New Hampshire: The Substance So Far
Tommy Christopher
Contributor
Posted:
01/7/08
With the New Hampshire Primary looming, I thought this would be a good time to recap my series of articles detailing the candidates' actual positions and my analysis of them. I had hoped to be finished with all of the candidates before doing this, but time has not permitted it. I will continue the series, and another recap, with whomever is left standing after tomorrow night's primary.
I was driven to write these pieces because I found myself complaining, loudly and often, about the lack of substance in campaign coverage. Gaffes, smears, horserace handicapping, hyperbole, oxymoronic "Conventional Wisdom", and irrelevant fluff have been the order of the day. Rather than curse the darkness, I've tried to light a candle. There are, of course, factors other than the candidates' platforms to consider when voting, but to me, this is the first step, a prerequisite, to forming an intelligent judgment.
So here, for your perusal, are the articles I have done so far, and to be fair, I am including links to platforms of the candidates I haven't gotten to yet. You might enjoy those more, without my commentary. They're in chronological order, because, why not?
Ron Paul For President...of What?
In the article, I praised some of Paul's ideas, but pointed out several of his positions that were deal-breakers for me. Surprisingly, Ron Paul's army of supporters overwhelmingly approved of the piece, just because I presented his positions fairly and accurately. Huh. Go figure. The title of the piece was a reference to a line I never ended up writing, about how Paul's plan works great in the abstract, but in a place with atmosphere and climate and whatnot, not so much.
If Only: The Substance of Chris Dodd
Ahh, my dear, lamented candidate. He earned my vote with his action on FISA, but Dodd's platform was a study in progressivism balanced with old-school political pragmatism.
The Substance of Hillary Clinton
Her platform is good, really good. Part of the reason I did this was all of the hysteria about her supposed policies, which are misstated worse than the lyrics to the theme from "Good Times" on message boards across the internets.
The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama
His is a very thorough platform, with a few surprises. I rate Obama a close second on the issues, but his acumen as a statesman cannot be undervalued. It makes him more than just a great politician. He can actually move things with it.
John Edwards: The Substance of Change
Edwards has, in my opinion, the best platform for moving America in the right direction, for restoring the balance between the people and the Man. I tried my damnedest to plant the idea of a "change ticket" in Joe Trippi's head tonight, because I think Edwards and Obama would make a great ticket. In any order.
Mole: The Substance of Mitt Romney
I feel kind of bad, because Mitt's the only "true" Republican I got to so far, so I seem to be kind of harsh. Try to separate the facts from opinion, they're all clearly labeled. I actually like Romney, I think he's a better candidate than his platform indicates, and I hate how he's been tarred for his religion.
Here are the links to the remaining candidates' online platforms:
Bill Richardson
Dennis Kucinich
Mike Huckabee
John McCain
Fred Thompson
Duncan Hunter
Rudy Giuliani
So, make sure you read up before you head for that voting booth. Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on these candidates' platforms. America needs you!
I was driven to write these pieces because I found myself complaining, loudly and often, about the lack of substance in campaign coverage. Gaffes, smears, horserace handicapping, hyperbole, oxymoronic "Conventional Wisdom", and irrelevant fluff have been the order of the day. Rather than curse the darkness, I've tried to light a candle. There are, of course, factors other than the candidates' platforms to consider when voting, but to me, this is the first step, a prerequisite, to forming an intelligent judgment.
So here, for your perusal, are the articles I have done so far, and to be fair, I am including links to platforms of the candidates I haven't gotten to yet. You might enjoy those more, without my commentary. They're in chronological order, because, why not?
Ron Paul For President...of What?
In the article, I praised some of Paul's ideas, but pointed out several of his positions that were deal-breakers for me. Surprisingly, Ron Paul's army of supporters overwhelmingly approved of the piece, just because I presented his positions fairly and accurately. Huh. Go figure. The title of the piece was a reference to a line I never ended up writing, about how Paul's plan works great in the abstract, but in a place with atmosphere and climate and whatnot, not so much.
If Only: The Substance of Chris Dodd
Ahh, my dear, lamented candidate. He earned my vote with his action on FISA, but Dodd's platform was a study in progressivism balanced with old-school political pragmatism.
The Substance of Hillary Clinton
Her platform is good, really good. Part of the reason I did this was all of the hysteria about her supposed policies, which are misstated worse than the lyrics to the theme from "Good Times" on message boards across the internets.
The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama
His is a very thorough platform, with a few surprises. I rate Obama a close second on the issues, but his acumen as a statesman cannot be undervalued. It makes him more than just a great politician. He can actually move things with it.
John Edwards: The Substance of Change
Edwards has, in my opinion, the best platform for moving America in the right direction, for restoring the balance between the people and the Man. I tried my damnedest to plant the idea of a "change ticket" in Joe Trippi's head tonight, because I think Edwards and Obama would make a great ticket. In any order.
Mole: The Substance of Mitt Romney
I feel kind of bad, because Mitt's the only "true" Republican I got to so far, so I seem to be kind of harsh. Try to separate the facts from opinion, they're all clearly labeled. I actually like Romney, I think he's a better candidate than his platform indicates, and I hate how he's been tarred for his religion.
Here are the links to the remaining candidates' online platforms:
Bill Richardson
Dennis Kucinich
Mike Huckabee
John McCain
Fred Thompson
Duncan Hunter
Rudy Giuliani
So, make sure you read up before you head for that voting booth. Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on these candidates' platforms. America needs you!
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