Just two days to go to the Iowa caucuses! It will be very exciting!

I've been following the presidential election campaign very closely (for a European) during the last six-seven months or so. My choice has been quite clear ever since I got to know just a little about the candidates - the honorable and experienced John McCain. Therefor I've been happy with the development during the last couple of weeks, with his massive surge in New Hampshire, where he challenges the very unpleasant Mitt Romney. Apart from McCain, I think that Joe Biden is a competent guy, but sadly he has no chance in a quite dull democratic race.

So, I'm turning to you Americans here, what is your view on the GOP and democratic races? How will you place your vote?

I was thinking to myself yesterday is that one of these people will be our next president and the sad thing is that they will be voted in.

There's no candidate I really like, most likely I'll be picking the lesser of two evils. I think McCain would get my vote over all the others but I don't think he really has much of a shot at this point. We'll see.

I vote in the Pennsylvania primary, which is usually in May, when the candidates generally have already been determined. This year it is in April, which is still late. By that time I think the only remaining Democrats will be Obama, Clinton and possibly Edwards. I haven't made up my mind yet from the field.

US politics seem very complicated to me....

No kidding. In our attempt to do away with a king, we screwed up royally.

I'd like to see Obama get the Dem nod and McCain the GOP.

I could live with those.

Thats the point.

Well LBG, you may have opened a real can of worms here.

I don't know about anybody else here, but I have been literally glued to just about everything about this upcoming Presidential race for a very very long time now. I have tried to size up the candidates (moreso the major contenders anyway)I have watched most of the debates (on both sides), read a lot of tidbits/info on each candidate and am still undecided.

Let me say this much for those who maybe haven't been following yet or haven't been reading blogs, etc. Blogs of course don't determine the elction, but trust me, I see a real real verbally agressive and determined nation (on both sides), and I have a feeling the talking heads are NOT paying much attention to.

My predictions: Although I don't look for either to "win", Ron Paul is soooooo popular on the Conservative blog sites and he will most likely get many many more votes than most think (at least in Iowa and/or/if until he drops out). I suppose this could in turn take votes away from another major Republican contender.

On the Dem side, Kucinch (who just today said if he doesn't win encourages his followeres to vote for Obama..so sounds like he's already giving up), will also receive a lot more votes than most think. However, just today, I am reading a lot of negative blogs about Kucinich making the statement today to vote for Obama. His followers are NOT happy.

One thing for sure, in my opinion, for whatever it is worth, I do really really think this will be an election of surprises. From what I can tell, people of both sides are so ready for a major change in our country, even if each side has different ideas as to how that change should come about. That, along with the real possiblity that we could get our first woman or first black President, makes it a very historic election.

I'm looking forward to it actually. Ok, my two cents and now I'm gonna "try" to bite my tongue and stay away from here, but of course can't make any promises.

TIS

Sometimes he really gets me in, but then he'll follow up by saying something I totally disagree with... Isn't/wasn't he in support of reinstating the draft? We really need a president who is in little support for the war, if any. It's just hurting us as a whole, I think.

But anyways, at this point, Obama has my vote. I'm a registered Democrat, so I can't really vote in the Republican primaries, but even if I could, I don't know who I'd vote for... None of them really catch my eye. If I really had to, I'd probably just jokingly vote for Ron Paul, because he is pro-legalization, which, while a fine cause by me, is not going to happen anytime soon, and I'd just end up "throwing" my vote away. But even still, if we were to find ourselves in another rut like 2004 involving two bad candidates and an unlikely third party candidate, who seems to be the only one with any integrity left, I'd gladly "throw" my vote away on the underdog.

If you vote for the man or woman you honestly thought would make the best president, you're not throwing your vote away.

Yes and no. Morally, you are not. Politically, you are.

If I had been of age in 2004, I would have voted for Nader, has he seemed to be the best man for the job. Let's face it, Kerry allowed the masses to turn him into a puppet to project what he thought they wanted him to say, at any given moment. And Bush... Well, that's clearly gone to shit. So, of course I would've voted for Nader, but I referred to it, with little seriousness (hence the quotes), as "throwing away" a vote, because too many people vote with the mentality that they must vote within their party. Too much to the degree that it makes it nearly impossible to get a third party candidate into the presidency.

Well, let's face it, you can thank Ross Perot for getting Clinton into the White House.

When I registered to vote, I didn't declare a party. It sort of sucks, because I can't vote in any primaries. However, I am that elusive voter that all the candidates want to woo, so you would be AMAZED at the amount of literature I get in the month of October.

I think that nobody should vote along party lines. I think that people should vote for the candidate that A. Speaks to them and represents their views and B. Would also be the best for the country at the time.

Although traditionally I don't lean towards Republicans, mostly because of the ProLife/ProChoice issue, I think that a man like Rudy Giuliani might not be a bad choice. I have to know more about his views, but I say that because I think that, above all, this country needs a leader right now, and he has proven himself in that area. Right or wrong, disagree with much of what he did or not, in the month of September, 2001, he proved himself the man that most of the world turned their eyes to. And I think that we could use that right now.

Does that mean I'd vote for him?? Too soon to tell.

Ok, I suppose I'm the only weirdo watching/following the Iowa Caucus?????? Such a confusing system. I think I am finally catching on to what a caucus actually is. Why can't we all just vote? Why even have caucuses? I don't really understand why they make the process so complicated.


TIS

the republican field really is weak. i have NO idea who is going to get the nomination for either side. obama, hillary, edwards for dems and romney,mccain, huckabee for repubs pretty much i guess. what happened to giuliani?

I wish we would have some kind of forum where the candidates could really speak their minds on the issues, and even ask each other questions such as "I love your ideas on health care, but how are you going to pay for it?" or "How can you be expected to work as a concilliator when you acted like a petulant dictator when you were mayor of New York?"

Instead we have blowhard media types who cover the horse race and not the issues. I guarantee tonight that they will be harping on things such as :

1 IN THE GOP - if McCain gets more than 15% they are going to claim he's back from the dead and that he will possible win New Hampshire. If Huckabee doesnt win outright they'll proclaim him politically dead even if he finishes second.

2. In The Dems - Its still all about Hillary. If she finishes third they will say she will have a hard time recovering. If Edwards finsihes third they will declare him politically dead, and if Obama wins they will be proclaiming the second coming of Christ (this is so they can then go after him in New Hampshire...after all their favorite sport is building people up and then tearing them down. Just a month ago Huckabee was the next Reagan and now he's the village idiot).

Like I said, it does get complicated and yes I wish the media blitz would end. I could easily do without the slams on each party. Everyone claims they don't like negative ads, but I really think most people like them, although I'm NOT one of them. They did work in destroying Kerry last election.

Anyway, from my understanding of the caucus's is: One MUST show up and literally stand and vote for a particular nominee, in front of everyone. There must be a certain number of people to stand up and say they vote for that person, or that person is eliminated (in that state caucus). "IF" that person doesn't have enough votes these people can go to their next choice (which is why Kucinich told his followers to go to Obama...he assumes he won't have enough votes). Then, from what I understand, there are many Independents and undecideds AND they claim, that young voters, if they show could have an impact. Anyone else who knows more of this procedure and or understands it differently feel free to post. I just don't think this is a fair process.

TIS

What happened to Fred Thompson?

Shhhhh Miggie, you'll wake him up.

thompson seems like he was pushed into the race and he doesn't really have much fire when he speaks. it shows in his poll numbers

Greekdude, I think Giuliani was a Johnny one note candidate.

It was all 9/11 all the time, and he idnt have much else to say.
Also he has lots of skeletons in his closet.

Thompson will probably drop out tonight if he doesn't finish 3rd tonight. And endorse McCain

Giuliani is not existant in Iowa, he focuses everything on winning Florida and then other big states on Super Tuesday. A risky strategy. He will probably finish 6th tonight.

TIS: I think that it is a bizarre process indeed, but it certainly have many very good points. There was a good article in The Economist about this: http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10328996

The formula for choosing delegates would baffle Einstein.

As I've said, because I can't vote in a primary I don't pay too much attention. However, that's probably been neglectful on my part. I honestly have no idea these things are chosen.

Well, Bye Bye "Clinton is the Front-Runner."

(D)

Obama - 38%
Edwards - 30%
Clinton - 29%

(R)

Huckabee - 34%
Romney - 25%
Thompson - 14%
McCain - 13%
Paul - 10%
Guiliani - 4%

Biden, Dodd to abandon White House runs

I thought old Hillary was the Democrats favourite?
Not any more obviously?

She is, on national level. And she's got the support of the democratic establishment. Still favourite for the nomination, in my eyes, but things can change fast if Obama wins NH as well.

I remember in '88, Pat Robertson finished well ahead of George Bush (papa) in Iowa. Thus, Huckabee certainly can't count any chickens right now.

Obama's victory is more significant, I think. Beating Hillary in an open field by 9 points is impressive, and the Clinton camp has to be reeling a little bit. There's a long way to go, but there are a lot of Democrats on the fence across the nation, and if Obama gains and increases momentum, he'll be hard to stop.

His big asset, like Huckabee's, is that he is not a Washington insider. His critics cite a lack of "experience," but frankly, experience hasn't gotten ourselves a lot recently.