Residence: NianguaOccupation: Retired Military
Politics: Voted for Bush twice, but McCaskill over Talent. Last Democratic President he voted for? FDR.
Bill Young is a born and bred Republican. If President Bush could run for a third term, Young wouldn't think twice about supporting him. Having served in both World War II and Vietnam, the war in Iraq remains the top issue for him. And he's resolute about staying and winning. "We have to make sure we get Iraq right," Young says.
What's the defining characteristic Young wants out of his next President? Honesty. "How many honest politicians do you know? I don't think there are many," Young says, answering his own question. But strength is also important to Young as well. He's one of the voters who voted for Jim Talent the first time, but went with Claire McCaskill last November. "I didn't think Talent had the stuff to do it," Young says. "I thought he was too weak to stand up."
Still, while his roots are conservative, he's unimpressed by most of the Republicans running for President. He wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. But he doesn't think they can win either. "I don't think a woman or a black will be able to make it. The country isn't ready," Young says.
So what intrigues Young in 2008? A Jewish billionaire from New York? "If he'd run, yeah I'd support him," Young says, referring to New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
1 comment:
Kudos on the concept of the series, Dave. As to the interest in Bloomberg, I think there's some prima facie interest but when people get down to the root of Bloomberg's ideology, the interest will wane. He's a big government liberal, and has none of the qualities that made Perot so intriguing in 1992.
That being said, my impression is that 2008 is shaping up like the election of 1992, where a viable third party candidate could be a force in shaping the election.
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