How my opinions of the candidates have developed over the course of the primary.
When it started out, I knew little about O'Malley, I liked Bernie the best on policy, but I supported Hillary because I thought she would be the most electable and what I care about most is keeping the GOP out. I still support Hillary, and I still think she's the most electable, but I have shifted opinion on a few things.
O'Malley: I like him a lot. He's got the best, most detailed policy proposals. I don't see him getting much traction this time around, given the rock star status of Bernie and Hillary, but the exposure he's getting puts him in a great position to be a leader of the party going forward, and possibly (hopefully) president in 2024.
Bernie: I'm impressed with how much support and energy he's drawn. He's done far, far better than previous candidates with similar ideological points of view, such as Kucinich or Nader. I still question his electability in the general, but not as much as I used to. Polls show him doing pretty well against the GOP, but I still think that he wouldn't hold up under a full GOP assault. Still, I hope that he sticks around and that the movement he's building becomes a grassroots force for the Democratic party. He's already made a huge contribution simply by giving his ideas such a wide hearing, and I look forward to the growing influence of the Bernie wing of the party.
Hillary: She's been great. A much better candidate than in 2008, when I along with many Dems didn't much like the campaign she ran. I started out supporting her as the "safe" choice, but the more I see and hear from her, the more I feel that she is not just the most electable, but also the right person to lead the country right now. During the debates her mastery of issues, and her wide knowledge of the problems we face and her appreciation of their complexity is clear. I'm now excited about a Hillary presidency.
And finally, I'm impressed with how civil the candidates have all been towards each other. Sure, on the internet it gets a little touchy, but all three of them have handled themselves very respectfully. They know that we're all on the same team at the end of the day.
