Reply #64: Well said ThomCat! This all brings back to mind my first Obama vs. Hillary debate

[Lorien]

It was in a Taxi cab in rural PA during the primaries. My cab driver was an African American guy in his late 20's or early 30's, originally from NYC. It was a 45 minute cab ride and we spent about 30 minutes of it in a friendly debate. At the time I was leaning toward Obama and absolutely wouldn't vote for Clinton because she seemed far too DLC. The cab driver disliked Obama intensely and strongly supported Clinton. I asked him why he so passionately disliked Obama, and he said "what do you really know about his history and his record?" I admitted "not much, but he seems like a change from the status quo" "That's just the window dressing! He IS the status quo!" insisted the driver, and then he got into specifics. He listed one action after another of Obama's that he disagreed with; his knowledge on the topic was vast and he gave me a lot to think about. Once we reached the airport and he unloaded my bags he said "So? Who will you vote for in the primaries?" I mumbled "Edwards" and he just laughed and said "Well good! As long as it's not Obama!"

At no time during that long drive did race or gender come up in the discussion. Why? Because it was all about POLICY!