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How can I still be undecided...
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Anonymous
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Ask many at my office, numerous friends and family members who are driving me crazy with election banter. And yet I am. I'm one of those people who can truly say at this point, just over a week out, that I don't know who I'll vote for on Nov 4.
I have generally voted Republican in the past, always for President. I am a religious person and am pro-life. I'm opposed to gay marriage, like the idea of lower taxes, and I'm pro-gun control. I also believe that one of the most important duties of the government (besides protecting its citizens) is to ensure that all of us has as equal an opportunity as possible to pursue happiness. Not to achieve happiness, necessarily, but to pursue it in our own way. Therefore, I believe that more money should go to inner city schools, public transportation and roads, and things that will benefit all of us. I'm in favor of the so-called "death tax," as I don't think government tax policies should encourage inherited wealth. I admire John McCain for his service to our country. He's certainly been around long enough and probably has a good handle on many of the top issues facing us now, certainly those having to do with foreign affairs and the military. I don't think he knows beans about the economy, but I suppose he could find people to advise him in that area. But would he listen? The arrogance he displays at times, and his pride at being thought of as a maverick, are not characteristics that lend themselves to good judgment. I do worry that Obama is too liberal, too inexperienced and has too many unknowns. And yet, there is something that I really like about him. Obama is smart, thoughtful and, from what we've seen, cool under pressure. I think he would -- eventually -- make a good chief executive, but I worry about his need for on-the-job training and all that he has to learn. If I vote on personalities and capabilities, I would pick Obama. If I vote on policies, I would lean towards McCain. So what do I do? |
Anonymous
I predict that when you go into the voting booth you will vote for the ticket that you think will be best for the country. I won't try to argue now that my candidate is the one, because you have already heard all the arguments I would make. I have friends who are in absolute disagreement with me about which ticket fills that bill, but we each believe that the other, although mistaken, is doing what he believes is best. When the time comes, you may not be sure you really know which is best, but you will know that you are doing your best for your country. |
Anonymous
PP, thank you for this comment. I clicked on this thread expecting to see someone say, "Are you stupid? VOTE FOR (Candidates Name Here)" ...Instead, You put in words what Im sure a lot of us feel...It was refreshing to see on this board. |
Anonymous
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Sounds like a tough decision, OP but the PP is right, you are thinking it through very carefully -- good for you.
Personally, I wonder if Obama will be as liberal as everyone thinks he will be. He has shown himself to be very careful about his choices, e.g., the WaPo did a feature on him showing how he made a point of building bridges in the Senate and avoided taking on a media campaign to promote himself. You can interpret that a couple of ways. Some people see that as a sign of an opportunist. Others see that as someone with a deliberative temperament who is building a solid foundation to support his work. I don't know for sure but my guess is that he is not going to go out and make radical changes right off the bat. Of course if he wins in a landslide he might decide he has a mandate and he decide to make big changes while he is still in the honeymoon period. But I'm also guessing that he learned from Bill Clinton -- whose first move when he took office was to try to end discrimination against gays in the military which blew up in his face. His second move was to try to revamp health care which also did not end well. Clinton learned from his mistakes and reinvented himself as a centrist. (BTW this is exactly what he did as governor of Arkansas so we shouldn't have been surprised.) As a left-liberal myself, I was quite disappointed and disenchanted with him for this (in addition to his stupid philandering -- idiot!). So, I guess this is not much of a definitive answer for you. Like I said it is possible Obama will feel he has to take action while he can. But overall he strikes me as being very careful about these things and personally I don't expect him to take that many risks. (Personally I am going to celebrate wildly if he gets elected and then I'm probably going to be ready to picket him within a year.  )
Of course that doesn't answer your concern about his inexperience but it does address your worry about his liberal policies. Good luck with your decision. I know it's a tough one! 
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Anonymous
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Another thought: vote for the ticket that you think most closely approximates the kind of person you would want to protect the world that you pass on to your children, and whom you'd be most likely to want to point to as a model leader as you educate them. Pick the person who you think is most worthy to be the face of your country in a troubled world.
I know that you could make an argument for either candidate on that basis, but you know what you want for your kids. We're voting for their future. |
Anonymous
| Could it be that your indecision stems from the fact that Jesus does not want you to vote in this election? |
Anonymous
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I commend your struggle to make a good decision. I have more respect for the thinking person who is undecided than the zealot who never honestly examined the candidates.
You have placed great emphasis on character. You also made many statements that revolve around Justice. I think the way for you to decide is to explore these two topics more. Ask yourself why is character in a President important to you? And next, whose character do you respect most? Then look at Justice issues. You mention things like abortion, public schools, inherited wealth, equal opportunity. I think you are looking at these things from the perspective of one who wants a Just society. Then ask yourself, whose direction represents a more just society to you? I am trying not to answer these questions for you, but I do think these two ideas of character and justice seem very important in your own thinking. So making them explicit could help you reach your final decison. Thank you for being a thoughtful American. |
Anonymous
| When I choose a candidate, my thoughts are always about the future. I focus on what kind of world will my son be left, and who is best to protect our country, our rights and the earth. I would have to say that the environment is my number one concern and yours may be prolife, and go from there. |
Anonymous
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OP here. Thanks for this feedback. What I appreciate about most of these posts is that they remind us of the fact that our individual votes should be for the person whom we think is best for the country, best for our future. I cannot tell you how many people I've heard on both sides of the debate saying things more along the lines of "I've got to vote MY pocketbook." "So and so's tax policies/ spending interests are best for ME, so that's how I'll vote."
Thanks to this group for recognizing that it's not always about the "me" and in fact, what may seem best in the short term for me is not necessarily what's best for our country. |
Anonymous
| OP - I am exactly where you are.......trying to decide whether to make a practial decision based on where my ideologies lie (typically) or an optimist......... |
Anonymous
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What happens if McCain becomes incapacitated and Palin is the one who needs on-the-job training? Obama is sharp and makes intelligent, educated, and measured decisions. I don't have that kind of confidence with Palin's level of on-the-job training. McCain's campaign aides have noted that she has been the most difficult VP candidate to bring up to speed on significant issues. |
Anonymous
| I think some of those aides are engaged in CYA. |
Anonymous
| If it is difficult for you to make a decision between the two candidates for the office of President, perhaps it would be helpful to consider the individuals running for the office of Vice President. In the event that the President, whoever it will be, dies while in office, or, more likely, is incapacitated for any period of time, which VP candidate would you feel more comfortable with? |
Anonymous
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Well, there is absolutely no question about that.
As obnoxious and arrogant as Biden can be, he is clearly the better choice for VP. |