[Xantar]

I agree that he does lead the polls in those that would never vote for, but keep track of that word never. Its deceiving, because it can make a minority look like a majority by using such absolutes so early in the game. Romne is still at the head of the pack with McCain and Rudy, and he also has more money as well.

Also think, if he can get past the primaries, he'll be up against what will be a pretty left of center Democrat. I think some bigotted attitudes would start changing if that happens...

All very true, and the key here is for him to get past the primaries. You know who votes in Republican primaries? Fundamentalists. Lots of them. It's conceivable that Romney can pull it off. I'm just saying it will be an uphill battle.

Alright, if anyone can do this, you can: Why would anyone vote for Obama at this stage? He sounds great, but when it comes to substance he has NOTHING, IMO. The Tony Robbins of politics, and I think he'll get eaten alive in the primaries. As for Edwards, I know his politics and they are a little to the left of Lenin, but at least I know where he stands.

I should clarify here that I meant I would vote for Obama for President. Meaning if my choice in the general election was Obama or any of the Republican candidates, I would vote for Obama. Why? I'm a liberal. I understand that he'll probably never be your choice for President, and that's ok.

At this stage, I haven't decided who to vote for at all. It's way too early, and a debate with 10 participants is not the place to evaluate anyone's positions. The only real decision I've made is I won't vote for Hillary unless the only other option is Sam Brownback (sorry, anti-evolutionists don't get my vote).

But I'd love either of them to get the nomination, because in all honesty thats a guaranteed win for Republicans. Can you see Edwards going against Rudy or Romne and winning? Or Obama beating McCain?

Sure I can. A general election poll shows Edwards beating Giuliana. Of course, a poll this far away from Election Day is meaningless, but it shows that such a result is within the realm of possibility. Here's another poll showing Obama beating McCain in a general election. Again, it's totally meaningless as far as predicting what will actually happen. But it's not inconceivable at this point.

Originally Posted by Jason1

And I would raise the minimum wage to 8 or 9 bucks an hour.

The minimum wage was a nice issue for the Democrats in the last election, and I didn't oppose raising it. Nor would I necessarily oppose raising it even more. But both you and Strangler overestimate its effect. Less than 1% of the total work population actually works at the federal minimum wage. Many states have mandatory minimum wages higher than the federal one anyway. To have a really big effect one way or another, you would have to jack the federal minimum wage up to something like $12/hour.

What we need is a better education system and a healthcare system that's affordable for all (I happen to think universal health care will do it, but that's a whole other issue).