kaleidoscope eyes
05-07-2008, 08:51 PM
Ah, just a little article from the local paper the Madison Courier about why people voted the way they did. Ummmmmm, well at least Ron Paul got mentioned once!:rolleyes: Please to enjoy! lol
Outside the polls: Voters explain choices
Emily Taylor and Peggy Vlerebome
Courier Staff Writers
Voter turnout
In Jefferson County, 8,317 of 20,402 - or 40.77% - of the registered voters voted. Of those votes, 978 were by absentee ballot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voters were interviewed at Jefferson County polling places Tuesday about their votes in the presidential primaries to gauge the strength of Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and to check what Republicans were doing since John McCain had the nomination all but wrapped up.
•
Gary Whiddon, who voted for Clinton at the Ryker's Ridge Volunteer Fire Co., said, "I just like her on health care. I know she's going to mandate everybody to have it. She's the only one who has said she's going to eliminate the existing-clause out of insurance." Coverage can be limited for people who have existing conditions.
"This gas tax thing with Bush and Cheney. At least she's taking the initiative to do something for the people and not staying idle." Clinton had proposed a summertime gas-tax rollback.
•
Robert A. and Jeanine Little, who voted at the Ryker's Ridge firehouse, voted for Republican McCain.
"I just figured he's a little more qualified to handle things as the country stands now," Robert Little said.
"You didn't have a whole lot of choice," Jeanine Little said.
•
A woman who would not give her name said she voted for Clinton at Ryker's Ridge because she is knowledgeable. Although the voter is a Democrat, she could lean toward Republican McCain in November except for one thing: "I wish he was younger," she said. She admires that he was in the armed forces. "But it's his age" that makes him not suitable as a candidate, she said.
•
Ryker's Ridge voter Michael Heitz voted for Barack Obama.
"I started voting for him when I read his book, 'The Audacity of Hope,'" Heitz said. "I knew he was going to bring something to the table that had not been brought to the table in American politics for a long time."
Heitz also liked Obama's position on tax cuts - repealing them for the wealthy and increasing them for the middle class. "That's a good thing," he said.
•
A woman who voted at Ryker's Ridge and wouldn't give her name was one of the few who stopped voting after casting a vote for a presidential candidate. She voted for Clinton, then left the polling place. "The only reason for that is I didn't know nobody," she said.
•
One woman who voted at Ryker's Ridge realized too late that she had made a mistake. She is a Republican but meant to ask for a Democratic ballot so she could vote for Clinton. So she voted for McCain in the Republican primary.
•
One woman at Ryker's Ridge said she was on "Operation Chaos": "I'm a Republican. I voted for a Democrat because I think Hillary would be easier to beat than Obama would be."
She said she voted in a couple of other races on the Democratic ballot because she knows the candidates.
•
Michael and Nancie Waltz both voted for Clinton at Ryker's Ridge. "I don't trust Obama," Nancie Waltz said. Her husband agreed.
Michael Waltz said he didn't vote Democratic until this year. "Mitch Daniels and George Bush made me a pretty staunch Democrat," he said.
•
At Anderson Elementary School, a woman who voted for Clinton isn't positive she will vote Democratic in November.
Asked why she voted for Clinton, she said, "It's very complicated. I'm not sure the country's ready for a woman president or a black president. It's very complicated. I just felt maybe Hillary had a better chance against McCain."
She wouldn't give her name.
•
Bill and Leah James both voted for Obama at Anderson Elementary School "because I can't trust Hillary," Leah James said.
They formerly lived in Arizona, so have long knowledge of Republican McCain. "John's time has come and gone," Leah James said.
"We've got to get our troops out of Iraq," Bill James said. He said McCain is unacceptable because of his "decision to leave them indefinitely."
•
Glenda Moore voted for Clinton at Anderson Elementary School. She voted for Clinton because "I like what she says. She has experience. She's a woman."
•
Glen Watson voted for Hillary Clinton at the Milton Township Volunteer Fire Department in Brooksburg.
He chose Clinton because "we don't have a lot of choice this year."
"I don't trust Obama and I don't think Obama can beat McCain. They have something on him (Obama) that will come out down the line that will come out and it will destroy him. Mark my words."
•
"This is the first time I've voted since I was about 18, and I'm almost 34," Michelle Lanham said as she left the Milton Township polling place in Brooksburg. "I told my friends this year you need to vote. The world has gone to crap."
She voted for Clinton. "I think a woman maybe can get in there and clean things up."
Her son, Devin Sullivan, 11, went to the polls with her. "I would have voted for Hillary," he said. "'Cause she'd probably be the first girl president, make history. That's the kind of person I am."
•
Luke Fisher, 18, voted in his first election Tuesday. "I voted Republican," he said. "I voted for Ron Paul. I don't think he will win, but that's not why I voted for him."
Fisher said he voted for Paul "out of principle, and I look at it as good advertising for him" that could help in a future election.
He said he "converted" his parents, Tim and Margie Fisher, to be Paul supporters.
"We just wanted to make a statement that we're for constitutionalists," Tim Fisher said. "He's not a politician. I guess that's what cost him."
Paul got 55 votes, or 4 percent, in the Republican primary in Jefferson County.
•
Shelley Shelton, who voted in Brooksburg, said she voted for Clinton because "I'd like to see a woman in there. I've liked her since she was with Bill and was first lady. I followed her then on health care, and I've followed her since."
Bobbi Bischof, who voted with Shelton, said she voted for Clinton for the same reasons.
•
A man who wouldn't give his name said he voted for Clinton because "she's less liberal than Obama." The man, who voted in Brooksburg, said, "I'm leaning toward McCain in the fall."
•
Terry Swafford voted for Clinton at Hanover Park. While Swafford does not support a woman in the office of president, he said the decision came down to "the better of two evils."
"He doesn't represent anything the U.S. stands for," Swafford said of Obama.
Swafford said he disagrees with McCain on a number of issues and doesn't fully support any of the candidates. He would like to see someone in office who "doesn't care about how much money is in his pocket."
"I think this speaks for the whole county. ...We need an independent person who's just an average Joe," he said.
•
For Rose Mouser, a teacher, the deciding factor in casting her vote for Clinton at Hanover Park was the candidates' views on education. "She seems to have more to say about education," Mouser said.
•
Jeff Flores was swayed by Obama's ideals of "change, a fresh perspective and trustworthiness," when casting his vote at Hanover Park. Flores, 37, said he hopes that comparisons of Obama to John F. Kennedy ring true if Obama is elected to the White House.
"In my generation, in my lifetime, I'd like to see someone like that," he said. "I'd like to see if one man can make a difference."
•
Charles Huttsell, who voted at the Community Outreach Church in Saluda Township, voted for Clinton partly because of her experience as first lady.
"I think she helped Bill Clinton a lot when he was in there," he said.
•
Jessie Oliver, 19, voted in her first election by casting a ballot at the Community Outreach Church in Saluda Township. Most of her family members are Democrats and Oliver said she got a lot of information from then when making her decision to vote for Clinton. She said the economy is her top concern and voted for Clinton "just because the economy was so good when Bill Clinton was in office."
•
A voter the Community Outreach Church is Saluda Township who preferred to remain anonymous said her vote for Clinton was more about not voting for Obama.
"I don't think he has the contacts and experience to be our president," she said. "I'd love to see him run in a few years."
•
A voter at the Kent Volunteer Fire Department who wanted to remain anonymous supported Clinton.
"Mainly I think she's more of an American than Obama," he said. "His upbringing really concerns me a lot."
:rolleyes:
Outside the polls: Voters explain choices
Emily Taylor and Peggy Vlerebome
Courier Staff Writers
Voter turnout
In Jefferson County, 8,317 of 20,402 - or 40.77% - of the registered voters voted. Of those votes, 978 were by absentee ballot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voters were interviewed at Jefferson County polling places Tuesday about their votes in the presidential primaries to gauge the strength of Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and to check what Republicans were doing since John McCain had the nomination all but wrapped up.
•
Gary Whiddon, who voted for Clinton at the Ryker's Ridge Volunteer Fire Co., said, "I just like her on health care. I know she's going to mandate everybody to have it. She's the only one who has said she's going to eliminate the existing-clause out of insurance." Coverage can be limited for people who have existing conditions.
"This gas tax thing with Bush and Cheney. At least she's taking the initiative to do something for the people and not staying idle." Clinton had proposed a summertime gas-tax rollback.
•
Robert A. and Jeanine Little, who voted at the Ryker's Ridge firehouse, voted for Republican McCain.
"I just figured he's a little more qualified to handle things as the country stands now," Robert Little said.
"You didn't have a whole lot of choice," Jeanine Little said.
•
A woman who would not give her name said she voted for Clinton at Ryker's Ridge because she is knowledgeable. Although the voter is a Democrat, she could lean toward Republican McCain in November except for one thing: "I wish he was younger," she said. She admires that he was in the armed forces. "But it's his age" that makes him not suitable as a candidate, she said.
•
Ryker's Ridge voter Michael Heitz voted for Barack Obama.
"I started voting for him when I read his book, 'The Audacity of Hope,'" Heitz said. "I knew he was going to bring something to the table that had not been brought to the table in American politics for a long time."
Heitz also liked Obama's position on tax cuts - repealing them for the wealthy and increasing them for the middle class. "That's a good thing," he said.
•
A woman who voted at Ryker's Ridge and wouldn't give her name was one of the few who stopped voting after casting a vote for a presidential candidate. She voted for Clinton, then left the polling place. "The only reason for that is I didn't know nobody," she said.
•
One woman who voted at Ryker's Ridge realized too late that she had made a mistake. She is a Republican but meant to ask for a Democratic ballot so she could vote for Clinton. So she voted for McCain in the Republican primary.
•
One woman at Ryker's Ridge said she was on "Operation Chaos": "I'm a Republican. I voted for a Democrat because I think Hillary would be easier to beat than Obama would be."
She said she voted in a couple of other races on the Democratic ballot because she knows the candidates.
•
Michael and Nancie Waltz both voted for Clinton at Ryker's Ridge. "I don't trust Obama," Nancie Waltz said. Her husband agreed.
Michael Waltz said he didn't vote Democratic until this year. "Mitch Daniels and George Bush made me a pretty staunch Democrat," he said.
•
At Anderson Elementary School, a woman who voted for Clinton isn't positive she will vote Democratic in November.
Asked why she voted for Clinton, she said, "It's very complicated. I'm not sure the country's ready for a woman president or a black president. It's very complicated. I just felt maybe Hillary had a better chance against McCain."
She wouldn't give her name.
•
Bill and Leah James both voted for Obama at Anderson Elementary School "because I can't trust Hillary," Leah James said.
They formerly lived in Arizona, so have long knowledge of Republican McCain. "John's time has come and gone," Leah James said.
"We've got to get our troops out of Iraq," Bill James said. He said McCain is unacceptable because of his "decision to leave them indefinitely."
•
Glenda Moore voted for Clinton at Anderson Elementary School. She voted for Clinton because "I like what she says. She has experience. She's a woman."
•
Glen Watson voted for Hillary Clinton at the Milton Township Volunteer Fire Department in Brooksburg.
He chose Clinton because "we don't have a lot of choice this year."
"I don't trust Obama and I don't think Obama can beat McCain. They have something on him (Obama) that will come out down the line that will come out and it will destroy him. Mark my words."
•
"This is the first time I've voted since I was about 18, and I'm almost 34," Michelle Lanham said as she left the Milton Township polling place in Brooksburg. "I told my friends this year you need to vote. The world has gone to crap."
She voted for Clinton. "I think a woman maybe can get in there and clean things up."
Her son, Devin Sullivan, 11, went to the polls with her. "I would have voted for Hillary," he said. "'Cause she'd probably be the first girl president, make history. That's the kind of person I am."
•
Luke Fisher, 18, voted in his first election Tuesday. "I voted Republican," he said. "I voted for Ron Paul. I don't think he will win, but that's not why I voted for him."
Fisher said he voted for Paul "out of principle, and I look at it as good advertising for him" that could help in a future election.
He said he "converted" his parents, Tim and Margie Fisher, to be Paul supporters.
"We just wanted to make a statement that we're for constitutionalists," Tim Fisher said. "He's not a politician. I guess that's what cost him."
Paul got 55 votes, or 4 percent, in the Republican primary in Jefferson County.
•
Shelley Shelton, who voted in Brooksburg, said she voted for Clinton because "I'd like to see a woman in there. I've liked her since she was with Bill and was first lady. I followed her then on health care, and I've followed her since."
Bobbi Bischof, who voted with Shelton, said she voted for Clinton for the same reasons.
•
A man who wouldn't give his name said he voted for Clinton because "she's less liberal than Obama." The man, who voted in Brooksburg, said, "I'm leaning toward McCain in the fall."
•
Terry Swafford voted for Clinton at Hanover Park. While Swafford does not support a woman in the office of president, he said the decision came down to "the better of two evils."
"He doesn't represent anything the U.S. stands for," Swafford said of Obama.
Swafford said he disagrees with McCain on a number of issues and doesn't fully support any of the candidates. He would like to see someone in office who "doesn't care about how much money is in his pocket."
"I think this speaks for the whole county. ...We need an independent person who's just an average Joe," he said.
•
For Rose Mouser, a teacher, the deciding factor in casting her vote for Clinton at Hanover Park was the candidates' views on education. "She seems to have more to say about education," Mouser said.
•
Jeff Flores was swayed by Obama's ideals of "change, a fresh perspective and trustworthiness," when casting his vote at Hanover Park. Flores, 37, said he hopes that comparisons of Obama to John F. Kennedy ring true if Obama is elected to the White House.
"In my generation, in my lifetime, I'd like to see someone like that," he said. "I'd like to see if one man can make a difference."
•
Charles Huttsell, who voted at the Community Outreach Church in Saluda Township, voted for Clinton partly because of her experience as first lady.
"I think she helped Bill Clinton a lot when he was in there," he said.
•
Jessie Oliver, 19, voted in her first election by casting a ballot at the Community Outreach Church in Saluda Township. Most of her family members are Democrats and Oliver said she got a lot of information from then when making her decision to vote for Clinton. She said the economy is her top concern and voted for Clinton "just because the economy was so good when Bill Clinton was in office."
•
A voter the Community Outreach Church is Saluda Township who preferred to remain anonymous said her vote for Clinton was more about not voting for Obama.
"I don't think he has the contacts and experience to be our president," she said. "I'd love to see him run in a few years."
•
A voter at the Kent Volunteer Fire Department who wanted to remain anonymous supported Clinton.
"Mainly I think she's more of an American than Obama," he said. "His upbringing really concerns me a lot."
:rolleyes: