Election - One week

[kathih]

So I'm 32 years old and FINALLY registered to vote. Don't ask me why I finally did but I'm trying to grow up maybe??? So yeah, I registered as an Independent (because my birthday is Independence Day of course!). Ok not really but it sounded good right? I registered as an independent because I have NO IDEA what party I want to be in. The "religious

Comments

[tinylegacies]

I'm voting for Obama because I believe that the direction our country has gone in the last eight years under the Bush administration is horrible and I believe that four more years under John McCain would make it worse because for all that he throws around the word "Maverick" he has voted in line with Bush's policies 90% of the time.

I can understand the appeal of Palin, but I don't think she is qualified in the least to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. She's far too socially conservative for my taste: she doesn't even support abortion in cases of rape and incest, she supports banning books, and she thinks that liberals are un-American. She also doesn't seem to have a good grasp on what the job of the VP actually is and seems to want to expand the power of the position, which makes me uncomfortable.

But if you'd like some endorsements from other people -- Colin Powell speaks eloquently on why Obama is what this country needs and the Anchorage Daily News says that as much as they like Palin, she's not qualified for the

[tinylegacies]

And another point that I forgot:

Obama seems to have the younger generation really excited. My sister and her friend went to the rally in Pittsburgh yesterday, despite not being old enough to register to vote in time for the election. And she said that there were quite a large number of people from her school there.

Getting the youth of America interested in how the country works and being involved in their society is hugely important to the future of the US, IMO.

[kathih]

Do you think that is because he is younger than most presidential nominees have been lately or because of the way he delivers his speaches?

[tinylegacies]

I think it's probably a combination of both.

He gets a lot of Kennedy-esque comparisons and I think his youthful exuberance is definitely a huge factor in his likeability.

[kajivar]

You don't know me, but ladybug218 linked me

[kathih]

THank you much for your thoughts!

Got too long, have to split it.

[darthrami]

Here from Ladybug. A little background on me, since you don't know me from eve:

I am also registered as an independent. I've been registered to vote since I was 18, and have never registered with a party, because I do not feel that any of the available choices accurately represents my political beliefs all the way through. I have voted for both Republicans and Democrats, though in presidential elections, I have only voted for Democrats, and the same goes for this year.

As for my beliefs, and the candidates:

Religion -- I am spiritual, but not particularly religious. Looking at the candidates, I feel that both of them have a strong foundation in their faith, and have been particularly upset by the Republican Party's attempt at making Obama out to be a "closeted Muslim" or say that his faith was just for show, for in all the research I've found, that is not the case. (And, more importantly, in America, it shouldn't matter if one is Muslim or Jewish or Christian or Pagan, as those things do not make anybody more or less American

Re: Got too long, have to split it.

[darthrami]

And then, of course, there is the main two reasons I'm voting for Obama, and they're both social issues

Re: Got too long, have to split it.

[kathih]

I am also registered as an independent. I've been registered to vote since I was 18, and have never registered with a party, because I do not feel that any of the available choices accurately represents my political beliefs all the way through. That is how I feel too. Thanks for the information.

[butterflykiki]

*waves* Sent over here by the ladybug, thought I'd say a few fast things

[pen37]

I voted (yes, already. Early voting yay!) republican, mainly due to taxes and health care. I work in the health care industry, and my husband and I own two businesses on the side. I tend to be a physcal conservative. I'm also a former reporter, so I tend to try to see both sides of an issue

[tinylegacies]

make life so appealing to it's citizens that they don't get recruited to terror organizations in the first place.

... that's the first time I've heard of that concept as a reason for the war.

It's kind of fascinating, though I wonder how effective it is.

I will say that one thing that bothers me about our country is that we feel like we need to impose our way of life on everyone else.

Yes, I think that women should have equal rights -- but is it really fair for us to go in and demand them? The women in the US banded together a century ago and fought for the right to vote. If those women want those kind of rights, shouldn't we let them fight for them on their own (with our support, maybe)?

[casaubon]

Iraq was a secular state and women had more rights under Saddam than they are likely to have under an Islamic regime. They certainly had access to education.
And Iraq didn't have any links to Al Qaeda before we invaded.

I suspect she means Afghanistan, not Iraq.

[pen37]

Women had more freedoms prior to the gulf war. After the gulf war, Saddam chose to embrace more of the islamic and tribal traditions in order to consolidate power. This, along with economic hardship due to sanctions led to less freedom for Iraqi women