I can see why politicians and political consultants are fascinated by polling. It’s as close as anyone can get to quantitatively judging what the people who vote care about and want from their politicians. Donkey Rising has an interesting look at the exit polling among voters in the Democratic primary and what they cared about and who it led them to vote for. As time goes by, I find myself increasingly fixated on whichever candidate will be the strongest competitor to Bush in the general election. I guess you could call that electability, but that’s not really what I mean. More than having the right stance on the issues, or the right mix of experience, I want the person who will electrify the voters to support Democrats. Increasingly, that man seems to me to be John Edwards, and that’s who I’ll be voting for in the primary. I still think he has an outside shot at best, but I like his message, and I like his charisma.