With John McCain the likely Republican presidential nominee, Democratic voters in Texas and Ohio should look ahead to the general election before casting a vote in the primary. With Texas and Ohio coming up in exactly a week these primaries could make the difference in the nomination on the Democratic side. Texas offers 193 delegates for the Democrats, and Ohio 141. March 4^th holds the last two large states until the end of April when Pennsylvania (158) and North Carolina (115) go to the polls.

So who should Texas and Ohio voters lend their support to? Well here are a few ideas:

Let’s assume for a minute that all current general election polling numbers are invalid, for three reasons. 1) We relied on polls in the New Hampshire primary, look what happened. 2) The general election is over half a year away. And 3) Wait until there is a clear nominee on both sides before putting stock in general election match up polls. Now, with that here is why the Democrats should nominate Hillary Clinton.

1) Hollywood supports Obama. I’m not saying Hollywood can’t throw their support to a candidate. However, in this case it is an immature play. With Clinton and Obama having very, VERY similar political views, why do so many prominent figures (not just those in Hollywood) endorse Obama? Is it a sex or race issue? Do they like his oratory skills better?

2) Grey Areas. There are just too many grey areas with Barack Obama, that will come back to haunt the Democrats in the general election. It is clear beyond any doubt where Hilary Clinton stands on a wide range of issues. With Obama it’s murky. Forget blueprints for America, forget debates, and forget voting records. These are all valid ways of proclaiming your view on issues, however, when it comes to Election Day, there is a massive amount of voters who either did not see the debate, or do not have access to that blueprint for America. And you know it’s true. But, I’m not suggesting this is Obama’s fault, this is just the age old case of the un-educated voter. Luckily for Obama, unluckily for the party, Obama is getting the uneducated vote.

3) Experience. This is perhaps the reason many people feel they know more about Clinton than they do Obama. Experience plays in this election especially with John McCain the presumptive Republican nominee. Close your eyes and imagine for a second election day in November. Picture your parents and neighbors at the polls casting their votes. At the last minute, at crunch time, do they vote for Barack Obama, young and perceived as inexperienced? Or, do they vote for John McCain, who will be perceived as a “wise” grandfather figure when compared to Obama? Again, regardless of general election polls now, Experience vs. Experience (Clinton vs. McCain) will be a much more competitive race when it comes down to election day. Even if Clinton and Obama had the exact same amount of political experience, for some reason she is seen as more experienced. What will your neighbor do? (This theory doesn’t even take into account the young (unreliable) voter on Election Day. Those of whom support Obama, if they turn out. The elderly arguably more educated, who always turn out, support Clinton).

4) Primary wins. Obama has carried states in the primary that based on history, have gone to Republicans in the general election. This raises questions about how competitive he can be in these states. Can he be competitive enough to WIN traditionally red states that he will need to win the general election?

Either way, the general election will be interesting. But I think after watching the Democrats battle for so long, Clinton is the smarter choice for the nomination, especially since the experienced (and decorated veteran) John McCain will most likely win the Republican nomination.