Q & A with John Ishiyama, Ph.D. and John Quinn, Ph.D.
Q: Who do you think the Democrat Party front runners are right now?
Dr. Ishiyama: “Senator Clinton, John Edwards, and Senator Obama, in that order. But, it’s still wide open. We have not even had the first caucus or primary yet.”
Dr. Quinn: “Sure, Senator Clinton, John Edwards, and Senator Obama, in the same order. But, I agree with John it’s still way too early to say.”
Q: Who do you think the Republican Party front runners are right now?
Dr. I: “For the same reasons, there is no clear front runner in the Republican Party yet, it’s still wide open.
Dr. Q: “I don’t know, it’s still way too early to tell.”
Q: Who do you think the Democrat Party nominee for president will be?
Dr. I: “The smart money is on [Senator] Hillary Clinton, but [Senator] Obama and Edwards are still in the race.”
Dr. Q: “Probably [Senator] Clinton, but maybe [Senator] Obama, or Edwards can pull it off.”
Q: What do you see as the single most important issue in this presidential campaign?
Dr. I: “Iraq. It’s the 500 pound gorilla in the room.”
Dr. Q: “I agree. The Iraq War and how to wind it down will dominate all other issues unless there is another terrorist attack in the United States.”
Q: What do you believe the next most important issues are in this campaign?
Dr. I:“It varies. Do you want it by political party, each candidate, the population as whole, or me?”
Q: How about each of those?
Dr. I: “For the Democratic Party it is some kind of national healthcare program. For the general population of the country it’s health care and saving social security. For me, it’s definitely healthcare. Healthcare has been the big issue for Hillary for a long time now. Edwards likes to make an issue of the two Americas – the rich and the poor. But, his $400 haircuts do not sit well with the middle class. They see him as a hypocrite. Even the Republican candidates are talking about health care.”
Q: Apart from issues, is there anything else you see as important in this campaign?
Dr. I: “This is an unprecedented election. It’s the first time since 1952 that neither party is running an incumbent , and there is no clear front runner on either side. This race is still wide open.”
Q: Will the Internet be important in this campaign?
Dr. I: “It will be very important, especially for the Democrats. It’s already helping them more in their fundraising efforts. Traditional media is the Republican way.
Dr. Q: “The Internet is much more important for the Democrats. They seem to have people in their campaigns who understand how to use it to reach people who get their news there.”