Hillary's Town Hall Meeting

I wasn't able to attend the Town Hall meeting for Hillary Clinton due to kid issues but I watched it online as it happened. It wasn't quite the same but I definitely learned more about Hillary and her policies.

I am continually impressed with every appearance of Hillary I see (she was losing her voice and I commend her for still holding this event). She was very articulate tonight and her experience in policy issues was quite evident.

My #1 issue in this year's election is health care. After reading both Senator Clinton's and Senator Obama's health care plan, I must say that I like Hillary's much more. She understands that, in order to provide the best quality care for all Americans, the entire system must be reformed. It is not enough to just make insurance and pharmaceutical companies compete with each other but to actually reduce the costs all across the board.

One of the highlights of Obama's health care plan is that health coverage will not be mandatory; only those who want coverage will receive it. This sounds like a good idea but when one really thinks about it, it won't be as cost-effective as he says.

At my job, I see lots of people who are desperate for legal assistance. Unfortunately, they don't realize they need this assistance before it's too late. The same is true with health care insurance. If people get coverage through their job, they don't think twice about it. And when they need it, it'll be there for them. However, a lot of people don't have health insurance. And they don't think about having it before it's too late--usually when they end up in the emergency room or worse.

This is just one of the issues that will be running through my head at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning when I walk into my polling place.

Stay tuned until tomorrow to find out who I voted for and why.

My Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary Thoughts

Let me begin by making a few prefaces.

First, I have been supporting John Edwards since November 2004 when I knew, deep down, he was going to run again. And, I will support John until he officially declares he is out of the race.

Second, I believe that a Democrat is going to win—-no matter what or who it is—-in November. Yes, I am idealistic (we’ve established that in other posts) but I believe that this country is pissed off with the direction our current “President” has led our country. It’s not just hard-core Democrats who are pissed. Moderates and even some Republicans are sick of what’s been going on for the past 4 years.

Third, I don’t think anyone else should drop out until Feb. 5th (aka Super Tuesday).

Okay.

So, I wasn’t too excited about Iowa for many reasons. I don’t know why, but, it just didn’t get me excited like it did other people. It was JUST a caucus—-not even a good sample of the electorate in Iowa. Maybe I’m wrong about it’s unimportance but still, I could not get excited about Jan. 3rd. The results of Iowa were very surprising. I mean, John Edwards had done SO much there and only 2% of the population in Iowa is African-American. I don’t think the race for either party’s nomination is over. Many people I know said, Iowa like the first game in the World Series. There is still a long way to go.

I was a tad more excited about New Hampshire. Again, I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the voters there tend to buck polls and trends and change their minds at the last minute. ANYTHING can happen in New Hampshire and it can be drastically different from Iowa. New Hampshire also had an actual voting primary. To me, elections are way more fun than caucus meetings.

A couple of my friends and I have been having the discussion since last week about what if Edwards steps out before Feb. 5th. Who will we support then? We have discussions about the electability of Barack Obama and the power of the Clinton machine. Which one will be a better President? Who can beat Romney? Huckabee? McCain?

I’m going to hold out til the end for people to pull their heads out and vote for Edwards. I’ve seen some polls (and I’ll find them and post them…) that shows that Edwards is the ONLY Democrat who can beat ALL of the Republicans—-including McCain. Some do not like his “populist” message to which I reply, “Obama is just as populist, he’s just vague about it.” John has actual ideas and plans on how to fix our country. I haven’t seen the detailed plans from the other campaigns.

I’m starting to like Obama the more I read about him and listen to his amazing speeches. I was there in Boston in 2004 on the convention floor. I heard his famous “Audacity of Hope” speech. He is an amazing speaker (he reminded me of President Bill who spoke just two days previous) and I felt the energy in the Fleet Center. He has the charisma, the media attention, and the hope so many of us need right now. But can he win? Is he too inexperienced? I’ll be digging more to answer these questions for myself over the next few days.

Out of all the Democratic candidates for President, only Clinton, Richardson, and Biden have the extensive foreign policy experience we desperately need. (On the other side, only McCain does, but he’s like 100-years-old so I don’t think WWII tactics are going to help us much). Well, Richardson and Biden are out so if we really want to fix America’s foreign policy, Clinton’s the way to go. Plus, with her, we get a package deal with Bill. He’s an automatic ambassador to the world! He will immediately go out around the world to fix our tarnished image and the whole world will LOVE us because they LOVE him. And, the 12-year-old girl in me who once wanted to be the first woman President is deep down saying, “Go Hilary! Show the men you can do it. Go!”

Well, these are my initial thoughts. It's just going to get more and more nail-biting, I know it.

It's an exciting Election Year so far. I can't wait until November!

Some very interesting and empoweing things to think about

Voting for Hilary?

It makes me think....