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thehookup@ourchart.comAnyone voting for McCain?
June 16, 2008 - 8:58pm — IndyJanTouchy subject I realize...but I was posting on another blog, giving this a lot of thought and am now considering it. Here's a few reasons:
-This war...while a colossal mistake...still has to be dealt with beyond some pat answer of "war is bad...bring home the troops immediately". I have no idea what the answer is but its just not that simple. We have to clean up our own mess. With McCain, I know he has a very deep military background and from everything that I've heard from him..I know he is not a warmonger. I also know that if Iran pulls any stunts...we're going in..even if Obama is elected. Obama can sit down and talk to whoever he wants (not too sure how I feel about that)...but I really don't see how you can build a bridge with Iran.
-Gas prices will probably not go down regardless of who is elected...gas prices have been too low for too long....we are paying the piper. Just a reminder, BOTH Democrats and Republicans are in bed with big oil...and yes Obama is getting their money and contributions in one way or another. Besides, one person going to work does not need an suv or some big truck getting 11 miles to the gallon. Trucks are for farms and suv's are for the military. Let's get back to that so that we have the money to pay for the rise in food costs because they aren't going down either.
-The economy is going to take years to fix. We have over spent for way too long. Both corporate America and a lack of personal responsibility on the consumers part are to blame in my opinion. Living in Indianapolis....my visual cue is a family of four living in 3500 sq ft (two or three mortgages), two 30k cars in the driveway-upside down on both loans...yet magically still going to Florida over the summer costing 5k. Oh by the way the dual income is about 80k...and nothing is being contributed to retirement. Isn't this a bit much? Oh and by the way...I'm in a similar boat but I am not looking to my government to fix MY problems. I did it...I will fix it.
-Taxes are going to go up....I just want them to go up in a productive way....if it takes corporate tax breaks to create jobs and some stability..then do it. We are also going to be paying for long term costly health care for all of these soldiers on their multiple tours of duty...coming back with brains the consistency of oatmeal....suffering from Post Traumatic Stress for the next 30 years or more. Obama can't fix that...no one can.
Now I know the knee jerk reaction is "We have had republicans in office for eight years that caused this mess!! How can you support McCain?" Well...you talk to a good fiscal republican...Bush has let them down tremendously on the issue of spending and I really don't think Bush has represented Republicans very well.
Obama may be a wonderful role model, wonderful speaker and help break down some god awful racial barriers simply by being elected...I'm just not convinced he's the best candidate right now. Before all else, people need jobs and some money left over after the bills are paid or we get down right mean.
Any thoughts?
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17 Posts
McCain and Sarah Palin are
McCain and Sarah Palin are nutcases. End of story.
I'm voting for McCain
for the simple reason is that I do not believe a word Obama says. Actually they are both full of it because lets face it, they are both trying to get elected into office. So naturally Obama is going to say all the mumbo jumbo good stuff just to secure his place. I believe both parties are full of it, McCain and Obama! I do think it's kind of funny how Ourchart a few months ago had -Obama 08- ads plastered on the site and he is not even for gays to legally marry! Granted both Republicans and Democrats are for euqal rights of same sex partner benefits but that will not convince me personally to vote Dem...Just my thoughts... Mo D.
Voting Early
My voter's registration card states that I am Independent.
I do not vote on Party. I vote on issues that matter to me.
I am a woman.
I am gay.
I am a veteran of the U.S. Army.
I am pro-choice (if anyone had a decision, it should be the person carrying and bringing into the world not the government).
I am a student.
I am middle class and would like to be able to make my dreams come true and work hard towards this goal.
We will have either McCain or Obama. Voting for anyone else is not going to do much good, because one of these two will actually have enough votes to be elected President.
As a veteran, as a woman, as a "minority", as a lesbian, as a student, as someone who feels the weight of the economy, I vote for Obama.
McCain has not shown me that he would represent my interests in living the lifestyle that I would like to live. Life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness.
And under Obama's presidency, I believe I will have an easier time of pursuing happiness, of maintaining liberty and improving my life.
When I was in the Army, I had to be in the closet. Under McCain, I would not reenlist. I am not going back in the closet. I don't want to be mindful and secretive and discreet about who I am for fear that someone would rat me out, and I would get a dishonorable discharge, which is worse than being fired from any job. Simply because I'm gay? The "don't ask-don't tell" just means pray you don't get caught looking or acting or sounding gay by the wrong person. Obama understands we're in too much of a crisis to allow sexual orientation to get in the way of service.
His steadiness, his logic, his belief, his stands on issues that matter to me (how the hell do I pay rent, eat, put gas in my car, take care of my wisdom tooth, how can I manage school, can/should I reenlist etc.) are what have me eager to vote for him.
I'm sure there are supporters of McCain, who appointed Palin as an afterthought, as a tactic for us who still wanted Hillary. I'm sure there are those who have never seen footage (just google it) of McCain berating a woman in public, in the Senate, calling her every name from bitch to cunt. I'm sure there are those who have never watched how he seemed to be pro-naturalization and energy conservation before he was accused of being too liberal by other Republicans and then changed and allied with Bush (whose policies have done no one any good and the records show this). I'm sure there are those that are just so excited about having a woman vice president that they don't care that she says the same thing that Christian Conservatives and those who are the very reason we have organizations such as the HRC, except she winks, has an updo and wears lipstick. I'm sure that there are those who equalize age with wisdom and experience with readiness.
I know I'm not one of them.
Financial Info.
"Fiscal Conservative" - R. Regan - $200+ Billion Deficit
"Fiscal Conservative" - G.H.Bush - $300 Billion Deficit
"Tax & Spend Liberal" - B. Clinton - $200+ Billion SURPLUS
"Fiscal Conservative" - G.W.Bush - $482 Billion Deficit(Growing)
"Fiscal Conservative" - J.McCain ...
McCain's Veteran Approval Rating
Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America
McCain - D
Obama - B+
http://www.iava.org/full-ratings-list
Disabled American Veterans
McCain - 20%
Obama - 80%
http://capwiz.com/day/scorecard.xc
Vietnam Veterans of America
McCain - 15 votes against veterans - 9 votes for
Obama - 1 vote against veterans - 13 votes for
http://capwiz.com/vva/e4/cindo/?id=15730...
McCain voted against increased health care for the VA in 2003,4,5, and 6 for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. He ignores a question and lies to a veteran. No perfect voting record for veterans, not even close.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
If we are FOR the troops, why not listen to them regarding who is supporting them?
The
The only women who should be voting for McCain/Palin are those who believe that women deserve second-class citizenship. They are antagonistic anti-female politicos.
Their campaign has been negative and divisive and filled with lies. There are plenty of videos out there to prove that statement if you but care to look. We need a leader who can unite the country not divide it, and the last 7 years of Republican control have put this country right into the dump in a myriad of ways. I listed them in a previous post.
They are homophobic and do not support the LGBT community. Are there some Americans who don't deserve the same rights as you?
They don't support equal pay for women. This affects women from right what they are making now, throughout their lives and into the amount of pension they will receive. Don't you think you deserve equal pay for equal work?
They abhor birth control, support abstinence only education (S.Palin's daughter is a nice example.) and are against choice. The government doesn't own my vagina. If you take away the choice to have an abortion, you are assuming that you know what is best for every woman in every situation, poverty, rape, incest, be damned, and no provisions are made for any kind of help.
Someone mentioned universal health care. The consequences that universal health care have brought to other countries are good consequences. We are the only industrialized country that DOESN'T have universal health care. Is there some American that you believe doesn't deserve health care?
McCain/Palin do not believe in the separation of church & state, nor are they fond of alternative energy. They both have connections to big oil so you can expect to see more done for the big corporations and nothing for the shrinking middle class or the increasing number of people at the poverty level. Do you enjoy bailing out Wall Street with taxpayer's money and not helping those who have lost their houses and jobs. You should check out McCain's involvement in the Keating Five Scandal, another bail-out of big financial institutions. You should check out the salaries of the top CEO's even when their companies fail or are laying off workers by the thousands.
Both Iraq and Afghanistan have asked the Americans to leave. We create more problems and terrorists by continuing the occupations.
Palin's selection as a VP candidate was an insult to all Americans. If you actually believe she could step into the role of President, I suggest you read further, listen carefully to the debates, and try to consider who can best unite the country and lead us in working together toward common goals.
If you actually think McCain/Palin are "Mavericks," consider the fact that mavericks don't unite anyone. They're out for themselves. I don't think they're mavericks. I think they're 4 more years of Bush policies. No thanks. We have enought serious, complex problems right now.
I'm voting for...
Neither McCain or Obama. Ralph Nader 08!!
Also, McCain promises
Also, McCain promises Democrats to be in a good portion of his cabinet.
i'm leaning towards it
With Obama supporting the LGBT community and the endless potential of epic parody sketches Tina Fey could partake in if (McCain/)Palin was elected, my vote remains undecided.
I've been a moderate supporter of Obama since the elections began, simply because of his charisma and promise for change, but now that I think about it I'm actually leaning towards McCain because I actually support a great deal of his platforms... at least more so than I do Obama's. Let's face it, you're right, we've put ourselves in this war, and Iraq is in no state to reconfigure itself or independently establish a democracy, so Obama's plan to quickly pull out may not be such a good idea. We might as well finish the job that Bush has debted America by the billions to do. Also, I'm not so sure I support universal healthcare. Yes, ideally it would be a fantastic idea, but realistically, look at the consequences universal healthcare has brought onto other countries that have adopted it, and where is the budget for this even going to come from? I can't help but think about the budget crisis when I look at a lot of the plans Obama has for America.
Really, one of the few reasons I would vote for Obama is his support for the LGBT community, but other than that I'm really leaning towards McCain.
Please
Please look at posts above. Thanks.
Heck Yes I am voting for McCain!
After seeing his VP nominee Sarah Polin speak tonight has only reassured me that the Republican party is stronger then ever!. Dont get me wrong I dont agree with everything the party stands more espically their stand on gay marriage and our rights as gay americans. And you say the Republicans have been in office 8 years and the economy is the worse it has ever been, then again the last time I checked the house and the senate is now being runned by the DEMOCRATS! and Congress approval rating is at an all time low of 14 percent. And they have not passed one bill since they have been in. But a part of my hopes the Obama wins because having a democrat in office will only complete the trifecta of a democratic nation and the democrats will only have themselves to blame when the U.S is still in the condtion it is in four years from now.
Please
check out the last few Grace Moon blogs. Then we can at least discuss issues. Take a look at ethics and minimum wage bills.
When hell freezes over!
If we can't have Hillary, it's Barack all the way! I don't understand how anyone could possibly want anymore of the same crap we've had for the last eight years. No way, no how, no McCain!
Thanks for
asking the question. It's obvious you've given it some thought. Me too, so, here goes...
Under the Republican watch:
Flagrant fabrication of information led to obscene war/occupation, torture, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, Blackwater, extraordinary rendition, war profiteering, warrantless wiretapping, Afghanistan incompetence, ignoring Geneva Conventions, Halliburton, no bid contracts, outing U.S. operative, dishonoring returning soldiers, horrible conditions at Walter Reed and other hospitals, and expansion of military-industrial complex.
Also - Rejecting Kyoto Protocol and trashing environmental protections, disastrous Katrina response, multitude of incompetent and extreme right-wing appointments, highest national deficit, five-fold increase in price of oil, national image trashed.
And more - Divisiveness, homelessness, foreclosures, loss of jobs have all increased, hate crimes dramatically increased, media corruption increased, human rights decreased, middle class decreased, Constitutional "checks & balances" decreased, separation of church & state decreased, access to information decreased and financial inequality accelerating.
John McCain is a Republican and must work with the Party. For all the reasons above, I could not vote for him.
Also, if people feel that Bush doesn't represent the Republicans very well, then neither does John McCain. So far, in 2008, he voted for Bush policies 100% of the time, 2007-95%. His ties to lobbyists are well documented(Keating Five Scandal to present day), as is his abandonment of campaign finance reform. To quote, "on the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I've been totally in agreement and support of President Bush."
Being a POW does not make him a good Commander-in-Chief. He may not be a warmonger but he certainly belives in war. I think Obama is much more committed to ending the occupation and holding to a withdrawal timetable.
A few other things trouble me. He has mentioned the Iraq-Pakistan Border. There isn't one. Iran is in-between. He has stated that the United States was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs. The Constitution is a secularist document guaranteeing freedom of as well as freedom from religion. There were arguments, but the freethinkers won. As far as women's issues, I think McCain is a disaster, but this topic deserves a separate post. (Will do in next few days.)
I think your, "I did it. I'll fix it." is admirable, but for some people, they're just one misfortune short of the street. Loss of job can mean loss of home, loss of insurance, and on and on. I think social safety nets are needed. We're all Americans.
Anyway, I'm glad you asked this question. I like to dialogue and there are other issues. I'm open to comments and criticism. Money...not this time. :) :)
No
No separate post on women's issues. Head ove to Grace Moon's Blog if interested.
No...
I would never vote for McCain, and that's not just because he's Republican (though that does make me even more queasy). In fact, I've stated numerous times that I would move to Canada if he was elected, and here's why:
The situation with Iraq CANNOT be solved with 100 more years in Iraq. First, and foremost, that would eat our economy alive. Unemployment is 5% higher than it was last year, and that will only go up if we continue to throw money away on a pointless war in a country we had no business invading in the first place. Plus, look at what we've done to the economy. McCain wants us to continue on this road of hopelessness which will only destroy our country's economy and probably destroy the Iraqi market as well.
McCain would have us invade Iran. While I understand the fear behind Iran having nuclear weapons, what gives the U.S. the right to decide who gets weapons and who doesn't? Maybe it wouldn't be a threat if we hadn't threatened their border security. If we hadn't insulted Islam, maybe they'd be more understanding. Then again, maybe not. After all, we have been fucking over these countries for decades.
McCain doesn't believe that all people should be equal. As an open lesbian, I could never vote for someone who didn't feel I was worthy of being as equal to everyone else in this country. He would refuse gay marriage rights, gay adoption, gay equality. I could not vote for that.
I believe that health care should be provided by the government, not that only the wealthy should be able to afford it.
In short, I couldn't forgive myself for voting to screw this country's people even more.
Thanks so much for posting this
It's an interesting question and I hope to see more people respond just to get a better idea of what everyone is thinking on this topic. I'll be clear from the start - I won't be voting for McCain. I supported Edwards and was sorry to see him forced out partly due to a media blackout, but I will enthusiastically cast my ballot for Obama in November. Not because he is a political rock star, but because I truly believe he is by far the best choice we have left to us.
Despite the media's fondness for boiling everything down to 5 second soundbites, Obama really isn't simply saying "war is bad - let's get out." He has a plan for removing combat troops one to two brigades at a time month by month over the course of 16 months. He would obviously leave US troops to guard the embassy and in the region if there's a true rapid deployment situation, but there would be no permanent bases in Iraq. I personally believe Senator "hundred more years in Iraq" McCain would bring us a very different vision of the future in Iraq, and not a better one. I don't believe we need permanent bases in Iraq, so I can't support McCain based on the Iraq question alone. The lives of more than 4.000 American troops and some $530 Billion tax dollars already have been obscenely wasted on this war, and I fail to see how our continued presence is making anything better.
Re Iran - aside from the usual saber rattling, I'm not sure how much we should really expect them to pull a "stunt," especially given the results of the National Intelligence Estimate. Add to that IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei's warning that he will step down from his post if we launch a military strike against Iran and I think our own posturing on the Iran question is hurting the cause more than helping. There is the real possibility of a truly democratic Iran somewhere in the foreseable future, but probably not if we intervene in some ham-fisted way and try to force something. Much of diplomacy is about being willing to sit down and negotiate with people that you don't like and don't agree with. Despite Sen. McCain's admirable service to our country, I still think Obama might be better equipped in that department than McCain. Obama's obviously far better equipped than the current occupant at 1600 Penn. Ave.
On the economic front, what is McCain's plan? He admitted during the primary that he knows very little about the economy aside from having read Alan Greenspan's book. Considering that Greenspan's policies seemed to be instrumental in creating the housing and stock bubble that have consequently burst and left the economy in shambles, that doesn't fill me with confidence at the economic prospects of a McCain presidency.
So I don't think I'm being too knee jerk in suggesting that a McCain presidency probably would not take us very far from the disasterous policies of the Bush administration. But that's just my opinion. Interested to hear what others here are thinking...