As a person with liberal humanitarian views of the world, conservative fiscal views on public funds, naturalist views on environment, and libertarian views regarding government interference in personal lives, I am a moderate Independent because no one party fits the bill.

I read an assertion today that at first I found stereotypical. The assertion was that liberals feel and conservatives think. While that may be true for the extreme liberals and conservatives, it is certainly not true for those like myself. I think extremists are the minority in this country but sometimes I wonder when I read the blog comments.

I will say that we can certainly apply the feel vs. think theory to the democratic candidates. In general, Obama appeals to the emotions of voters while Clinton appeals to the minds of voters. Each candidate tries to appeal to the other's base as expected. So it is not surprising that where the candidates digress, Obama leans liberal in his voting record and Clinton leans conservative in her voting records.

What it seems to come down to is which of those we the voters find most important. If we like the one who appeals most to our emotions, we follow Obama. If we like the candidate with the greatest command of the issues, we follow Clinton. The polls completely support this assertion.

People talk about inspiration a lot in this campaign. While some find Obama inspirational, I find Clinton more inspirational because she speaks from the heart and not just words. (For the poster that said Obama doesnt use teleprompters you are mistaken. In fact, the experts have been critical of his faulty speeches and debate performances when he does not have them available.)

In any case, why do we need our President to inspire us? Do we hire the best mechanic, doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc. because they inspire us? I think most people hire the people we find most qualified for the money we can afford. If we were electing a class president, we might be looking for someone to inspire us to achieve our goals. But the role of the POTUS is nothing like a class president. In my view, we need a competent CEO/COO and CIC of the largest most complex organization in the world that is directly related to the security, stability, and welfare of the citizens of the USA. A class president does not impact any of these. An inspiring speaker alone is not qualified to be POTUS. The political climate of the world has changed placing the security of the nation among the top two issues we must realistically address. Economically, we have serious issues and we need a President with serious answers and a record of getting the job done for all Americans not just certain demographic sectors. Elitism is a real issue not a silly one.

The voters in the democratic electorate hold different perspectives on what is most important in a candidate. This is a race for the nomination and we the voters should be considering all of the attributes of each candidate. Let's allow the remaining voters to do just that and stop all the personal attacks based on misogynist and racist views.

What we see happening was engineered by the RNC via Karl Rove's expert manipulation in his advice to Obama on how to beat Clinton and the RNC manipulation of the voters through the media pushing them to vote with their emotions prompting Identity splits. In that sense, the RNC is making the assertion a reality - in their view, liberals (democrats) are voting with their hearts and conservatives (repubicans) are voting with their heads.

Usually voters do vote with their hearts in the primary season and their heads in the election season. This is part of the reason democrats lose most general elections for President - they tend to select a nominee that is not competent to be POTUS.

Former President Bill Clinton has the ability to reach out and touch the voters but ran on a platform based on the issues and was successful because he had the experience and record of getting the job done. Senator Clinton also took the time to establish her own experience and record of getting things done. She reaches out to voters in a different way but still runs on a platform based on the issues. The polls continue to maintain the voters believe she is the most comptent on the issues. Unfortunately, half the democratic electorate thinks that emotional inspiration is more important which is exactly what the RNC wants. If you truly want change, the only way that can happen is by electing a democrat to the White House and more democrats into Congress. Falling victim to the RNC ploys will not make that happen. For all the voters who have not yet voted in the primary, please consider all of the attributes of the candidates and dont just vote based on emotions.

His judgment comes into question yet again - why would he continue to bring up his condescending gaffe? I honestly think this guy has no idea that he said something wrong, that he actually offended people. He has not once apologized. You know those two words common folks say when they mess up, "I'm sorry." Not this guy. You are not born an elitist, you become one, you self elevate yourself. He is so out of touch.

Misleading voters about his upbringing is unethical. Obama went to private schools all his life. Most Americans are not fortunate enough to be part of that elite.

Misleading voters about living arrangements is also unethical. Most Americans in urban areas cannot afford to live in a 3 bedroom condo. Most ubran dwellers do not have garages. He has never been in the socioeconomic middle or lower class. He has also never had to work to put himself through school.

He had to scrap ice off his car when going to Whole Foods for his fancy lettuce. Poor baby.

OO, if people say he is wrong, then people are silly; if people don't elect him, then his wife is not proud of the country; if his pastor gives constant anti-Ameiica speeches, then it's because the black are hurt they have reasons to be angry?

Why is he so arrogant?

Who is he?

What did he do for America?

Why he wants to run presidency when he is still a below average US Senator?

Do we have much more capable persons than he is in this country?

Obama just never ceases to amaze me. For months his whole campaign is based on unity and hope, and then we find out he goes to the most divisive church in America. For 20 YEARS!!!

Then he says white rural people are bitter, yet he goes to the most bitter church in America that "clings" to the 1960s as if that world still existed.

Obama, who do you think you're fooling? And what the heck are you talking about???

Heal yourself Obama, then worry about "the rest of us."

To anyone who thinks Barack Obama is an elitis I would invite them to come to the south side of Chicago where Obama spent all those years working with low income family.

this is not about his student loans or the fact that he had to scrape ice off his windshield,this is about his peception of this country and of himself .he has gone to the best schools since hawaii and has not gone through the typical public school experiance,so he tends to think he is better than the rest of us.

If Obama had life so hard how is it that he was able to afford a home to the tune of 1.6 million dollars?

There is no evidence in Obama's tax returns as to how he afforded this, and how did he get around the banks or mortgage company to give him the money to purchase the property, what spin did he give them or who did he know?

Since when do any agency go off bank rolling anyone that is in financial difficulty, it would be interesting for Obama to fill us in as to where this 1.6 mill came from.

I'm sure that will go over well in Nov. Obama thinks that running for President is like teaching kindergarden. Well, it ain't.

He's in trouble in Nov. He can't win the white house.

Silly Season? Again? In less than a week Barack and Michelle have been able to insult all people who won't vote for them.

Clingons of old traditional values. (Paranoid, hysterical types)

Uninformed, Uninvolvled and souless. (Stupid, Lazy and deviod of compassion)

They're silly if they think anyone wants this kind of garbage in our government.

In couple of days, I saw Obama personally attacked Hillary a lot to cover up his stupid marks, he can’t win the issues, he is afraid of debate too (skip the CBS NC debate).
Wonder why there are people still believe him

Oh poor baby lived without a garage.

he did however go to the most prestigious private school in hawaii and has three parents with Phd's.

How long was his mother on food stamps, if its even true?? A couple of weeks. Sounds like it was part of her upper middle class white intelligencia journey with socialism.

This story is such utter nonsense. He grew up playing on the university campus and going to elite private shcools.

And which public school is he sending his children to? You know, the public school system that is good enough for your children and my children; the public education he fights so hard for?

Obama is basically suggesting that his cartoon-like campaign was being silly when he staged this event where he was calling Pennsylvania voters bitter, and pointed out that they cling to guns and religion.

What a jokester. He's such a riot. The man has my vote. Comedy doesn't get any better than this.
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Obama is just a wild and crazy guy!
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rco - Obama - "And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Barack Obama violated two elementary rules of political campaigning. A candidate should never play the role of a political scientist or sociologist analyzing a key electoral swing group from afar and should never dissect the motivations of less privileged people when talking to a group of privileged people.

I am getting mixed up.

According to Clinton and her wingnut allies, Obama is a muslim and a follower of a krazy Christian Preacher. But in the reality based community, you can't be both.

And this same cast of clowns are telling us that Obama is an Elitist and also is a godless atheist Marxist. But in the reality based community, we alol know that you can't be both.

Hillary's Bosnia story hurts herself, Obama's marks insult People in small town.

Why should be expect Obama to defend our country when up to this point he or his cronies have never defended us in word or deed? You should read what Michelle wrote in her thesis if you think that she ever has had good thoughts about the people in this country!

Oh, by the way, Obama is not only funny, he's a brilliant strategist. This story was due to die a natural death but he knows that bad ink is better than no ink at all, so he revived it.
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Obama, he's just a silly man!
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