issues -- which is why she's the GOP's biggest nightmare.

[Virginia Dare]

51. The "political compass" is not an accurate predictor IMO...

none of us knows exactly how we would vote/compromise on any issue until we were actually put in the position of being a legislator/politician. We can sit here on our high horses at our keyboards and be ideologues, because we have that luxury.

While it is an interesting exercise and discussion point, I personally put absolutely zero credence in the "political compass" as a method of picking a candidate.

[Mike03]

24. I disagree with the premise

that Edwards is the least conservative and that Clinton is the most conservative, but accepting for the moment your premise, yes, I would vote for Edwards.

[cloudbase]

25. Yep.

In a heartbeat.

[Pastiche423]

32. No

I will not vote for either warmongering DLCer.

[incapsulated]

35. No and No, Ewards is hardly the "anti-Hillary"

If that is what you are suggesting, in fact his voting record is hardly Mr. Liberal at all. Patriot Act? IWR?

This is more bullshit.

Support who you want but for christ sakes stop making Hillary Clinton out to be the fucking anti-christ worse than Bush, who "must be stopped".

[MrSlayer]

36. Certainly.

I'm leaning to Edwards since it really doesn't look like Gore is going to jump in and Clark is lost.

[emilyg]

37. No.

[pnwmom]

38. No one running for President has a more progressive overall record than HRC.

So your whole premise -- that she's the most conservative Democrat -- is based on a lot of hot air.

The Rethugs are far more accurate than many DUers when they rant on about what a liberal HRC is.

Progressive Punch sets out Congressional voting records and rates them on progressive issues.

Hillary's overall score for 2007 on these issues is 94%.
Kucinich's is 91.
Obama's is 86.
Biden's is 82.
Dodd's is 82.

Hillary's lifetime score on progressive issues is 92%.
Kucinich's is 87.
Obama's is 90.
Biden's is 84.
Dodd's is 87.


www.progressivepunch.com

[liberaldemocrat7]

42. Sorry but since the Democrats took congress Hillary hasn't lifted a finger to repeal Medicare Part D

Medicare Part D does not help the middle class and it enriches the drug companies the insurance companies and the pharmacy chains.

She could have at least attempted to join with other senators and attempted to repeal it and place the benefit in part B without extra premiums deductibles coverage gaps and remove the means test for Medicare Part B.

To me that appears a litmus test on how liberal she acts.

She realizes millions of retired and disabled people consider Medicare part D appears a piece of crap. People must have called her office about Part D but yet not a peep about repealing it and joining with other senators to attempt to repeal part D and replacing it.

Not a peep, so not a vote for her from me.

[pnwmom]

44. I'm not asking anyone to support her in the primary. I don't even know

yet who I'm going to vote for. (Not that it much matters, since WA has a non-binding primary.)

I'm just asking people not to twist her record, or any candidate's record. There are much better ways of supporting a candidate.

If you want to make Medicare part D your personal litmus test, that's fine. But it's wrong to act as if she's the most conservative of all the Dems, or as if she's Bush-lite, when she plainly isn't.

On this one matter, the Repubs seem to see things more clearly than many Dems. They don't hate her because she's so much like them, but because she's different.

[AllyCat]

57. I care less about her record than what she plans to do

And that's what I really can't stand. Her healthcare plan is awful and will be a huge burden to the poor and lower middle class while helping her big campaign donors (insurance cos. and Big Pharma). Her economic plan is short on specifics (i.e. how will she fund this stuff? how do the poor benefit from her middle class platform?). And ultimately, she is going to continue this war and will support war with Iran. That is the real deal breaker for me.

Her record doesn't mean much if she is going to trash us just like * has.

[pnwmom]

58. She isn't going to "trash us just like" Bush has.

Or even come close.

A perfect single payer plan won't help us if it won't get through Congress. Her insurance plan isn't all that different from Edwards's or Obama's. She has said she won't vote for any more appropriations bills for Iraq that don't include a timetable for getting out. She is pro-choice, pro gay rights, and pro-environment -- none of which you can say about Bush or any of the Rethugs running to take his place.

[sojourner]

40. I like Edwards better than Hillary. Better than anyone except Gore.

Mind you, I like Kucinich too, but he hasn't got "it" --- that "je ne c'est quoi" that makes a leader "great". Gore is it for me, should he run. But I think Edwards is someone who really does understand the middle class. And I don't care about his investments or his home(s). I do care that he knows loss and he connects with the American dream. Hillary is a corporatist IMO...and her support of Bush's policies is absolutely nauseating. She's also the darling of the media which is another reason I don't trust her.

[Cameron27]

43. Never,

his votes on Iraq were to the right of Clinton's, and the rest of his record isn't that much better.

[toadzilla]

49. NO. nothing could stop me from voting my conscious.

Edwards is only slightly less conservative than Hillary anyways.

[Individualist]

50. I'll vote in my best interest

Kucinich is the anti-war, anti-corporatist, pro-impeachment candidate and the antithesis of everything DLC stands for.

[tammywammy]

52. I see what you're saying

But I'm not a fan of either HRC or Edwards, and I won't be voting for either in the primary.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

53. "Political compass shows Edwards as the least conservative of the Democrats, with Hillary as the

most conservatives"

No... It did not...On social issues only Gravel and Kunich were more liberal and overall those two were more liberal than all the other candidates...

Carry on...

[Swamp Rat]

55. Ga-Ga for Gore

:D

[mmonk]

56. I have my order of candidates but won't reveal them completely.

I do not know everything about each candidate.

[Clintonista2]

59. Umm Hillary isn't the most "conservative democrat", not by a long shot

www.progressivepunch.org

[etherealtruth]

61. I will gladly vote for for Edwards

Not as an anti-HRC vote but because I believe him to be the best person for the job

[lamp_shade]

62. Heck no

There isn't a single candidate up there who impresses me as much as Hillary does... and I'm more impressed with her every day.