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I'm a registered Independent who actually voted against an entire party in 2008...I was so sick of the state of the country when GWB and the Repubs were in charge, that I voted for "change." Boy did I get it.
I have voted in every major election since I was eligible and have always prided myself in knowing the candidates and the issues before voting. In 2008, I didn't care...everyone with a "D" after their name got my mark. That was stupid and I'm ashamed to admit it.
So...I'm back to my old ways...doing research, watching debates, studying the issues, deciding what's important to me...I've come to realize a few things.
The reason I was so irritated with the Republicans is because the things I agreed with them on...smaller government, lower taxes, personal responsibility...all got thrown out the window. They acted irresponsibly and couldn't have found their original platform with a GPS system. People accused them of "acting like Democrats" so when it came down to it, we had a choice between McCain or Obama and Obama won on his broad appeal and McCain couldn't rally many Republicans to go out and vote because you could barely tell the difference between the two of their platforms.
The Democrats are behaving now just like they said they would...and their supporters love them for it. Big government, unions, massive social programs, higher taxes, etc. It's not something I agree with.
So...while I can't say FOR SURE how I'm going to vote in November, if the Republicans find their original platform, I will likely vote for many of them in order to get our country back on the track I believe it should be on.
I think that huge government programs are a very bad idea and I think that punishing the corporations and small businesses who are the only hope of changing the unemployment numbers is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Unlike many Democratic supporters, I don't see every business owner as some sort of Wall Street Fat Cat. I don't want to punish business and people for making money and I don't think that everyone deserves to have an equal playing field...there should be a reward for doing the right thing, graduating from high school and/or college, working hard, etc and I'm okay with leaving those who chose the wrong path and refuse to change course behind.
I also don't buy the story of all of these people being denied health insurance for acne. Those stories are told because they are unique. I have a PE condition and have never been denied health insurance. We pay higher premiums because I go to the doctor every 3 months. I am okay with higher premiums and have adjusted our family's budget to accomodate them. We are in no way rich. I don't believe that hard work and determination can't get you ahead and that the only people who are successful are people born with silver spoons in their mouths.
What I've seen is the Obama administration turning certain groups into "enemies" in order to push their agenda through.
First it was Wall Street and the "evil banks" who loaned people money who shouldn't have been able to get it. No one said out loud that the banks weren't the only ones at fault...how about the people who overextended and bought a house they couldn't afford without a "exotic loan"? No one blames the idiots who didn't understand their contracts...instead choosing to blame the banks and as someone who is a big fan of personal reponsibility and taking care of your responsibilities...no matter how inconvenient...I found the entire debate very distasteful.
Now we're on to the "evil insurance companies." Ah yes...those horrible companies who only insure the healthy people and want everyone else to die. Those who raise premiums so high that people are having to cut back on their texting and extended cable services. Every story is of the poor old lady with breast cancer or the man who had acne 15 years ago instead of the fact that well over 1/2 of those of us with insurance want to keep it. Surely many of us have been sick...many of us have preexisting conditions...but it's so much easier to give us the sob stories instead of asking a family who says they "can't afford" health insurance why they all have Blackberries, a McMansion, flat screen tvs in all of their rooms, and are standing in line to buy the IPad. There are some things to change with the insurance industry...just like the homeowner's insurance industry who is rapidly pulling out of Florida and leaving homeowners with only one, incredibly overpriced choice, or car insurance companies who drop you after an accident even though you've paid faithfully for years without a claim.
I'm a big believer in a bumpersticker that I saw last week..."Ask not what your country can do for you...ask what you can do for yourself." If there is a candidate out there who advocates personal responsibility and taking care of your obligations instead of demonizing anyone who makes money or companies who provide a service that many of us like, then he/she will get my vote. My family and I give money to our 3 favorite non-profit groups every year, I am a regular volunteer in my community, and we are teaching our daughters to care for those who are less fortunate. I do this voluntarily and am very irritated with the government taxing my family in order to give to their favorite organizations. I think there is a very large gap between poor and middle class and very few people will ever bridge that gap if the government continues to provide them with incentives not to try.
No, unlike the right, he has pissed all over his base, he's more right wing than any right-winger in any industrialized country, however, I won't go anywhere near a republican. Maybe if they stop trying to be the Christian, homophobic, party of no for rich people, I might give them a shot.
Some of the folks who voted in this poll never voted for Obama based on their posting history.
If they voted for Obama in 2008, they lied about it, and if they didn't vote for Obama then they are lying in the poll here.
Amazing what some people think they can pull off.
As for me, I voted proudly for Obama, I still support him even though I think he is pursuing a couse of action too close to the center, and it's way too early to tell who I will vote for in 2012.
What sort of viable opposition is warming up in the bullpen? Romney? McCain? Palin <snicker>? Dead Fred? Gingrich?
Will there be an opposition candidate left standing by 2012 who hasn't been caught with his zipper down? Will the republicans finally leave the stone age and nominate a woman candidate (and no, I didn't forget about Sarah. I mean a real woman with chops and creds, not a high school cheerleader with round heels.)?
Give me a choice here, anyway. If there is no GOOD alternative, Obama will be there until 2016. Then it's Michelle's turn.
I thoroughly studied Barack Obama's background, accomplishments and experience, both before and during his legislative career. I found him to be incredibly centrist and consistently successful in resolving problems and passing legislation by working with both major political parties, and sometimes even against his own. I had high hopes that he would be able to continue that type of success as President.
What I didn't account for was how angry and downright obstructionist the Republicans would be, even against their own interests, let alone those of the country. It's both sad and shameful.
Yet in spite of all the hateful and ugly things the Republicans have pulled to try to tear down this President, he has continued to calmly and systematically effect changes that have turned the economy around from the downward spiral it was in when he took office, that will ultimately improve the lives of the middle class, and that will make us a healthier and wealthier country in the years and decades to come.
So yes, you bet I will not only gladly vote for him again, but I will again campaign for him and do whatever is in my power to help him win a second term.
I am curious to know the main reason(s) u voted for him in 2008
The U.S.A.
I liked McCain and his policies and his voting record well enough. I might have voted for him, but I didn't want the female GHWB to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. The other ticket was clearly the better choice for the USA.
Quote:
& the main reason(s) u will not vote for him in 2012...
I might vote for him again in 2012. Why?
Same answer. I'll pick the ticket I think is best for our country.
Some of the folks who voted in this poll never voted for Obama based on their posting history.
If they voted for Obama in 2008, they lied about it, and if they didn't vote for Obama then they are lying in the poll here.
This statement is an assumption, and not true in my case. I did vote for Obama in 2008 because I was tired of the bullsh!%$ fake Iraq war where they said there were WMD's, but no one found anything yet we still occupied Iraq. I was also tired of the whole Patriot Act kind of laws that were being put in place. I was like everyone just wanting a change. I thought from his campaign that Obama made it sound like he would be the guy that really cared to "change" things. I wanted to believe in him not being like all politicians, but this past year or so has made me see that he is just like every other politician. I am starting to see beyond a party, and into the real agenda of things. I'll bet someone will call names or attack me over my opinion now too because that seems to be the norm on city-data for people who still love Obama....It's as if you are defending him like he was your buddy in high-school when no one actually knows him or his childhood.
This statement is an assumption, and not true in my case. I did vote for Obama in 2008 because I was tired of the bullsh!%$ fake Iraq war where they said there were WMD's, but no one found anything yet we still occupied Iraq. I was also tired of the whole Patriot Act kind of laws that were being put in place. I was like everyone just wanting a change. I thought from his campaign that Obama made it sound like he would be the guy that really cared to "change" things. I wanted to believe in him not being like all politicians, but this past year or so has made me see that he is just like every other politician. I am starting to see beyond a party, and into the real agenda of things. I'll bet someone will call names or attack me over my opinion now too because that seems to be the norm on city-data for people who still love Obama....It's as if you are defending him like he was your buddy in high-school when no one actually knows him or his childhood.
Then I wasn't talking about you, now was I? I said "...based on their posting history". This means that I profess first-hand knowledge of their posting history and know that somewhere along the line they are trying to blow smoke up someone's butt. In otherwords, the ones I was talking about are lying *******s and the truth is not in them.
The hopey-changey thing is working out just fine for me, BTW, except that the change isn't coming fast enough and is much too centrist when it does.
The hopey-changey thing is working out just fine for me, BTW, except that the change isn't coming fast enough and is much too centrist when it does.
You kinda were talking about people like me who disagree with Obama on here. People wouldn't have thought I would have ever voted for him, but I did, and I thought it was the right choice at the time.
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