Most people in my little world are voting for Obama. And those voting for McCain tend to have very different opinions about how our country should be run.
My brother has very similar ideologies as me. Neither of us are necessarily voting over abortion rights, labor rights, immigration, or health care. We both are primarily concerned about the Iraq war and the economy.
To hear him and I speak, you’d realize quickly we agree on what the problems are. We tend even to agree as to what needs to be done to fix them. Yet, he’s voting McCain and I’m voting Obama. He calls me Obama Mamma. I just call him and laugh.
He thinks Obama is a great orator and showman. He thinks, though, that Obama is all words and no action.
I think McCain is sincere and patriotic. But I think McCain will follow the path of Bush: All attention on foreign policy while things here in the country deteriorate.
My brother makes one very strong point. He tells me that our family has never been as well off as we are now. We’ve been in America for 100 years, and it is just our generation that has graduated from college and may have substantial estates of worth to pass to our children. It drives him crazy to hear people complain about how misdirected Americans are. He says we need to travel the world to realize how great America is. Strong point, indeed.
But I do disagree. Yes, overall my family is in better financial shoes than it’s ever been. But at what cost? Our unhealthy dependence on oil is now costing us billions of dollars a month in Iraq. We wouldn’t be in the Middle East if there wasn’t oil there. And there’s also the issue of the oil’s effect on the environment. I personally would like to take care of the world I live in so that my child and her children have a world to live in. And Obama’s position is more in line with my philosophies than McCain’s.
Me? I want a safe world. A safe America. One that allows you to pursue your dreams and not be persecuted because of your religious beliefs (or lack thereof), your sexual orientation, or your country of origin. My ancestors were born in Germany. And Spain. And Canada. Then Louisiana.
And my brother will tell you he wants the same thing, a safe America. And, he’d say, to have that safety, we need to press on in Iraq. I disagree. Well, I agree that we NOW need to press on. But we had no business going there in the first place. No business other than finishing Pappa Bush’s unfinished business. And now we are at risk if we leave prematurely. Again, Obama’s position is more in line with my own philosophy than McCain’s.
My brother admits he is unsure of why the economy is faultering. Partly due to government, partly due to a free market. He’d say don’t have Congress do the Bailout as it was voted on Monday.
But I say that the economy is a result of the loosening of regulations over the financial institutions. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act went a long way in hurting our economy. And now we are in a crisis of epic proportions. A crisis that is DEMANDING government action. Government action that is being rushed. Rushed like the Iraq war was rushed. Ah! But the people are balking! Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, not so much. Now we fear our government and are suspicious when Bush says, “We must act now. Trust us. It’s for your own good. We will take care of you.” And THAT is a problem McCain is inheriting from Bush, whether fair or not. Because at the end of the day, all signs indicate that McCain would do what Bush has done. One needs only look at how McCain’s voted and not by what he says now to see that.
Both McCain and Obama are for a Bailout. I am against it. I may be wrong, but so far no one has been able to fully explain to me just how the markets will fail without the Bailout. No one has been able to tell me how that will impact my job, my home, my life. And no one can explain the $700 Billion figure that was apparently pulled from a hat. McCain, I fear, just doesn’t understand the economic situation, and Obama is generally for more government involvement. I don’t want more government in my life, I just want the government that is in my life to be competent. But at least Obama is following the line I’d expect him to follow. McCain? Why isn’t he saying let the market take care of itself? That’s the GOP line. I like knowing where I can expect my President to fall on an issue; I like some level of certainty.
And that’s the difference to me about our two candidates. Obama has a Big Picture of both America’s foreign affairs but also the very real and threatening problems afoot in our country. McCain has a precise and very clear view of the foreign policy and feels that issue is second to none in his role as President (and is probably the better man for that part of the job), but his grasp of the local issues just isn’t as crisp as it needs to be. And seeing his selection of Palin makes me seriously question his judgment in selecting advisers if he were President.
What’s your opinion? Am I missing something? If you post about this, please leave a link in the comments so that we can read it. Is anyone still undecided?