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dolariTexas Primaries were a few days ago. Despite the fact that I hate voting in Texas because party officials made damned sure my opinions were drowned out in a sea of bureaucracy.
In a state that's overwhelmingly right wing liberal, we have the added love of having the liberal
portions of the state gerrymandered (constitutionally according to the Supreme Court) so that the (very small but cenntrally located) liberal areas are now represented as incredibly tiny shattered communities. Even if we weren't so badly gerrymandered, it really doesn't matter WHO I vote for - my vote will be drowned in a sea of McCain votes because this is Texas (which is another reason I'm considering the move to much more liberal areas).
I voted for Hillary Clinton.
She's pulled some bullshit lately, I admit. Running unopposed in states where the primaries don't count, just to build up her campaign, making demands to have a journalist fired because he says she was "pimping out Chelsea" (Bad taste, yes, but fireable offense?) among a few others. My main reason? Health care.
When I was working at my previous job, I wasn't making much money at all, my health benefits were nonexistant (I was a temp my entire time there), and my medications and doctor's bills were running about $600 a month. Out of maybe $1500 I made a month. If it wasn't for the reduced rent I had living with a roomie, I wouldn't have been able to afford it.
While the first parts of 2006 were medically the scariest times of my life, March 10th was particularly bad. I just moved into a house with hardwood pine floors. Turns out I'm allergic to pine resin. This manifested as a hives, swelling, trouble breathing and the worst of all, a complete loss of feeling in my right foot and right hand, and numbness in my other. I was unemployed (but looking) at the time. I could not go to a doctor, because it was totally uneconomical to do so. I had no insurance, which didn't matter because I had no money.
Thankfully, once I moved out, the swelling died way down (who knew swelling scarred, though) and got all my feeling back. And this job has one of the best insurance coverages I've ever had (although they're claiming EVERYTHING as a pre-existing condition, so they're not paying anything). But those years where I had no medical lifeline were scary.
This literally is one of the only things that matters to me in our candidates. Obama's healthcare plan isn't bad, but would not have covered me. It simply moves up the poverty line to cover more of the working poor under Medicaid. It's good, but not enough. I want Canada Style Socialized Medicine, and Clinton comes pretty close to it (although still not exactly what I want).
Secondly, there's "clout." Yes, there's the argument that Obama's "too new at this." That's not what I mean by not having enough clout. I'm talking about someone like Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s. I think Jimmy was peachy keen, and a really cool guy with lots of good ideas. I'd love to have someone with Jimmy's ideas in office - Obama has those kind of ideas. But Jimmy didn't know how to maneuver around Washington. A lot of his really good ideas were ignored by people who had no faith in his abilities, and politicians didn't have enough confidence in him give him a chance. Add to his tenure a few national crisis where he instead went with ideas instead of actions, and you had what was prolly one of the most painful presidencies of the 20th century (thank goodness we got our most painful presidency of the 21st century out of the way at the beginning, yes?).
Not that any of this matters:
1) With the three candidates still in the running, I actually wouldn't mind having any of them in the center seat. McCain is obviously my last choice to have the Oval Office, but he doesn't offend me like Bush Jr. does. I worry about his war plans, but in general, he's got a softer line than any republican I've seen in a LONG time. For my like of Hillary above Obama, Obama's still a great choice in that seat (I do love Jimmy even if his presidency was a shambles), he's young, has good ideas, and a positive direction. Hillary, despite her recent bullshit, has the clout I mentioned earlier. yes, she was "just" the First Lady - but that means she had Bill's ear during his tenure, saw what was going on and Bill's responses and learned. Maybe it wasn't "Experience" per se, but at least it was an apprenticeship.
2) I live in Texas. McCain will win the state overwelmingly.
In a state that's overwhelmingly right wing liberal, we have the added love of having the liberal
portions of the state gerrymandered (constitutionally according to the Supreme Court) so that the (very small but cenntrally located) liberal areas are now represented as incredibly tiny shattered communities. Even if we weren't so badly gerrymandered, it really doesn't matter WHO I vote for - my vote will be drowned in a sea of McCain votes because this is Texas (which is another reason I'm considering the move to much more liberal areas).
I voted for Hillary Clinton.
She's pulled some bullshit lately, I admit. Running unopposed in states where the primaries don't count, just to build up her campaign, making demands to have a journalist fired because he says she was "pimping out Chelsea" (Bad taste, yes, but fireable offense?) among a few others. My main reason? Health care.
When I was working at my previous job, I wasn't making much money at all, my health benefits were nonexistant (I was a temp my entire time there), and my medications and doctor's bills were running about $600 a month. Out of maybe $1500 I made a month. If it wasn't for the reduced rent I had living with a roomie, I wouldn't have been able to afford it.
While the first parts of 2006 were medically the scariest times of my life, March 10th was particularly bad. I just moved into a house with hardwood pine floors. Turns out I'm allergic to pine resin. This manifested as a hives, swelling, trouble breathing and the worst of all, a complete loss of feeling in my right foot and right hand, and numbness in my other. I was unemployed (but looking) at the time. I could not go to a doctor, because it was totally uneconomical to do so. I had no insurance, which didn't matter because I had no money.
Thankfully, once I moved out, the swelling died way down (who knew swelling scarred, though) and got all my feeling back. And this job has one of the best insurance coverages I've ever had (although they're claiming EVERYTHING as a pre-existing condition, so they're not paying anything). But those years where I had no medical lifeline were scary.
This literally is one of the only things that matters to me in our candidates. Obama's healthcare plan isn't bad, but would not have covered me. It simply moves up the poverty line to cover more of the working poor under Medicaid. It's good, but not enough. I want Canada Style Socialized Medicine, and Clinton comes pretty close to it (although still not exactly what I want).
Secondly, there's "clout." Yes, there's the argument that Obama's "too new at this." That's not what I mean by not having enough clout. I'm talking about someone like Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s. I think Jimmy was peachy keen, and a really cool guy with lots of good ideas. I'd love to have someone with Jimmy's ideas in office - Obama has those kind of ideas. But Jimmy didn't know how to maneuver around Washington. A lot of his really good ideas were ignored by people who had no faith in his abilities, and politicians didn't have enough confidence in him give him a chance. Add to his tenure a few national crisis where he instead went with ideas instead of actions, and you had what was prolly one of the most painful presidencies of the 20th century (thank goodness we got our most painful presidency of the 21st century out of the way at the beginning, yes?).
Not that any of this matters:
1) With the three candidates still in the running, I actually wouldn't mind having any of them in the center seat. McCain is obviously my last choice to have the Oval Office, but he doesn't offend me like Bush Jr. does. I worry about his war plans, but in general, he's got a softer line than any republican I've seen in a LONG time. For my like of Hillary above Obama, Obama's still a great choice in that seat (I do love Jimmy even if his presidency was a shambles), he's young, has good ideas, and a positive direction. Hillary, despite her recent bullshit, has the clout I mentioned earlier. yes, she was "just" the First Lady - but that means she had Bill's ear during his tenure, saw what was going on and Bill's responses and learned. Maybe it wasn't "Experience" per se, but at least it was an apprenticeship.
2) I live in Texas. McCain will win the state overwelmingly.
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no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 06:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 07:56 pm (UTC)In all, I want socialized medicine, but that'll never happen. In fact, I'm willing to bet, dollars to donuts, that no matter who gets in, the plans'll be shot down and we'll not have anything at all. The lobbies are too strong.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 07:59 pm (UTC)::reinstalls them from the last backup::
no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 08:56 pm (UTC)Also, sorry, but you're displaying a lack of understanding of how the primaries work that is appalling. Your vote was not "drowned out in a sea of McCain votes". Unlike in the general election, there was no competition between the Republican and the Democratic candidates. They were not competing, and people didn't have to choose between them. All you were voting for was who won the delegates. The Republicans decided who won the Rpublican delegates, the Democrats decided who won the Democratic delegates, and, again, there was no competition between these groups.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 09:01 pm (UTC)If you're mentioning the part where I wrote "It doesn't really matter...." I wans't clear - what I meant was that in the final election, it doesn't matter. Whoever is on the ballot in NOvember - that's going to be drowned out by McCain.
I'm naive, but not stupid. ;)
no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 09:11 pm (UTC)I was all like "she isn't a Canadian YET. She doesn't get to not know this!"
no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 09:15 pm (UTC)Parliaments are wierd animals.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 09:47 pm (UTC)But not by a lot.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 11:18 pm (UTC)Actually, you can get to vote for who may be Prime Minister. You have to pick the party that will win the most votes in the next election, become a member and then become a delegate to the leadership convention. That way you can pick the next PM. If you guessed right.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-07 11:23 pm (UTC)I will be so glad when the liberals overthrow this cornball county's government.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-08 12:03 am (UTC)How much power the ruling party has depends on how many seats they hold in Parliament -- if the election results are a close win, they are a "minority government"; if it's overwhelming, it's a "majority government". The party in second place is the "opposition".
Jeez, I miss watching CBC -- when I had my own small dish, I learned alot from Canada from them. (I miss Don Cherry's "Coach's Corner" too, but that's another story.)
For US President, I voted Obama in the Florida primaries -- personally, I think Hilary is too "Republican" for my taste.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-08 07:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-12 09:33 pm (UTC)