[Lanny_MacDonald]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I might be wrong, but the whole primaries campaign between Clinton and Obama has been based around optics more then actual issues and debates on the issues.

As have all the primaries for either party. Suggesting otherwise is either a joke or a comment made by someone who did not witness a single of the Republican debates. The Republicans spent every debate talking about terror and Iraq and protecting America from the boogeyman. The only guy that talked actual issues was Ron Paul, and he got shouted down. This is all about appearances of being a good leader, nothing more, and that applies on to both parties.

Clinton has tried to soften her image via tears, and portraying hurt but real feelings to dispel the notional that she's an emotionless fembot.

Yeah, and John McCain and his handlers refuse to allow cameramen to photograph him from a distance or show him walking without his flock of handlers and body guards. They are well aware of his advanced age and the fact that he doesn't get around too well and they know it would make him look weak. It works all around. Its all a creation for the media and well orchestrated.

Obama has stolen right out of the Kennedy handbook and spoken in generalities in terms of change and vision and reconciliation over partisian politics and party boundries, but has offered little in the way of substance.

Last I checked, your belief in evolution was not a substantive issue, yet was front and center at the Republican debates. Same with terror and 9/11 and Al-Qaeda. Talk about zero substance. I'm like you, I'm dying for real issues to be discussed, but this is not the time. That is not how American politics work.

My guess right now is that Clinton or Obama might get slaughtered during the actual election process if they don't actually start to devise actual hard policies.

I'm sure those policies are just as hard as the next candidates. Again, this is not the time to be discussing policies. Until they get the nod, they cannot speak for their party, so they really cannot discuss any policy position. I haven't heard anything from McCain about his policy position, and he is the de facto nominee.

Frankly, I will be surprised if McCain can carry the pressure of a Presidental election. He's historically pretty soft on many issues, and he's going to get ravaged by his own party for making some of the choices he has. Its bad enough to be battling against the Democrats and the undecideds, but when you have to battle against your own as well, its an amazing amount of pressure. The one really good thing for McCain, is that Nader has thrown his hat back in the ring, possibly splitting the vote against the Republicans again. The bad thing there is that the hard core Republicans might burn their votes on Nader this time.

It reminds me so much of Paul Martin during the last federal election where he kept mentioning a nebulous plan, but never divulged anything in the plan, and he got slaughtered by a better prepared Harper.

Good point. There has to be substance from a candidate at some time. It will be interesting who discusses something of substance first.

I don't think Obama or Clinton can just magically switch gears in mid flow when they actually have to go after the American general public as oppossed to going after hardened democrat votes.

But McCain can after going for the hardcore Republican votes? The majority of the country still aligns itself with the liberal perspective more than the conservative perspective. The secret will be whether the Democrats can get that majority to the polls, something they have been terrible at doing in the past. If they can activate the female, youth, and minority vote, it will be 1964 all over again, and that didn't play out well for the candidate from Arizona.