Matt Zeitlin

Maybe I’m just pay too much attention to the policies presidential candidates say they support, but Andrew Sullivan’s emailers seem like a petty, unserious bunch.  Of the four emails he highlights, two of them seem to indicate that the author will support John McCain if Obama doesn’t get the nomination. And it’s not just those two, the media CW was that there were a lot of New Hampshire independents deciding between the two.  Let me just say that I think this attitude and set of preferences is mind-bogglingly daft.

McCain and Obama share two main traits: they have cross partisan appeal and the press loves them.  Beyond that, there’s really nothing else there.  Let’s look at the decision these Sullivan emailers and New Hampshire voters are struggling over.  One candidate supports being in Iraq indefinitely, the other wants to withdraw as soon as possible.  One wants universal health care and massive government invovlement and subsidy in the health care industry, the other does not.  One will appoint strict constructionists to the bench, the other will appoint liberal judges.  One wants to raise taxes on the rich, the other does not.  And so on.

Let’s think about that person who ranks McCain and Obama as their one and two.  This means that – depending on the perspective – said voter doesn’t care much about surrender in Iraq vs endless imperialist war, providing health care vs the prospect of socialized medicine, the protection of the unborn from murder vs a women’s right to chose, etc.  This type oof just not talking policy differences seriously means that these people either hate Hillary a whole lot or just don’t understand that the most important thing about a president is what he or she will do, and all that stuff about “hope” “straight talk” or “unity” only matter on the margins.