can some one explain to me why there is such intense hatred for Hillary? I can understand if you disagree with policy matters, but why is there such hatred?

Sent by sk | 3:56 PM ET | 02-13-2008

What's a conservative? What's a liberal? These are both "slovingly English" and have no true meaning

Sent by Bob | 4:05 PM ET | 02-13-2008

I have a hard time believing that scenario could be all that prevalent, given the extent of Huckabee's serious support here in Virginia. Sure, McCain won, but if I were a Republican (which I'm definitely not), I would not have felt comfortable crossing lines to vote "against" any Democratic candidate. (For the record, I voted for Obama, because I think he's the best candidate - not out of any ill-will toward Clinton, whom I completely respect.) The gap between McCain and Huckabee's total count wasn't all that enormous.

I was born here, and have as an adult lived here for ten consecutive years now (after years in Hawaii, Washington State, and Minnesota), and not once have I crossed to vote for a Republican despite occasions when doing so might have been understandable (e.g., to support Walter Stosch in his ultimately successful bid for his state legislature seat, despite hard-line right wing opposition).

Sent by Victoria Marinelli | 4:16 PM ET | 02-13-2008

I've heard a couple of isolated stories about local (Loudoun County, in the outer western suburbs of D.C.) conservatives crossing party lines to vote against Clinton. But in the week or so leading up to the primary I heard much more talk (including in line at my polling place) about a supposed movement to get conservatives to vote FOR Clinton -- apparently in the belief that she'd be an easier opponent for McCain to beat in the general election.

If such a movement did exist, it seems to have failed miserably -- Obama won the county with 61% of the vote. He won all but one of the 63 precincts in the county, and mostly by double-digit margins.

Sent by John Shortess | 4:18 PM ET | 02-13-2008

Probably. But not to the degrees that person's comments make it out to be. After all it was a really close race for a reason. And you can bet the Conservatives want to worry about sending their frontrunner a message more than worrying about undecided, heavily contested, potentially galvanizing Democratic race.

Cheers.

Sent by platonicform | 4:35 PM ET | 02-13-2008

Most of my life I identified as a Democrat & worked with the McGovern campaign back in the day. But for over a decade I've been a registered Republican.

Even as the mother of three daughters who taught them that they could do anything Hillary holds no appeal to me. That said, I did not use a Democratic ballot in VA to register my opinion about her yesterday.

It is however the very fact that I seriously considered it that says something about many women's feelings about Hillary that can't really be put into words.

I'd love to see a female president. But casting Hillary in that role in history is very distasteful to me.

Sent by Susan Reynolds | 4:48 PM ET | 02-13-2008

I know two who thought about voting for Clinton so McCain could beat her...but they didn't do it.

Sent by JCE | 5:10 PM ET | 02-13-2008

I am from Califonia and our primary is closed. I have often wished that our primary was open so that I could vote for a member off opposite party because I think they have something of great value to offer. It never occured to me to use my vote against someone just because I didn't like them.
While there are many from the opposing party whose views I do not like, I believe that each and every candidate deserves our respect and more over, that when any women is disrespected it degrades all women.
It is my hope that we as a nation start to rethink our negitve behavior and exchange it for a positve set of values which we act on.
There are some politicians that good, some that are bad, and some that just see things from a different perspective and that is what makes our system special.

Sent by Susana Peckinpah | 6:03 PM ET | 02-13-2008