Which did you enjoy more?

[ChrisFromNJ]

I say Democratic Primary. It was epic. A race I will never forget.

The general election was underwhelming in comparison.

[Wall St. Wiz]

None of it.  This was the most painful election year from start to finish since I've been following politics closely.

[perdedor]

I have to say the general election, watching the candidate I supported since the beginning coast past McCain was quite an alleviating change from what I went through in 2004.

[DownWithTheLeft]

The worst thing was definetly that now campaigning will continue to start earlier to the point where 2016 candidates will be declaring after Iowa in 2012

The best part was the Dem primary, although the outcome was disappointing.  The GOP primary was quite disappointing to.  McCain won because Thompson was a lazy sh**t, Giuliani had the worst strategy ever, Huckabee didn't have enough money, and Romney got the base support far too late.

[Lief 🗽]

It was all incredibly entertaining. Someone should make a movie about it.

[Daniel Adams]

All three were fun, but I enjoyed the GOP primaries most simply because my candidate won.

[Eraserhead]

I want to say the General Election (which was certainly fun) but it really might be the Democratic Primary.  It was quite the battle. It provided a new "fight'' to look forward to seemingly every Tuesday for a while there. Good stuff.

The Republican Primary didn't really live up to it's potential.  I wanted a brokered convention.

[True Democrat]

The GOP primaries had the potential to be the most interesting of all, especially with the possibility of a split convention.  Alas, it was not be, and I voted the Democratic primary.

[© tweed]

which just two little breaks - Huckabee taking SC and Romney taking FL - the GOP primary would have been the most entertaining since 1968, and maybe ever.

[SPC]

GOP primaries were terrible after it became obvious that Ron Paul wasn't going to win. the Democratic primary I just followed for humorous reasons, and to a lesser extent the general election. Therefore, I say the Democratic primary was most enjoyable.

[angus]

The GOP primary, for sure.  Of course I'm more happy with the results of the General, since I've had a raging hard-on for Obama since long before January 3, but I actually enjoyed my experience in my own GOP primary the most.  On my way to the GOP caucus, I stopped by the Obama08 headquarters, about a mile from my apartment (it was before we bought this house) and I'd passed the HQ almost every day on the way to taking my son to his Montessori pre-school, and I knew it'd be my last time to see them in action, since it was caucus day and all, so I decided to give it a go.  And I wasn't disappointed.  Folks there were totally stressed and overworked and enthusiastic.  And after I'd spent about five minutes snapping photos with my digital (I've probably posted those here before) an obviously overworked and overstressed 29ish busty redhead approached me with the "hi, are U an O supporter?  canIhelpU?" routine, and after I'd told her that no, I was actually a registered Republican on my way to the GOP caucus but I truly wished them well, she politely but definitely asked me to stop with the photographing, and bid me farewell.  I didn't hold it against her.  I think I posted of that before.

Anyway, the primary, yeah--well, we have something called a "caucus" which is a little bizarre. My county has a county-wide GOP caucus. It was January 3 and very, very cold. Like around negative ten degrees fahrenheit. I had to scrape the edges of the car door to get it open to drive there. School was closed for the holidays, so the 14 thousand students normally resident in my little town of about 40 thousand people weren't around. Still, 4500 people showed up at the Black Hawk county caucus. I got there early, when there were only about 300 people in the big, cavernous hall. AC/DC's "Back in Black" had just started blaring on the loudspeaker. In fact, as I climbed the steps to the building, I climbed them in rhythm to the first four measures of that song. Bam. ch. Bananamph. ch. Banamph. ch. ch. Drrdeedldeedl.  Bam. ch. Bananamph. ch. Banamph. Wanamp Wanamp Wanamp Wanamp.  When I got inside the music was incredibly loud. When Back in Black was over, they played We Are the Champions/We will Rock You by Queen. It was a bit surreal, what with all the feedstore cap-wearing yokels and blue-haired old ladies in attendance, but it was nice.  After those 70s arena-rock songs were over, a voice came booming over the loudspeaker to welcome folks.  By that time most of the candidates had their tables set up. Fred. Ron. John. Rudy.  I forget some. There must have been fifteen or more candidates on the ballot.  (I must have posted pics of all those booths as well.)  It's not just the seven or eight that debated, you know, but many, many Republican candidates go for the Iowa caucus.  Some were hard-core power projectionists. Some were fascist bent on saving the white race from miscegenation. Some were libertarian types radically against the Iraq war. Some were for a return to the gold standard.  Some were washed-up moviestars hoping for one last shot at the big screen, Reagan-style.  It's a pretty big tent, really.  I got to shake hands with Ron Paul.  In fact, I talked to him for maybe 15 minutes that night. Man, that guy gets so excited about monetary policy.  The cult of Ron Paul was all around, chanting and listening.  Apparently I came off as well-informed, because many of them later asked me questions about monetary policy. I also met Mike Huckabee briefly. And I shook hands with Mitt Romney's wife. I also met some minor Republican candidates, but I can't remember their names. Apparently being in the first primary state, and in one of the bigger counties has its advantages. Black Hawk county has a population of about 130 thousand. Big by Iowa standards. And because the Black Hawk county GOP decided to do the caucus county-wide rather than by precinct, it basically meant that we got to rub elbows with many candidates. After about an hour and a half of talking to candidates, listening to music, and walking to all the stalls where they sell trinkets and memorabilia, such as tacky red-white-and-blue straw hats and antique "I like Ike" buttons and Fred Thompson keychains, they finally have a vote. It's a pink paper ballot with many names, and you put a check mark by the one you like. You're expected to assail other voters with admonitions and campaign speeches. I was approached by so many campaign workers trying to convince me that I should vote for their guy that I had a hard time even finding the name of my candidate on the ballot. All in all, it was fun. But bizarre. Oh, and I voted for Ron Paul.

[Sbane]

The democratic primary of course. We had a gripping contest for months with a new battle almost every week. The lead up to March 2nd and April 22nd was epic as well. I wish general elections were held in a staggered fashion. It would make them much more interesting.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Democratic Primary was more interesting in several ways.

[angus]

The Democratic Primary was more interesting in several ways.

...obviously you have never attended a Black Hawk County Republican caucus.   

[Stranger in a strange land]

The Republican Primary didn't really live up to it's potential.  I wanted a brokered convention.

same here. For that reason it was probably the least exciting of the three. I'd have to say the general was the most exciting.

[Eraserhead]

GOP primaries were terrible after it became obvious that Ron Paul wasn't going to win. the Democratic primary I just followed for humorous reasons, and to a lesser extent the general election. Therefore, I say the Democratic primary was most enjoyable.

There was a time when it wasn't obvious that Paul wasn't going to win?

[Frodo]

The Democratic primaries, by far, though I still wish Hillary could have blown Obama out of the water in Indiana, and made it closer than it was in North Carolina.  As it is, she put up a good fight, and Obama owes her a debt of gratitude for having (inadvertently, perhaps) prepared him better for the general election.

[Keystone Phil]

The Democratic primaries were a lot more entertaining. It's amazing how dull the General election campaign seemed to me.

[Ronnie]

The Democratic primaries were a lot more entertaining. It's amazing how dull the General election campaign seemed to me.

Exactly my thoughts.  All 3 presidential debates were VERY predictable.

[Gustaf]

The GOP primary, for sure.  Of course I'm more happy with the results of the General, since I've had a raging hard-on for Obama since long before January 3, but I actually enjoyed my experience in my own GOP primary the most.  On my way to the GOP caucus, I stopped by the Obama08 headquarters, about a mile from my apartment (it was before we bought this house) and I'd passed the HQ almost every day on the way to taking my son to his Montessori pre-school, and I knew it'd be my last time to see them in action, since it was caucus day and all, so I decided to give it a go.  And I wasn't disappointed.  Folks there were totally stressed and overworked and enthusiastic.  And after I'd spent about five minutes snapping photos with my digital (I've probably posted those here before) an obviously overworked and overstressed 29ish busty redhead approached me with the "hi, are U an O supporter?  canIhelpU?" routine, and after I'd told her that no, I was actually a registered Republican on my way to the GOP caucus but I truly wished them well, she politely but definitely asked me to stop with the photographing, and bid me farewell.  I didn't hold it against her.  I think I posted of that before.

Anyway, the primary, yeah--well, we have something called a "caucus" which is a little bizarre. My county has a county-wide GOP caucus. It was January 3 and very, very cold. Like around negative ten degrees fahrenheit. I had to scrape the edges of the car door to get it open to drive there. School was closed for the holidays, so the 14 thousand students normally resident in my little town of about 40 thousand people weren't around. Still, 4500 people showed up at the Black Hawk county caucus. I got there early, when there were only about 300 people in the big, cavernous hall. AC/DC's "Back in Black" had just started blaring on the loudspeaker. In fact, as I climbed the steps to the building, I climbed them in rhythm to the first four measures of that song. Bam. ch. Bananamph. ch. Banamph. ch. ch. Drrdeedldeedl.  Bam. ch. Bananamph. ch. Banamph. Wanamp Wanamp Wanamp Wanamp.  When I got inside the music was incredibly loud. When Back in Black was over, they played We Are the Champions/We will Rock You by Queen. It was a bit surreal, what with all the feedstore cap-wearing yokels and blue-haired old ladies in attendance, but it was nice.  After those 70s arena-rock songs were over, a voice came booming over the loudspeaker to welcome folks.  By that time most of the candidates had their tables set up. Fred. Ron. John. Rudy.  I forget some. There must have been fifteen or more candidates on the ballot.  (I must have posted pics of all those booths as well.)  It's not just the seven or eight that debated, you know, but many, many Republican candidates go for the Iowa caucus.  Some were hard-core power projectionists. Some were fascist bent on saving the white race from miscegenation. Some were libertarian types radically against the Iraq war. Some were for a return to the gold standard.  Some were washed-up moviestars hoping for one last shot at the big screen, Reagan-style.  It's a pretty big tent, really.  I got to shake hands with Ron Paul.  In fact, I talked to him for maybe 15 minutes that night. Man, that guy gets so excited about monetary policy.  The cult of Ron Paul was all around, chanting and listening.  Apparently I came off as well-informed, because many of them later asked me questions about monetary policy. I also met Mike Huckabee briefly. And I shook hands with Mitt Romney's wife. I also met some minor Republican candidates, but I can't remember their names. Apparently being in the first primary state, and in one of the bigger counties has its advantages. Black Hawk county has a population of about 130 thousand. Big by Iowa standards. And because the Black Hawk county GOP decided to do the caucus county-wide rather than by precinct, it basically meant that we got to rub elbows with many candidates. After about an hour and a half of talking to candidates, listening to music, and walking to all the stalls where they sell trinkets and memorabilia, such as tacky red-white-and-blue straw hats and antique "I like Ike" buttons and Fred Thompson keychains, they finally have a vote. It's a pink paper ballot with many names, and you put a check mark by the one you like. You're expected to assail other voters with admonitions and campaign speeches. I was approached by so many campaign workers trying to convince me that I should vote for their guy that I had a hard time even finding the name of my candidate on the ballot. All in all, it was fun. But bizarre. Oh, and I voted for Ron Paul.

That's awesome! I went to Montessori pre-school myself.

Anyway, the one I enjoyed the most would obviously be the GOP primary since it turned out, against what seemed like very long odds, how I wanted it to. The Democratic primary would have been more fun of Clinton had done better and if most of the states hadn't been such blowouts. The GE became boring when Obama sailed ahead in the final month (though I was excited up to that point).