Is Bill Clinton being a Democratic Party pooper?

Unity.

That is what today was about - Unity - for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Unity, New Hampshire.

But where was Bill?

There are rumors flying today around the news and the internet.

Here are some questions I am wondering about.

Is Bill Clinton a sore loser?

Is he jealous?

Why didn't he make sure to be there today?

Just what is up?

I think Bill Clinton needs to show HIS unity with Hillary and Barack Obama to shore up the Democratic party's hopes for the presidential election.

He needs to be more of a leader, or at least show that he is just as invested in a Democratic presidential win this election.

And being at this event was important. His absence was noted.

Even if all the rumors are wrong, he needs to show that they are by stepping up to help Obama win the election.

Guess you can tell who I'm voting for.

I was a Hillary supporter, but now I must change and work for Obama. Period. And it's important to a lot of people that Bill Clinton get onboard this election train now, too.

So that's my opinion about that.

Some other places to explore about this issue AND the rally today:

The Unity Rally - news from NPR:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91975550

Clinton offers support through a spokesman: (and starts some rumors going...)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080624/pl_nm/usa_politics_clinton_dc_3

Bill Clinton's support statement is called terse:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080624/pl_afp/usvotepoliticsclinton_080624191835

The other side of this argument - Joan Walsh of Salon thinks that Bill Clinton's back-it-off strategy is A-OK:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/election_2008/2008/06/27/bill_clinton/index.html?source=rss&aim=/opinion/walsh/election_2008

You can watch the Unity video from today here:

It's Debate Time Tonight! And I'm rooting for Hillary!

Okay. I'm was not a Democrat until I realized I had to register as a Democrat or a Republican in order to vote in the primaries in Kentucky. I thought being an Independent was the best way to go.

But I am a registered Democrat now. But I feel that the Democrats are closer to my philosophy than the Republicans are. For instance, I don't think that people with the most money in this country should get tax cuts, because they don't need them.

And many of these wealthy people even said they don't WANT them! Yes, there ARE some patriotic rich people who really WANT to pay their fair share. I was surprised about that too, but happy to hear it.

I kept an open mind this year and listened to everyone's speeches. I also watched all the debates I could so far in this election. I've got to say that the Democratic debates are MUCH more exciting. I expect several zingers and surprises tonight.

Right now, I believe that Hillary Clinton should be nominated for President. I think that Barack Obama should be her VP. Why? I have many reasons. Here are just a couple of them.

1. Hillary Clinton has already been tested and knows the pitfalls of getting good and fair healthcare legislation passed. That is an important issue to me. She also knows how to play hardball. And the issues and wars going on right now need an experienced hand.

PLUS she has the backup of her husband, who knows a thing or two about this country, too.

2. Why include Obama? For one thing, he is well known now. And Barack Obama has a charisma and vision that can only help this country. I admire him! And I think a lot of other people do, too. Choosing him as the VP nominee will help Hillary Clinton appeal to all voters - young and old, male and female. Can they get along? Of course. They will have to if the Democrats want to win.

I think a lot of the misunderstandings between their camps happen just because each one wants to be the main nominee - really badly. Sometimes little mistakes get put under the microscope just because each side is trying so hard to win. I think both candidates understand that. A candidate can't always be super-sweet to everyone and be perfect all the time either.

But back to the debate. This debate tonight will be exciting! Why? Because you have Barack Obama there (who is a SUPER-GREAT speaker!) plus Hillary Clinton, who is no slouch at debate either.

IT WILL BE SO MUCH FUN! I can't remember a more fun time with politics on TV EVER than watching all of the Democratic debates this year.

I'm am excited.

This election is SO exciting!!

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Photo by Ben Strand
Originally uploaded by John Edwards 2008

I really like John Edwards and his message of inclusion this election. I also like Senator Hillary Clinton's fabulous speaking ability and charm, plus great common sense, and Senator Barack Obama's vision, creativity, and charisma too.

Representative Dennis Kucinich definitely is interesting to listen to, and has some very good ideas. He is up there with the smartest of the candidates.

I don't personally care about his multiple marriages (but some people do make this judgement against him.) What I best like about him is that he certainly has the most original ideas, and is not afraid to tell the truth. And I have to admire him for his tenacity - - it must be hard when you know you have a steep uphill climb - - pretty much from the beginning.

Plus, you have to really hand it to Governor Bill Richardson, who takes the time to pull back from bashing his fellow candidates and really says what he thinks about that. That takes real guts, empathy, and honesty. I sense a real depth of kindness in him. He's a real person who gives out a good and freindly vibe.

Senator Christopher Dodd impresses me, too, but he always seems so serious. Like he really doesn't enjoy the process. I think he cares deeply about the country, and would do a good job. He is intelligent and a good speaker.

They all are good speakers.

But John Edwards was the first candidate I really liked. I listened to him first.

Who is the best Democratic candidate? It is so hard to decide. Of course, I want to be part of history and help elect our first woman president. Plus, Hillary Clinton knows the ropes of state - - and what it takes to get things done. Then again, many of the other candidates have a pretty good idea, too. (!)

This election is SO exciting!

Is it my imagination that this year is SO much more exciting than past years? The last time I remember people around me getting so excited about an election was back in 1972.

I will definitely be watching C-SPAN tonight - I heard that they will have an up-to-the-minute commentary on the Iowa caucases tonight. I think they will have LOADS of Americans watching.

I found out that each candidate has a Flickr page going about their campaigns. They have assistants take pictures, and even might be taking some themselves. I got even more excited tonight seeing the energy and enthusiasm on the internet for the election.

Some candidates have more personal Flickr pages, and some seem to be just campaign Flickr areas. They are each different.

I will list these areas here so you can go to see them too:

Hillary Clinton's Flickr Photos
John Edwards' Flicker Photos
Barack Obama's Flicker Photos
Bill Richardson's Flicker Photos
Chris Dodd's Flicker Photos
Dennis Kucinich's Flicker Photos

Let me know if you find more (or more official) Flickr candidate links and I will add them here.

The photo at the top of this blog is by Ben Strand. It has a Creative Commons license
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en
and is from the John Edwards site on Flickr.