My voting history looks like this.
88 – Bush
92 – Browne or Bush (I don’t remember)
96 – Browne
2000 – Browne
2004 – Bush
Clearly, I have to vote for Barak Obama just so I can keep the “B” thing going 
Actually, this is not rocket science. My basic principles have not changed. I believe government should generally stay out of the way and do only those things that private citizens really can’t handle themselves, such as national defense, negotiate treaties, build roads and bridges, etc. Neither Obama nor McCain will be delivering a government like that. I’m not opposed to 3rd parties, but having lived in GA when Barr was in Congress I do not buy the conversion to libertarianism. I don’t trust him.
However, in this election there are bigger issues at hand. America’s standing in the world is trashed after 6 years of the Bush doctrine. What other countries think matters. We are sharing this planet for the foreseeable future. Only one candidate seems to understand that.
Our ability to overcome the challenges of energy dependence, climate change, and whatever else the universe throws at us is directly dependent on our ability to understand the universe around this. I’m not voting for the presidential candidate that thinks a planetarium projection system that is used to educate millions of kids every year about the wonders of the universe is nothing more than an overpriced overhead projector. If America is to maintain it’s leadership role it has to lead in science and innovation. An administration filled with people that believe Adam commuted to work on a dinosaur is not going to deliver that.
There is a lot about Obama’s plans that I don’t agree with. Universal pre-K education has been shown to only benefit a small portion of the population, those kids most at risk to fall behind early. It’s wasted money on the 80% of the population that is within 2 standard deviations from the norm.
Healthcare is fucked in the US. Neither candidate really has a workable solution, but Obama has clearly put a lot of thought into his plans, and I believe he will continue to work at it after he is in office. McCain’s plan is bought and paid for by the insurance companies. Obama presents a better chance (although not a particularly good chance) to end up with something that actually works. Some sort of universal health care is inevitable. The question is just how much will it suck, and will it suck worse than what we have now? Obama is the smarter of the two, which provides a slightly better chance of universal health care being passable. Anyway, not having to worry about maintaining corporate health insurance will open up a waive of innovation and entrepreneurism that will transform the country.
Obama is not going to deliver energy independence in 10 years. I’m sure he is sincere in his desire to, but the only way that happens is if aliens deliver us astounding new technology. I’m not counting on that either.
Policies matter. Opinions matter. And yes, even race matters a little. It says something really positive and hopeful about us that one generation removed from the argument about whether or not blacks deserved equal rights we are on the verge of electing a black guy President. Age matters too. The Boomers have screwed up this country enough. Obama will be our first post baby boomer President. It’s time for my generation to take control.
Most of that is window dressing through. Bush has done more damage to our freedom in the 7 years since 9/11 than every President in my lifetime combined. McCain will simply be a continuation of the Bush doctrine of imperialistic expansion of US meddling in the Middle East, and further restrictions on civil freedoms at home. Neither is acceptable to me.
I’m voting for the candidate that will deliver less war and more freedom. The hippies had it right when they said make love, not war.
I’m voting for Barack Obama.
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Yes, but if I recall, you don’t live in Real America, so your vote doesn’t really count.
Spotsylvania County VA is well within the boundaries of real VA. I suspect McCain will get 65% of the popular vote here.
Ironic! — this could be the most “straight talk” for Obama I’ve seen.
I feel much the same way you do on issues you mentioned.
I am much worried about the Dems having total control of Congress & the Whitehouse to spend money much as the Reps did. I don’t think either party can be trusted w/ the cookie jar.
Not really happy either candidate voted for the bank bail out that looks like it went to CEO bonuses & other crap.
Somewhere this gov wasteful spending has got to stop on so many things the war included.
I am wondering how this country can pay for all their promises & then some. I am worried that my family might start looking rich. We are blessed dear hubby earns enough for me to home full time I guess that does make us quite fortunate. We are certainly far from new cars, new house & vacations & other fancy trappings.
We make do because we are careful & thrifty not because we are blessed to not worry about money.
It is even more upsetting to see college dollars & retirement money we have saved disappearing faster on paper than they go into savings programs.
I am feeling way more like the ant & not the grasshopper lately.
If Obama wins I agree and I hope it will take race relations to a whole new place in this country & much healing to all.
However, I have just as many concerns about the extreme left wing that backs him as I do about the extreme right wing that backs McCain. We’ve certainly seen w/ Bush2 what his inexperience caused for this country.
So I am not really sure about casting my vote tomorrow… I don’t know which one to trust. Gee this really does feel like a bad episode of Survivor.
I just hope we have a clear winner & there is not a squabble over who stole what state etc…and I will be happy. I just want this all to move on & Bush gone.
You summed up why I am voting for Obama very nicely.
Traci –
From your description, it doesn’t sound like your DH makes over $250K a year so the tax changes that Obama has proposed should benefit your family.
I think we all have to remember that these are only proposals though. A long way from being law.
DH and I have both voted for Obama but we understand that he is not going to be able to do everything he has proposed, even with a 100% Democratic Congress.
But it will be good to have the country moving in the right direction after 8 years of the sort of damage Chris sums up so well.
Nance
Interesting blog and post. Relebantly, as many influential experts and publications have repeatedly pointed out, Obama is part of Generation Jones, born 1954-1965, between the Boomers and Xers.
Here’s a recent 5 minute GenJones video which features many top pundits (including David Brooks, Clarence Page, Dick Morris, Juan Williams, Karen Tumulty, Howard Wolfson, Michael Barone, etc.) specifically talking about Obama membership in Generation Jones, as well as the surprisingly big role that GenJones is now playing in this election: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ta_Du5K0jk
Yeah, I sort of struggled with the Gen ? categorization for Obama. He is a little too old for Gen X. I think he was born at the very end of the boomer years by some standards, however he clearly is not a boomer. He was too young to really be affected by Vietnam. I had not heard of Gen Jones before, that is interesting.