Have you changed candidates and why?

Just curious. I've encountered a number of people who have switched candidates for various reasons. Some were disappointed in something their original choice had done or said, whereas others became more impressed with another candidate.

Thanks!

My original first choice was Bill Richardson - solid resume - the best in the field. Then I started hearing him debate and speak. He is, by the way, my #3 now. Biden is my solid #2.

At one point, he would have been my solid #2, but his debate performances were so awkward and inconsistent. Dodd has moved up for me. Hillary has moved up and down every week or so.

I mostly still like him on paper. I might go Edwards since he has a chance of winning the nom.

I liked Obama at first. I still do. The more I heard from him though, the more he just didn't seem polished. Not ready for it. He said things I thought sounded like pretty dumb ideas, and the other candidates did too. Policy doesn't seem to be his strength.

Edwards I saw speak a few times, and I liked what I saw. He seemed realer. I liked what I heard from him. Then his health care policy disapointed me, and his lack of traction, followed by going negative, made me start to move away.

Undecided now. I'd vote for any of them in the general obviously, but as far as who I'm commited to now? It's nobody. I'll keep my money in my pocket for now and donate for the general run.

is very similar to mine. I like him a lot, but he doesn't seem ready yet.

I'd be proud to have him as my President, and I do think he could do the job, but it just seemed like every other Candidate was a bit better on policy.

I honestly don't know who I'd vote for if I had to vote today.

He could do the job, but I think a few more years of experience would be helpful.

bother me a bit. I'll say this first, I had thought Richardson would make a good VP and I think Biden is very knowledgeable and I do have respect for him. I even liked Clinton and was very excited about her too.

Now about Edwards... for a very very very long time people here at DU have been up in arms about HOW spineless the Democrats have been. Then they won in 2006 and STILL the cries about how timid they were/are being abounds. So now when John Edwards goes out and points out what he feels are obvious points to ponder regarding issues and statements made by other candidates, he's going negative.

I don't see it the same way myself. Politics is not a nice game to play, and there are MANY MANY things going on behind closed doors that we probably would find extremely deceitful even if they are Democrats. I have heard it said quite a few times by journalists and talk show hosts that the D.C. Elites HATE John Edwards and are doing all they can to keep him from getting the nomination. Two journalists come to mind that have said it more than once, Chuck Todd and David Schuster. Another one who is very well known and his name escapes me now except that The Idiot calls him "Stretch" (David ?) has also said it on National TV, so perhaps Edwards feels he HAS to shout louder because comments about "the machine" working against him is very daunting.

And IF you are one to believe the polls are correct, I suppose it's working.

The negativity thing was overplayed. Edwards was bringing up valid points and then Hillary accused him of "mudslinging".

I found it amusing that Chris Matthews had said that Obama and Edwards had to take off the gloves and really go after Hillary. Then when they did, he was among the first to criticize them! It was like he was egging them on to start a fight, so he'd have more material.

Stretch, and he's hit The Idiot more than a few times! Thanks!!

is my kind of guy. I've liked Gregory for a long time though he does pander now and then.

but I like him still. He was fantastic when I saw him on Jon Stewart some time ago!

He really gave McClellan hell.

He REALLY was pretty bad at that job.

and I actually felt sorry for him at times. What a lousy choice for a press secretary.

I took into consideration what the media says, and really I limit it. I pretty much stay away from the mainstream media about this stuff. I try and just see what the candidates say. I just feel like there was a shift in his tone. I liked where he was and it just seemed to change. Obviously what he was doing wasn't working or resonating with enough people and he shifted his strategy. It just wasn't what shifted me into his camp in the first place.

Again, like Obama, I'd be proud to have Edwards as my President, and really we're just talking about minor differences here, but that's what this process is about.

What I really want is Biden's Foreign Policy, Kucinich's Domestic Policy, Clinton's political and organizational saavy, Obama's charisma, Edwards' compassion, and Richardson's real touch, all in one candidate.

Some assembly required!!!

saying that! Just funnin with ya!

It does tick me off a bit when Edwards gets overlooked when HE was the one who took on Clinton first and got very little mention of it. When Obama makes a strike, you hear it loud and clear. I do like Obama, just don't think he's ready for Prime Time.

much like the way we women contemplate the "perfect man"!

The MSM wants this to be a Clinton-Obama fight. Guess it is better for ratings, but not good for the public.

him, he's probably TOO full of himself anyway! Nobody's perfect and IF they think they are, their pedestal's way too high and when they fall, they'll break their neck!

Gotta go feed my squirrels, I hear them calling me! Honestly, they call for me because I raised so many of them from teeny weeny babies. I LOVE squirrels!

Got too much to do and don't have the time or inclination anymore.

Squirrels? Oh how sweet. You should post a pic.

And he could certainly use your donation.

said no thanks, Obama is definitely the man with new plans for changing the way government leads the people. Oprah even recently stated that women don't have to vote for Hillary because she's the first woman running for president, they should vote for what they need.

but when its over, I don't feel like there is much substance there. Sometimes it seems like he is "over handled" by his operatives. Reminds me of Robert Redford in The Candidate.

So I sort of changed candidates. I liked Feingold and Warner. Neither of them ran. I cannot settle on any of the current lot. It sucks.

decided not to run. give him a few years in the senate and i think he'll run for prez.

That's based on the campaigns they have run. Neither of them were ever really my candidate however. I was for Clark followed by Gore followed by Feingold.

I really don't have it in me now to push hard for a candidate who I am not really enthusiastic about who is unable to generate any real traction, even if that is mostly the media's fault. If I strongly believed in him or her that would be a different story. For the moment I will call myself a weak Biden supporter, which is a change from undecided, but that will change again if he doesn't become more viable very soon. Time is running out for that.

until I saw his speech to the IAFF. That was my pivotal moment. My opinions about the other candidates have gone up and down numerous times, and now I'm just burned out with the front-runners.

But he didn't. So I went with Dennis. I can't even consider a pro-war, pro "Patriot" Act candidate.

on election day? Or will you just not vote?

I don't expect every elected Democrat to agree with me on every issue. Hell, I'm sure not even Kucinich does. But when it comes down to preserving the Constitution, and whether or not we should invade a nation on the other side of the planet, which has never had, or will ever have, the capability of seriously threatening the United States, then by God, I expect Democrats to vote properly on those issues. They also need to take their responsibility more seriously when it comes to confirming political appointees.

by all means, stick to the limited priorities you have.

I have switched around a lot in terms of who I would choose as my number two choice.

Somedays it is Edwards and other days Obama. Though Dodd got me excited when he was speaking about de-criminalizing marijuana.

Mostly 'cause, you know, I'm a bandwagon jumper...



Support Dennis Kucinich (or suffer the consequences!)

originally, I was for Hillary. I don't really have anything against her, but I changed because of what would happen after the election, should she win. I thought about how the right would be constantly attacking her, and how it would distract from the issues at hand. Just like they all did with Bill. I didn't vote for Bill, but I grew to really like him. Follies and all. So, in some sort of way, I felt that it would be better for her, and the rest of us, if we/she didn't have to go through this. I know, it's odd. But, more importantly, I also felt that Joe was right, and that he could really pull support from both sides, and his FP is critical in my mind.

I was pretty open to everyone in the beginning, and started watching all of them carefully.
The debates have been important to me because a candidates abilty to do it well will be important in the general. They have helped me sort out the candidates.

I was supporting Edwards for quite a while,until he started twisting the truth in order to gain some traction. I still agree with a lot of what he says.

I was interested in Obama, briefly, then realized that he's all rhetoric.

I'm still pretty solidly supporting Clinton, and then Biden.

He has the best ideas, and a clear and positive vision for the country. I still share that vision, but I feel that Biden - through both his ideas and his achievements - has earned my vote. I don't regret my decision and still donate to both campaigns. The more I learn about Joe, the more I like him.

although more of my money goes to Biden -- however little it is!

I love Dennis, but I think Joe has better leadership qualities. We need someone who can work with both sides of the isle. I'm not sure Dennis can do that. I fear the repubs, & even some dems, will fight him on every issue & nothing will get done.

The more I hear of Joe, the more I like him.

Zogby notwithstanding anyone who thinks Senator Clinton can't win is whistling past the graveyard but she isn't my first choice because:

1. She's the only one who can motivate the right making it a closer election than necessary.
2. She's too "moderate".
3. If elected will continue to motivate the right making it very difficult to get meaningful legislation passed.

Obama isn't ready for prime time (IMO) although a stray yeller dog could do better than we have now.

Edwards knows me (the editorial "me") as a working guy trying to make a living. He's seen both sides of wealthy, both sides of labor/management and both sides of health care.

Only down side is his election would be a perpetuation of the rich white guy being President. Still, if you have a choice of poorly chosen minority candidates . . .

It means you're paying attention. I'm glad we've had a long campaign. It gives us a chance to really look at the candidates closely. My opinions are vastly different now than they were six months ago. I've liked
Joe Biden for a long time, but I've seriously considered other candidates, particularly Obama and Clinton.
Now I see Obama as not ready and Hillary as too scripted. Either one of them would be make a good president, but I don't see them as the best choice at this time.

time I was all over the board. Like wlucinda, the debates were very important to me because seeing them in action, we get instinctive, gut feeling feedback which is missing when we just read their stance on issues, voting records, etc.

Within each debate I'd think - Okay, that does it, Hillary for me -- or Man, Gravel is just spanking these people - he's got my vote! - or Wow, Richardson makes a lot of sense on that point - I can go with him... By the end I'd be exhausted and confused. I was actually CONCERNED that I WOULDN'T be able to make a decision, but it finally felt almost as though the decision was made for me because more and more I'd find myself feeling Biden's approach/response/whatever just felt right to me.

Maybe because it was such a PROCESS for me is why I'm still confident in my choice of Biden.

After several debates, one can see consistent patterns that helps to make a decision. Hillary really impressed me in the beginning, but then it became rather flat. Obama improved with each debate, as did Biden. Dodd got better, but still has a ways to go I think.

I was a H. Clinton supporter until B.Obama decided to run. I like what he says.

Why? I've read Howard Zinn. Simple really.

Corporate is...

...as corporate does.

Just through common sense regarding who has the best chance to win.
Gore insisted early on he would not run. I believed him. Hillary was the reflex choice, because I really like her and always have. When Obama declared, it was an epiphany.

and then she voted in favor of the Kyl/Lieberman amendment. I switched to Edwards at that point.

I like Dennis Kucinich best and may still vote for him in the primary depending how things stand at that point.

Kyl/Lieberman amendment, especially being she is a presidential candidate. What on earth was she thinking? Very disappointing.

This will be brought up over and over during the general election campaigning---proving that each candidate can "defend America." A careful analysis of what that means won't mean a thing, but impressions will and if Hillary could not show that she voted against a perceived terrorist organization, many Americans will cast their vote instead with the Republican candidate. I actually think it may have been a smart move, but I still can't bring myself to support her for it.

but it still seemed very risky for a Democratic candidate.

Why? Obviously Gore is not running. Biden would be good but has no traction. Dennis has no traction either, but at least he says what I have been thinking most of the time on almost all issues, a refreshing change from all the others. For once at least I will get to vote for someone I actually agree with rather than someone I am being forced to accept.

Nothing should be locked in stone for anyone at this point.

see my sig line for the why

And I'm fired up!

cheers!

Now Obama is a strong second for me.

relatively short period of time. My opinions have changed so many times over the months, but my feelings about Biden have grown more positive. That's a good sign for me.

My feelings for Clinton, Edwards and Obama have changed so much over the months. Both good and bad.
And when Kucinich voted against Schip - my opinion of him changed as well.

But when it comes to Biden - I have become more respectful and committed to him as time goes on.

and I can't remember that ever happening with me before. This is a very new experience for me, at least politically.

Obama is now #3.

If Dennis doesn't come clean about the Ron Paul crap, it may drive him down from the top spot.

That's about it.

But then sometimes "less is more"!

After Dodd inevitably drops out, maybe I'll move to Biden's camp.

I thought, and still think, that Edwards is certainly the most progressive of the three possible candidates, and probably the most electable.

However, thanks to the tireless work of her critics here on DU I find myself increasingly hoping that Clinton wins.

I was kind of surprised by that endorsement.

Okay, that makes sense.

Guess he buys into the whole inevitable thing. :shrug: But I know the General and Hillary are friends.

Becuase Obama can win.

Biden seems to be a solid candidate, in every sense of the word. Edwards, I think, is good but lacks the sincerity I'm looking for in a candidate.

Obama, in any case, is our best bet.

this time around. In 04 I didn't really get excited about anybody, though I supported John Kerry in the general. I still think he would have been a good president, but with this election, I sense more passion about the candidates. Could just be my vantage point.

Gore.
Feingold.
Durbin.

I guess I'm in Kucinich's corner now. All the good it will do. Sorry, feeling pretty damn fed up with it all today.

And I should take my own advice, but it is hard.

Gore was, and still is, the only person for the job. If he ran 3rd party I would drop my affiliation with the Democratic Party in a heartbeat. There are millions of us out here and Al knows it. He would split the party apart and would never do that. A pity, really. As much as a multi-party system is needed here, to do it now would be an automatic win for the GOP. So I'm left supporting Al Gore in all his works as "diplomat on the world stage"... and I DO support Gore in ALL his works and decisions- but DAMN IT, AL... WE NEED YOU!!! NOW!!!". Okay- three deep breaths and one foot in front of the other...

sigh... anyways-

Edwards looked good for a time but, honestly- I feel that he was speaking from sound bites and not from the heart. All candidates do the sound-bite thing to a certain degree and that's fine, but after a while it gets old to me and the more a candidate can get past it and go for the crux of the issues, the more secure I feel in making a choice about who to give my support. I have always been distrusting of the main-stream media telling me who the "front-runner" is- Hillary, Barrack and John Edwards. Up and down, back and forth, ahead then behind... the horse race with no substance. Ehh. Not to mention that I'm a hopeless romantic when it comes to the "come from behind underdog". My support for Howard Dean in 2004 was unshakable. Then I saw Joe Biden give the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner speech. WOW!

Until then (and even still to a degree) I saw Biden as a "go along to get along" guy. Like when Randi Rhodes asked him why he couldn't call GWB for what he is- a liar. Biden replied that that was the hardest thing for him to do. A totally political cover your ass response. The Bartcop graphic of Biden dancing with Leahy and Polosi in the pink tutu's comes to mind. But that happened years ago. I'm a sucker for a second chance.

At the J-J Dinner Joe talked like a human being. He spoke of issues and he spoke of the deep trouble we as a nation are in. Pulling no punches, he spoke truth to power. He did not strike me as someone who could be bought. Sure, some of his solutions are not the ones I would personally choose, but he's actually speaking to important issues that the other three are not.

But hey- this is what the process is all about- wheat from chaff. When the party selects it's nominee, he or she will get my vote. Period. I'm a tree-stump Democrat.

I know there are a lot of people who share your frustration right now and you verbalized it very clearly. I agree with you about Edwards. The sound bites get really old after a while and people zone out when candidates start talking in slogans and gotchas.

Where is the tree stump quote from? Just curious.

Some time back I read a post on DU of someone saying they'd vote for a tree stump before voting Republican...

so I googled the "yellow dog" quote, found this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_dog_Democrat

edited the quote slightly and found the graphic and put the two together- voila!

Got it! Thanks.

at least for now.

on her show.

Then he endorsed Clinton, so it was clear he wouldn't be running. I liked Obama, Dodd, Richardson and Biden..but Obama and Biden the best. I was really torn between those two, and ultimately decided to support Biden because of Obama's inexperience of the foreign policy front. In a way, I'm grateful because if Obama had just a few more years experience, I would still be going back and forth on whom to support.
I will be caucusing for Biden, and I think he will do well in Iowa...but if he doesn't have a chance at my caucus I will consider realigning to help another second tier candidate become viable....I hope other frontrunner supporters in my state would consider the same thing.

though someone said it was because of Bill. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes. Not sure we would want to know.

http://stephaniemiller.com/home.php?PageId=85&PageSubId=

Not very convincing, imo.

(Note: date of interview reads 1-20-07 but s/b 11-20-07)

when it became clear (last summer) that he really wasn't going to, I started feeling better about Hillary. Any of the Dem nominees would be fine at this point, I think.

I was hoping Gore would run. I really like Obama's charisma, but think that he needs a few more years before he is ready. I am now solidly in the Biden camp. The more I hear about Joe, the more I like him.

I think we have a great group of candidates this time around and that any of them will serve us well as president.

Peace.

but I need more substance right now. We could have had that with Gore, but he's not running. I don't see Biden as a default candidate. The more I listen to him, the more I realize he is the candidate that I really want to be president.

Peace - we could use that right now!

I was actually ready to support Obama before Clark didn't run. I was just waiting to know one way or another before committing, as Clark would have been my first choice had he been in the field.

I started with Hillary and I'll stay with her into the bitter end of the bloody campaign that is sure to be waged in '08 (particularly if that thug Giuliani is the Repug nominee).

Short of finding her with a smoking gun and Rudy's dead body at her feet, I will support her. Hmmmm, come to think about it, that would actually energize me even more to vote for her. LOL!!!

Simple as do re mi.
ABC.
1,2,3.