I caught a segment on Hardball a few days ago with a self-described PUMA. This was the first time I've ever heard of the term, but the acronym apparently stands for "Party Unity, My Ass" and is composed of Hillary Clinton supporters who are not planning to vote for Barack Obama in the general election. My first impression of the Hardball guest was that she was in all probability the wife of some Republican operative or businessman with a minimal paper trail. I have absolutely no proof to provide for this assertion, but the horrendous Orange County tan and her near fainting spell after being asked who she had voted for in previous elections provide circumstantial evidence at the very least. The P.U.M.A. didn't really provide any specific reasoning for her distaste of Obama. She mentioned that he was "inexperienced", "far-left" and that there were "questions about him". I can't speak to the last charge since these questions were never...um, questioned; but the first two claims are strange ones to make from someone who supposedly preferrs Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate. If one disregards terms of first lady as "experience" Obama and Clinton have spent a similar period of time in government, and aside from the issue of health care they do not differ very much on actual policy. In fact the main discrepancy in regards to their health plans is that Hillary's mandates coverage while Obama's does not; arguably making Clinton's position the more "liberal" of the two. So aside from being a covert Republican or closeted racist the only logical reason to identify as a P.U.M.A. that I can think of is to be so disappointed that a woman will not be elected president this year that you plan to cut off your nose in order to spite your face. I would strongly suggest rethinking such a strategy. Whoever becomes president will most likely have the opportunity to replace 2-3 liberal leaning supreme court justices and John McCain has made no effort to conceal that he plans to substitute them with "strict constructionists" who could strictly overturn Roe v. Wade at the federal level. McCain has also hinted in several town hall meetings that he would be open to reinstating the draft under certain circumstances, and I can't imagine that the potential criminalization of abortion and sending young sons off to war are the typical woman's priorities. Everyone has their preferred candidate in the primaries, but you don't see Mike Gravel supporters rooting for a third term for George Bush; although you might see them shouting random obscenities at the bus stop. Yours, Derek. |
|||
Post new comment