Kerry Supporter Looking For Reasons To Back Edwards (or Whomever, Actually)

[DrFunkenstein]

In my time of mourning, it is a little difficult to find much enthusiasm for the other candidates in the field. I truly believed that Kerry would have likely made the greatest President in more than a generation, pointing the way forward for our young century with the power of his ideas.

Now that he has decided to become a leading progressive force in the Senate, I am suddenly left without a carpet beneath my feet.

I am in no particular rush to find a new candidate to back - in fact, I feel somewhat luxurious in no longer having my heart compel me to advocacy. But I remain a political animal by nature, and take a sharp interest in the future of our nation and the larger world.

I'm not going to give you the full run down of my thoughts, but here is a snapshot:

1. Clinton has landed on the wrong side of my moral fence one too many times. Unlike Kerry's genuinely pained vote for the IWR, Clinton never blinked as she tried to cultivate her "tough" image (I have serious reservations about the political use of the word "tough"). Frankly, I fear what she will do as President to make sure she is not perceived as a "girlie man." I won't go into her record on corporate reform (nor the way she motivates half of the country to vote against her faster than a gay marriage referendum).

2. Obama genuinely intrigues me in a way I haven't felt in a long way. Like Jon Stewart (note icon above), he has a way of speaking about the issues that cuts through years and years of media-speak bullcrappery. Although I've yet to witness much depth to his policy ideas, he at least touches many of the key buttons closest to my heart. Race seems only to be an asset for him, the way it gives a weird legitimacy to Oprah, but I do hope that he does directly address economic conditions in too many black urban neighborhoods.

My biggest fear with Obama - as it remains with all Dem candidates - is what will become of their candidacy should there be another terrorist attack between now and November 2008. You can't imagine my internal moral somersaults just saying that out loud, considering the lives that would be inevitably lost vs. a political horse race, but I fear that someone with more gravitas might need to go up against one of those so-called "tough" Republicans.

3. Edwards.

I have been largely dismissive of John Edwards in general, because I've felt him to be A) still a political novice, and B) something of a Johnny-One-Note. However, in briefly looking him over in the past weeks, I realized that I may have been hasty in my dismissiveness. As much as the New Orleans announcement seemed like he was just playing that one note again, I have to give him some credit for sticking to his guns (remarkable how easily you can paint consistency as a boon or hobgoblin). I thought his foreign policy ideas were flimsy in 2004, but I have to admit that I have not looked very deeply.

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I guess I am trying to ask supporters of the various candidates to provide me with some hard policy stances that will compel me to throw my weight behind their run. I am specifically NOT asking for "oh, he will play well to this group" or "only he can get the fundraising to take on the GOP machine" and all that sort of jive.

Of course, I am more than willing to look at the campaigns of the less visible candidates, as well, but I'm mainly looking to understand - at this point - if I am going to lean towards Edwards or Obama (or find Clinton less distasteful).

BTW - Thank you all for your being such a fantastic community, where I can actually go and find intelligent and civil discourse after asking these sort of questions.