Now, I’m going to ask a question or two here, and I’m very sincere in doing so. All I ask is that commenters answer all parts to the questions and please refrain from grandiose assumptions or visceral reaction regardless of your position. Are we clear?
- Do you find hope in Obama? Why or why not?
- What kind of change do we need, and what is it about Obama that allows us to believe in it?
YES. Before Barack came to the stage I was still a hard-core Democrat. However, I do find something special about Barack versus Kerry or any other politician for that matter. Maybe you’d rather hear from my fiance (a Marine) and my friend Jen who are/were Republicans in the registered and historical sense but are voting for Obama. But you can’t right now, so deal with it. BTW- you don hafta sign dat.
Anyways, what I find hopeful about Obama and his plans are that he offers a new set of solutions for “new” problems. Dems and other progressives have been talking about the environment and climate change for awhile now in addition to a green economy, now it looks like the repubs are on the bandwagon. It’s about time. It also took conservatives awhile (and some still yet) to get on the women voting and working bandwagon too. Ok that’s definitely tangential..I’ll move on. Specifically, he proposes tax incentives to companies who innovate and keep jobs here rather than to companies that outsource and pollute. He does this not only because it is right to protect our environment while providing material goods, but because it will also be more profitable in the long-term.
What is hopeful about Obama, in a nutshell, is that he is not a political institution or part of a political family line (why I did not support Clinton) and plays the game differently. Specifically in the way that he campaigns (all 50 states) and finances his campaign without lobbyist advisors. And the Fannie Mae advisor rumor is false.
What change do we need? Well McCain says we need to “shake up Washington.” When McCain speaks he speaks of giving the American public xyz. Obama on the other hand, frames his rhetoric in such a way that places the responsibility of change in Washington in the hands of the people. Obama inspires a more active electorate, a change we definitely need. Obama inspires world respect, another change we need. Obama inspires a bottom-up economic model, another change we need.
I liked McCain 8 years ago. He used to be “pro-life” in name only. He used to call hatemongers like Jerry Falwell “agents of intolerance.” No longer, my friend. McCain isn’t a bad guy or dumb nor are many of his supporters (except a special few…) and I’m not necessarily afraid of his presidency. But I don’t think he represents change. We’ve had Republicans in charge for the better part of 4 decades and look where we are- doubled deficit, spending cuts for social programs and military benefits, a maxed out military, and a whole lot of anti-american sentiments worldwide. Getting things done on an international scene requires at least a respect (not liking) of America and it’s leaders. No more cowboys or pseudo-mavericks!
But seriously, at the end of the day, both parties are going to spend a lot of money. Voting is an indication of where you want those spending priorities to be. My fiance was denied his GI bill because of budget cuts (he was deployed and had nothing but honorable service). His friends are being denied care of PTSD, etc. Also, both parties usually have the same ends in mind, just different means. I come from the school of thought that believes the national government has more of a responsibility in terms of creating and maintaining social programs in addition to protecting “the little people.”
I won’t vote for a party that gives tax breaks to rich people, or rewards companies for unethical practices, or that doesn’t demand accountability in terms of environmental protection, or focuses on upholding their interpretation of the Bible versus the Constitution.
Obviously these comments are general and do not apply to all in any group I talked about. And besides all that, Palin actually does scare me. Even I know what the Bush Doctrine is. She’s a smart lady but we need people with general knowledge of federal issues not those very specific Alaska issues- including that maritime border with Russia.
I do respect different opinions however, and I wish more people would seek more information. I hate those dumb e-mail forwards with all those bogus claims (did you hear Obama want’s to change the national anthem!!!). And unfortunately, that’s where a lot of people get their news. Sad.
Miss you Kervin!
Ha! Oh Jen, “you don’t gotta sign dat.” Classic. It’s been too long, my friend.
I’m glad to hear your response. I’ve posed this question because I’m trying to foster that honest dialogue. I take issue with a few things you’ve said, but overall I do appreciate your clearly well thought out reasoning for supporting Obama. One thing you noted, which it warmed my heart to see, was that there are a great many times when both parties want the same end result by way of different means. I’ve said the same many times, though when referring to movements of thought, I usually prefer to use ideological terms rather than party names. Failures of the Republicans, of which there are many, are not failures of Conservatism per se. I’d even submit that neither major party truly represents Conservatism at this point.
I’m so sorry to hear about the mistreatment of those who have served our country like your fiance. One thing I think all Americans can agree on is that our vets need to be given the utmost care, respect, and reward for their service. It makes my heart sick to see news reports of abuses like the kind we saw with Walter Reed.
I could definitely pick apart different things that you mentioned, but I understand where different things comes from our different perspectives. Besides, the point of the questions wasn’t to have someone answer and then rip them apart. I appreciate your contribution!
At the end of the day, I think there are a lot of good, intelligent Republicans and Dems. You and I are great examples! It’s hard to delineate conservative from liberal a lot of the time especially when it’s tied to policy. Of course we can pick things apart about ideas but I like the big picture.
Your question was hard though. You were asking about these intangibles: “hope” and “change” that are really hard to nail down in practical terms. So it’s good to try to articulate it. Of course, I’m going to say that the change we need is liberal policy. I don’t like where we’ve been the past 8 years and I’m at heart, liberal. Then why would I like Bush?
Maybe I’ll have a question for you sometime.
I hope so! And I’ll be glad to answer it. I certainly am a libertarian-leaning conservative, but I don’t give my allegiance to a party. Both individuals and parties (which are made up of individuals) will fail us. I think there are great portions of the Bush Administration we could point to as proof. The next president will fail us as well, regardless of who it is. I’ll defend truth, not a person.
In that regard, the differences between Republican and Democrat matter less to me than the differences between liberal and conservative. Parties shift and pander and fail to live up to the ideological standard they claim to defend.
To achieve the best for the country, I think we should determine those things which we all value and pursue those things wholeheartedly; and to those issues on which we don’t agree, let those segments of the country — be they cities, states, or what have you — determine for themselves as they see fit. And that, my friend, is why I’m a strong supporter of states’ rights.
I saw a link to this on Facebook so I felt compelled to respond, even though I definitely won’t be voting for Obama. I think Obama is trying to represent the exact opposite of what he is. He’s not some new guy with fresh ideas; he’s merely a puppet for the DNC. Though he has more of a backbone than John Kerry, I have similar concerns with Obama, as it is difficult to predict what he’ll do when he’s actually elected. He doesn’t have enough experience to give him a credible record to stand on. So he offers some vague, amorphous “change” and hopes that people will drink the Kool-Aid. Only half of his tag line is correct, though: he offers change, but not change that anyone can believe in. His change will drive the economy deeper into recession – let’s face it, when the economy is down, the last thing you need to do is add taxes to the wealthy. They have the most expendable income, so they’re the best able to boost the economy. I don’t particularly like either candidate, but I see McCain as the lesser of two evils. I don’t think he’ll fix all our problems, but at least he won’t make them worse as Obama surely will.
@Jonathan: Yes, I agree. But no President will be able to fix all of our problems. The unfortunate thing in America is that we’ve come to expect the President to do so. The failure of Government is not when they have failed to adequately provide for us. The failure of Government is when they have gotten in our way, demanded our hopes be placed in them, caused us to point and blame our fellow citizens simply because they have what we want, and taxed us into oblivion. And Government has certainly failed us.
Good point.