Why I'm voting for .....

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Originally Posted by timvp

This could possibly be a very good thread :tu

I haven't 100% made up my mind but I'm about 95% leaning toward Obama. I'll wait until after the final two debates before solidifying my vote. Right now I'm leaning toward Obama, with second place being not to vote. McCain is third right now for me.

However, even though I'm going to vote for Obama in all likelihood, it's not because I agree with his stances. In fact, I think they are almost all faulty. His economic plan is a joke -- even his most ardent supporters typically won't argue otherwise. His stances regarding American business will make it harder for businesses to compete in the global market. His health care plan is impractical. I think giving an absolute timetable for a pullout is a tactical error. I disagree with most of his plans that call to make government even bigger. I disagree with his stances toward Cuba. I don't like how he doesn't all seem to put America first in all his policies. I can't believe he even semi supports No Child Left Behind. And most of all, I think his apparent strategy on how to go about keeping (and even bringing back) American jobs from getting outsourced is more dangerous than anything W has ever done domestically.

All that said, two things will allow me to get over all those disagreements. First of all, the power of the POTUS is highly overrated. He likely won't be able to bring everything he promises to reality (although there is more of a danger to that considering the state of all three branches). Secondly, most of his stances look more like election stances than practical stances. He's saying what he has to say to get elected. I think and hope that once he's elected, he won't try to follow through on all of his current promises. That is typically the case so hopefully Obama doesn't change course. Politicians lie and he will have the perfect excuse by pointing to the current financial crises for why he couldn't do everything he said he was going to do.

Why will I vote for him? First of all, I don't like McCain. I just don't like him. I think 95% of Senators are either slimeballs or become slimeballs by association. While Obama is a Senator as well, he hasn't been in the muck nearly as long as McCain has. McCain is also a sellout. I don't think it's admirable how he treated his first wife. He claims to be a maverick but it has been obvious that he's done everything in his political career the last 25 or so years with one eye on the White House. I think he's too old and basically I think he's a Democrat in Republican clothing. He's about as conservative as the Clintons. If he loses, my hope is that a true conservative candidate can arise down the line. It's not good for American to have two Democrats running for POTUS.

Second of all, I like Obama's leadership capabilities. He's a natural born leader who can inspire a crowd. America is still the greatest country in the world by far but it needs some encouragement to get going once again. It feels like the country is in a lull and I think Obama has a chance to get this machine rolling. He seems to have struck a chord with the dumber people in the country and those with a growing anti-US sentiment. The amount of dumb people in this country is overwhelming so having a shepherd at the helm is not a bad thing. Plus if McCain wins, that growing anti-US sentiment from the left could get ugly. I'd rather we avoid that. Basically I think Obama has a chance to steer the US into greener pastures.

That's about the end of my thought process in what goes into picking who to vote for. Obama's race is so very inconsequential to me. He was born in Hawaii, partly grew up in Indonesia and was mostly raised by white grandparents. I find it laughable that he's considered a pure black candidate because his white mother was inseminated by a man with a high amount of melanin in his skin. I don't consider him black; I consider him American. This is 2008, we should be above caring about skin pigment - especially when the person in question is a 50/50 mix. He's as much a white candidate as he is a black candidate, if not more . . . but that's probably a topic for another thread.

Oh and for the record, I don't think Obama becoming president is going to help race relations. If anything, I think it could hurt it. A large percentage of white people have been okay with double standards because they view themselves as being more privileged simply based on skin color. But with a "black man" as the POTUS, it's going to be more difficult to convince those same white people that other races need advantages to gain equality. Voting Obama to see an end to racism is relying on hugely flawed logic.

Bottomline is I don't love Obama as a candidate, in many respects I don't even like him as a candidate, but I view him as the best option. It's a dangerous vote due to how much I disagree with him but I'm hoping it ends up being the right vote.

Besides, how can a Spurs fan vote for a guy who happily claims to be a Maverick and is also a Suns season ticket holder?

:drunk

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My views have changed a little bit since this post about a month ago. As I head out to vote, the only lingering issue that bothers me about Obama is how he basically threw his family under the bus to win the election. While most of it is understandable politically, it tells me he doesn't have nearly the flawless character most Obama backers will claim.

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Originally Posted by CuckingFunt

Haven't gotten around to responding in here, yet.

My biggest issues in this election (and, for the most part, in general) are gay rights, reproductive justice, the economy, the Iraq ugliness, and the environment. Not in that order. In all five of those areas, Obama's policies are more in line with my own beliefs, so I'm going with Obama.

Furthermore, I LIKE that he's well spoken, polished, and well educated. I tend to think that "elitist" is more a positive than a negative, especially when it comes to giving someone the job of running my country. And especially after eight years of having the village idiot in control.

I did not, however, wholly support Obama before he earned the nomination, as I have concerns about his lack of experience. I've always liked him, and I've always been pretty sure that I would be voting a Democratic ticket in this election, but he wasn't my favorite swimmer in the pool a year ago. In short, I will be voting for Obama, but I do not think he is the Messiah.

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does that mean you don't want Obama's salvation all over your face?

I am voting for Obama because:
(1) He'll pay my mortgage and my electric bills
(2) He'll make rich people sad
(3) He'll make the rise of the oceans stop, and he'll heal the planet
(4) He'll bring world peace
(5) He'll feed the sick
(6) His mother was a virgin
(7) On the third day, he'll rise again

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Originally Posted by TomBrady

My question for those who supported Bush because of his abortion stance.

What did he do to stop abortions? They are still legal. Roe v. Wade is nowhere close to ever being overturned. Abstinence only education has outright failed. In short nothing has really changed.

There is so much more to your vote than just abortion. Don't be so close minded.

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The abortion issue is not a "done deal" as there are other issues on abortion and Supreme Court Justices are always a hot topic... PArtial birth abortions, stem cell , etc... there are many legal battles to be had and those justices will play the most vital role and so the President who will get to appoint them is relevant.

I will vote McCain because he is the lesser of two evils. McCain is no conservative - but he is no Marxist like the Messiah either. I believe in the Constitution and how this country was founded, established and how the founding fathers intended it to be. I am pro-life, right to bear arms and national security. I believe in small centralized government, lower taxes ( I think the IRS and the FED are a joke) and I believe that once you surrender rights or become dependant upon the goverment - you will not get that right or freedom back ( social security, welfare etc). I believe in the fundamental aspects of Capitalism without corruption.

I voted for Obama

I dont trust politics and/or politicians at all. I think Obama is the quenticential politician, therefore i dont trust him, but im hoping im wrong.

I just couldnt see voting for more of the same. Obama may be a huge mistake, and im sure we will all have ample time to determine that, but the government is a wreck right now, so it cant be any worse. It can only get better.


thats pretty much my reasoning. I too liked McCain in 2000, but that McCain is long gone.

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Originally Posted by Soul_Patch

but the government is a wreck right now, so it cant be any worse. It can only get better.

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Think about that for a moment.

i'm voting for bush again...:wakeup

I'm voted for Barack because I want to stick it to whitey.

That's the truth.

Reading this thread is very scary. So many of you say you don't think Obama is really experienced enough and you don't agree with his economic policies, yet you're still voting for him because he speaks well and looks and sounds intelligent - oh, and you HOPE he isn't really being truthful about what his plans are for this country.

I just shake my head. How sad for our country that so many people believe and think this way. I have a feeling if Obama does win, that next year at this time there will be a LOT of buyer's remorse. People will be saying "what the hell have we done?" And then I'll laugh!

I voted for Barr.

I would have voted for McCain, but I don't like his choice of Palin. If McCain had made a boring and predictable VP choice, he would have made this election a straight referendum on Obama. But, no . . . he had to get creative and pick some half-wit with an annoying accent.

I think a straight referendum on Obama would have resulted in a McCain victory. Sure, Palin fired up the base, but Obama is frightening enough to get Republicans to vote, in my opinion.

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Originally Posted by Crookshanks

Reading this thread is very scary. So many of you say you don't think Obama is really experienced enough and you don't agree with his economic policies, yet you're still voting for him because he speaks well and looks and sounds intelligent - oh, and you HOPE he isn't really being truthful about what his plans are for this country.

I just shake my head. How sad for our country that so many people believe and think this way. I have a feeling if Obama does win, that next year at this time there will be a LOT of buyer's remorse. People will be saying "what the hell have we done?" And then I'll laugh!

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I completely agree with you. If you ask the average Obama supporter why theyre voting for him you'll get a mix of anti-Bush rhetoric and a need for "change".

Boy, he can implement any policy he wants under the vague claim of "change"! He can mandate employer based healthcare and higher business taxes, which will only lead to higher unemployment, but its okay because its change?

Can't wait to start paying my new union dues. Can't wait to start doing my mandatory community service. Can't wait for my 401k to drop since more people pull out of the stock market now that the capital gains tax is going up.

But hey, he gives a great speech!!!

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Originally Posted by Crookshanks

Reading this thread is very scary. So many of you say you don't think Obama is really experienced enough and you don't agree with his economic policies, yet you're still voting for him because he speaks well and looks and sounds intelligent - oh, and you HOPE he isn't really being truthful about what his plans are for this country.

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Bullshit. Did you actually read through the thread? Pretty much every poster in this thread who is voting for Obama lists policy reasons first and foremost.

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Originally Posted by Bartleby

Bullshit. Did you actually read through the thread? Pretty much every poster in this thread who is voting for Obama lists policy reasons first and foremost.

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Don't interrupt their circle jerk. It's fun watching these guys crumble at the real possibility of Obama winning.

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Originally Posted by Gino

Can't wait for my 401k to drop since more people pull out of the stock market now that the capital gains tax is going up.

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Yeah, the Dow took a real beating today. Wall Street must be terrified of an Obama presidency.

I'm voting for Obama because I believe in the change he can bring us.

I would have never voted for a Republican because I'm a minority. I'm a broke ass college student with debt up the wazoo from college. The last thing I want to vote for is a political party that supports big business and less government intervention.

I refuse to ever vote for a party that has allowed itself to be hijacked by the Christian right. I refuse to vote for a party that has divided this country to the greatest degree and has spit out lies after lies to the idiots in the country and have been able to rally these moronic gun-toting bible-clinging idiots to get them elected.

The Republican party is garbage. Period. Nothing will ever change the fact that I will never vote for them.

On a side note there are also many points I disagree with Obama. One of my most important ones is his (and every politicians) unwavering support of Israel. Fuck Israel. I don't want to hear about another instance of them being our strongest ally in the region. The reason they are is because you have about 100 PACs donating to politicians funds in order for them to send half of our foreign aid to Israel.

I voted for Obama for a few different reasons.

-Reason one is in protest to the shitty campaign that John McCain ran. I'm pissed off. Obama ran a much better campaign. If you can't run a decent fuckin' campaign, how are you going to run the Country?

-I have had three relatives that were of the Democratic persuasion die of cancer in the last two years. My grandfather and an aunt and uncle (yes, the two were a couple, they both passed away less than two years apart from one another). They would have relished the opportunity to vote for Obama. Part of my vote was cast for them, out of respect to them and in their memory.

That was the first time I've ever voted Democrat. I voted for another Democrat in a local election. Steve Caires, who is running for county commissioner. He was my 7th grade English teacher and my family knows his family well, we've known him for years. His wife was a school teacher and was a murder victim of the Barry Loukiatis school shooting that happened in Moses Lake, Washington back in 1996.

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Originally Posted by Duff McCartney

I'm voting for Obama because I believe in the change he can bring us.

I would have never voted for a Republican because I'm a minority. I'm a broke ass college student with debt up the wazoo from college. The last thing I want to vote for is a political party that supports big business and less government intervention.

I refuse to ever vote for a party that has allowed itself to be hijacked by the Christian right. I refuse to vote for a party that has divided this country to the greatest degree and has spit out lies after lies to the idiots in the country and have been able to rally these moronic gun-toting bible-clinging idiots to get them elected.

The Republican party is garbage. Period. Nothing will ever change the fact that I will never vote for them.

On a side note there are also many points I disagree with Obama. One of my most important ones is his (and every politicians) unwavering support of Israel. Fuck Israel. I don't want to hear about another instance of them being our strongest ally in the region. The reason they are is because you have about 100 PACs donating to politicians funds in order for them to send half of our foreign aid to Israel.

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Wow - strong hate for Israel .. does that apply to every nation or are there certain nations you feel we should be supporting ? Palestine ?

Did you see who contributed the most to the Obama campaign ? Lots of big businesses on there.. well if you want big government then you voted the right way...

Both parties have been hijacked - you are silly and ignorant to think otherwise.

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Originally Posted by Crookshanks

Reading this thread is very scary.

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People will be saying "what the hell have we done?" And then I'll laugh!

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clutching that bible makes it hard to concentrate.

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Originally Posted by Crookshanks

Reading this thread is very scary. So many of you say you don't think Obama is really experienced enough and you don't agree with his economic policies, yet you're still voting for him because he speaks well and looks and sounds intelligent - oh, and you HOPE he isn't really being truthful about what his plans are for this country.

I just shake my head. How sad for our country that so many people believe and think this way. I have a feeling if Obama does win, that next year at this time there will be a LOT of buyer's remorse. People will be saying "what the hell have we done?" And then I'll laugh!

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I think at worst, his first two years will be like Clinton's if Obama didn't learn anything from him. I'm just not that worried.

If McCain loses, it's because he never gave anyone a positive reason to vote for him. Your rehashed fear mongering is proof enough of that.

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Originally Posted by implacable44

Wow - strong hate for Israel .. does that apply to every nation or are there certain nations you feel we should be supporting ? Palestine ?

Did you see who contributed the most to the Obama campaign ? Lots of big businesses on there.. well if you want big government then you voted the right way...

Both parties have been hijacked - you are silly and ignorant to think otherwise.

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I think we should be looking for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Israel/Palestine but for me the fact is that Israel was just created out of arbitrary lines. I think people and Israel itself has made itself to seem like it's just an innocent bystander and all the Palestinians are attacking them mercilessly and it's our duty as Americans to help them.

I do want big government because only a government can keep businesses in line. Only a big government can keep medical companies in line. "Let the market sort itself out" is bullshit plain and simple. With big business it's always about money money money and that's the bottom line...only government can make rules and regulations that businesses have to abide by. If they didn't make them...it's naive to think that any business would try on its own free will to not try to find the bottom line.

You're right both sides have been hijacked. The Democrats by crazy/cowardly democrats who are either too scared to stand up for something lest they be called unpatriotic and the other psychos who spend all day bashing Bush. I'm not forgiving Bush by no means. I think he might one of the worst Presidents we've ever had. But the Democrats that do nothing but bash him when they get a mic put under them aren't helping. Bash him with your actions not with your stupid rhetoric.

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Originally Posted by Crookshanks

Reading this thread is very scary. So many of you say you don't think Obama is really experienced enough and you don't agree with his economic policies, yet you're still voting for him because he speaks well and looks and sounds intelligent - oh, and you HOPE he isn't really being truthful about what his plans are for this country.

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If this is what you get out of this thread, then you either didn't read it or you read it with your pink colored glasses. Try again.

I voted for Obama.

I like his economic plan and believe he is much better for education than any republican candidate could ever be. The debates convinced me even more that he has good strength and composure. No he doesn't have years and years of experience but the current president was the governor of this state and look where that experience got him. Worst president ever.

I also think Obama will be better in dealing with foreign policy. A better diplomat. McCain may have more experience and knowledge but he's an awful diplomat.

I like that Obama was against the war at a time when it wasn't popular to do so.

McCain made some realy bad decisions. Palin and then his general erratic behavior during the bail out. Dude has a short fuse.