In the end, I voted with my heart, for Edwards, Why don't I feel better?

[Mike03]

I voted last week with a mail-in early ballot.

After all the hand-wringing and pretentious "tactical" and "strategic" reasons I had convinced myself to vote for Obama, at the moment of truth I filled in the oval for John Edwards.

I would not be ashamed to have any of our three top candidates as POTUS.

Obama inspires me and raises my heart as well as my hopes.

HRC reassures me and her candidacy resurrects the good, empowered feelings I had in the early 90s when Bill Clinton and Al Gore were whipping Bush Sr's ass.

It seems fairly clear that John Edwards will not be our next President, but damnit I respect the hell out of that man, as well as his wife, and he's talking about the issues I care about the most, and he will not negotiate on them. In the end, it was his passionate, unpretentious eloquence that really captured my attention, in spite of Obama's (appropriate) reputation as a great speaker. When JE speaks, I feel neither that I'm hearing words that have been precision-engineered (as in the case of HRC), nor do I feel I'm being unrealistically razzle-dazzled.

If I had waited until after the SC primary results, I imagine I would have voted for Obama. Maybe I should have. I'm actually quite conflicted today about whether my vote was wise or not.

Even now, John Edwards is the person of the remaining three I most want to see as my President.

So, anyway, I voted with my heart, but for some reason it doesn't feel all that great. Maybe it's just knowing that he most likely won't win. But it feels like something else that I'm unable to pinpoint.

[gateley]

1. There's nothing easy about this particular election. You did what you felt

was best at the time. Be nice to yourself.

:hug:

[Mike03]

14. Gately, as a fellow Biden supporter....

Did Joe toss his support to anyone in particular? It seemed to me like his values were very much in line with Edwards, but I could see him favoring someone else.

[gateley]

16. No - he didn't. I don't know if you saw his interview last night on MSNBC,

(I posted it here in vids) but he spoke very highly about Obama AND said he still felt Hillary had a good chance to become the nom.

He'd posted in a local Delaware newspaper (I think that's where I saw it) asking people to vote for the candidate of their choice, rather than voting for him on principle. So you did exactly what he would have told you if you'd been able to ask him.

It's a tough one. My best friend is voting on Feb 5 and he asked who he should vote for and I honestly couldn't tell him. It's just hard for me to BELIEVE in someone as strongly as I believe in Joe. I'm glad you found another candidate you feel good about :hi:

[Snotcicles]

2. You did fine. Thats what primaries are all about. nt

[Ninga]

I really feel your conflict. It seems to me that you went with your gut, which did not

lead you astray....and that is a good thing.


How many times have you denied your gut feeling, and went back to find out it was too late????


Good for you and you won't be sorry.


:hi:

[ClassWarrior]

3. Feel good. JE gives voice to the less fortunate. You just amplified it.

NGU.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

4. "In primaries you fall in line, in general elections you fall in line"

Nobody will know whether they made the right choice until this thing plays out. If Obama is nominated and destroyed you'll know you did. Same with Clinton. If Huckabee is nominated I'll probably wish I supported Edwards because national security would be off the table so Clinton's strength won't be important. Too many unknowns.

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. You mean in the primaries you fall in love, in the general elections you fall in line?

I'm not falling in line unless Edwards is the nominee. Period.

[Yael]

6. Thank you for keeping him viable for us late state people

[AndyA]

7. It takes someone with integrity to resist the temptation to jump on the winning bandwagon,

just for the sake of supporting a winner.

You get a rush when you're part of the winning team that you don't get otherwise. But it's a poor reason for not voting your heart.

Feel good about your vote, if you'd let your head talk you out of it, you probably would have wished you hadn't.

Sometimes our mind will deceive us, but our heart rarely ever does.

[saracat]

8. Very nice response Andy A!

[Mike03]

9. Thanks for the encouragement.

I was really scared to look at the replies. I was sure most people would have something negative to say about what I did.

"Thanks" seems insufficient.

It's nights like this that I remember why I fell in love with DU in 2003.

Thanks.

[doc03]

10. If he is still on the ballot when he makes it to Ohio he

has my vote. If it's between Hillary and Obama I will register Republican and vote for who I think will be their worst opponent.

[BooScout]

11. I'm glad you did.......

The primaries are about wearing your heart on your sleeve and voting with your heart. Come November if your first choice isn't on the ballot, then you are allowed to feel sad and wishing for a future that may be different then what you get when you pull the lever for your 2nd or 3rd choice.

[2rth2pwr]

12. There's a part of you that knows that he is insincere

You want to believe him, you really do, but somewhere in the back of your mind there are questions.

[in_cog_ni_to]

13. You did the right thing. You followed your heart and voted for who you want to be your President.

You're probably just feeling guilty because the MSM has shoved Obama down your throat and has told you that's who you should vote for...because, after all, Ted , Caroline and Patrick Kennedy want you to!

You did the right thing and that's exactly how I'm voting on Feb.5. I want Edwards to get his 15% in Illinois.

[nemo137]

15. I've got an absentee ballot sitting on my desk right now

and the same feelings. I'm still not sure how I'm going to fill out the ballot.

[AGirl]

17. It's probably because you think he won't win.