Voters Showing a Darker Mood Than in 2000 Race

[cal04]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/us/politics/24change.html?hp

Whatever their ideological differences this election year, Americans seem able to agree on one thing: the political landscape being crisscrossed by the 2008 candidates is barely recognizable as the one traveled by George W. Bush and Al Gore a mere eight years ago.

Obviously, Sept. 11 and its aftermath have changed the country in countless and irretrievable ways. But even beyond the emergence of war and national security as pre-eminent concerns, there has been a profound reordering of domestic priorities, a darkening of the country’s mood and, in the eyes of many, a fraying of America’s very sense of itself.

While not universal, that tone pervaded dozens of interviews conducted over the last week with Americans of all political stripes in 8 of the 24 states that hold primaries or caucuses on Feb. 5, as well as with historians, elected officials, political strategists and poll takers. As the candidates fan out to New York and California and here to the heartland, they are confronting an electorate that is deeply unsettled about the United States’ place in the world and its ability to control its own destiny.

Since World War II, the assumption of American hegemony has never been much in doubt. That it now is, at least for some people, has given this campaign a sense of urgency that was not always felt in 2000, despite the dramatic outcome of that race.

[Frances]

1. PLEASE

don't repeat the mistakes of 2000.

Obama has faults.

Hillary has faults.

Edwards has faults.

But any one of them is better than any one of the Repubs.

Please put a Dem, any one of the above, in the White HOuse.

The person won't be perfect, but there is a difference between any of them and any of the Repubs.

[Vincardog]

3. the mistakes of 2000? Like winning the election? WTF do you think we did wrong? .

[Frances]

4. We didn't get the White House

I truly believe that if all the votes had been counted properly and if there had been no butterfly ballot, we would have won Florida by a narrow margin.

But we needed to win by a very large margin in order to claim the White House. The margin had to be large enough that the Supreme Court couldn't interfere.

In the aftermath of 2000, there were many DUers that justified their criticisms of Gore and were unapologetic for not supporting him.

It's good to support your candidate, but I hope we will focus on the positives of our candidates in the primary and not provide the Repubs with material to defeat whoever wins the Dem primary in the general election.

[muntrv]

2. That's because the economy was much better under the Big Dog than Chimpy.