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Labels: Politics
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I'm 50/50 on who to vote for. One time Obama says something and I think YEAH YEAH... then I read something (in the Post - a liberal-leaning paper) and wonder. Then I hear McCain/Palin and think they have a point... but it makes me gag that they are pandering to the Religious Right. People who would never EVER allow women "elders" would vote for a woman to be Veep? Go figure.
So I still am undecided. Never been that way before.
sigh...
Deb
At 9/15/2008 08:49:00 AM, 
LisaColónDeLay
From what I understand, urban areas tend to vote "blue", and rural (other) areas tend to vote "red", which actaully makes the country look almost all red, but the concentration of populated areas look smaller if one would map it out. Still the "blue" pulls a lot of voting weight in a popular vote.
Last time Kerry thought the race was stolen from him in Ohio, yet he lost in a landslide in the electoral college. The popular vote was razor thin, however. Then same was true in the Gore/Bush race, and we probably all remember the terrible issue there in Florida, Dade County. Hanging Chads! Remember. ugh. The court involvement. NIGHTMARE!
Really insightful comments on Palin/Obama. Thank you for sharing those things. It's a whole new ball game. I'm glad for that. I appreciate when things changed up, b/c those barriers are forever broken.
I agree that many thoughts on issues and politics in this country are being reshaped, and this election race is seminal, and in every facet historic, effecting America, and Presidential elections for decades to come!
At 9/15/2008 07:59:00 PM, medium guy
I heard an interesting commentary on NPR the other day stating that at the time Ronald Reagan was elected [1980], Jimmy Carter delivered a message to the American people stating that our way of life would not be sustainable and we were becoming to selfish, materialistic, and individualistic. Whereas Reagan's message was one of, "Well, we're Americans, so there will always be more, and therefore we should indulge ourselves." Of course, we all know which message carried the day and the era. Scary thing is, I suspect the majority of Americans would choose the same nowadays, but my idealistic side likes to think we're more enlightened. What do you think?
At 9/16/2008 08:03:00 AM, Jemila Kwon
I like your thoughts, Medium Guy. I noticed few people cared about the environment until gas prices skyrocketed -- but now alot of people are waking up. Maybe the first interest was self-centered, but perhaps it is growing into an awareness that we are stewards of the earth and we are God's human community in this world.
I read in Time a few weeks ago that Palin's voting record on many issues is closer to Obama's than to Mcain's. Maybe this has something to do with our blurry lines? I wouldn't trust Palin on international policy for the life of me, but I have the utmost admiration for the woman and I appreciate the way she walks her talk on pro-life issues. On the other hand, with everything but abortion, I love Obama and his thinking is somehow clear, practical and full of a down-to-earth idealism that attracts me. Plus, I think there are ultimately better ways of helping unborn children than legal stuff -- like addressing root causes of risky sexual behavior such as teenage drinking, as well as causes of abortion like poverty and lack of resources for young parents in educational settings and the workplace.
At 9/18/2008 02:16:00 PM, LisaColónDeLay
I heard that this summer was the first summer in 20 years when people actually cut back on driving. Gas finally got high enough to really hit the wallet and people changed their ways. They changed vacation plans, trips and saved more. What happened, gas started to come down in price. The market did correct and people helped the environment, and maybe all the waste or instant gratification (read: American Way) didn't have to be the normal routine.
I can't help but think if every one just cut back 15% at the least, how much better things could become in every respect. Driving scooters, smaller cars, walking, less grandiose vacation, that sort of thing. In the end, it's $ that drives those issues, but maybe it could be ethic/way of life.
Medium Guy - I lived in CA when Reagan became President. That was about the time Falwell and the Moral Majority arose. I just could not vote for Regan––nice guy, but––I had lived under his realm as governor. Deregulated so much that the homeless population increased over night...and it goes on but I digress. Because I was in the minority of my Christian friends and was not voting for Reagan I was told by my fellow Believers that we could no longer be friends as we had nothing in common. 30+ years later and it is deja vu.
Red/Blue?? I think some are voting as to which they could handle better in the White House. A woman or an African American. My DD was told by some rural good ol' boys that they would vote for a black before they would allow a woman.
I want to see the candidates speak honestly about what they want to accomplish and how they will do it. I am so weary of the time wasted digging up dirt and spewing criticism of their opponent.
At 10/20/2008 01:52:00 PM, Elizabeth Glass-Turner
I think that there's going to be refugees from both camps flocking to the other - Republicans tired of the Bush administration, thinking Obama is an evangelical (which he's not), and Democrats uncomfortable with some of Obama's extreme views, and also attracted to the ticket with the woman on it.
Also, what many polls aren't reporting? That Bob Barr is running at around 4% as a third candidate! I don't know what color that makes him.
I guess the question is 50 / 50 based on what - all voters, all people, all states, those voters who actually vote, those that actually know something about what they are voting about, the country by cities and towns. I think it is unlikely that we are truly 50 /50 in any of these breakouts, but when you boil it down to an electorial college, it appears that we are.
I think that both Obama and Palin are igniting changes and making people think about where they are. Due to the barriers that one or the other of these candidates is going to break, we are in a historic year and people can feel that. They know that their vote will change the future not just in the political spectrum, but in the way this whole country thinks about race and gender.