Election 2012

 

 

I've been reading the news from a lot of different sources this morning -- it is difficult to find unbiased reporting. Sometimes I check the LA Times, or the NY Times.  I hear the Wall Street Journal is pretty straightforward, but I have a bit more trust in the BBC than I do just about anything that is written around here.

 

I took a "quiz" online about which candidate I should vote for and it came out that Romney and I agree on more issues than I do with Obama. I am a very middle-of-the-road conservative, in a more traditional sense of the word (limited government and slow to change), but certainly not in the modern, ignorant and twisted way it is used.

 

The problem is that we don't really know whether these are Mitt's true beliefs (or policies) or not, since he says one thing one day and another the next.  He has shown repeatedly that he cannot be trusted.  Even "W" at least was straightforward and steadfast about what he believed -- you had to respect him for that, even if he was wrong-headed.

 

The problem is that the Republican Party has become the party of "I hate and am jealous of everybody who isn't white, straight and Christian." It has become the party of mean-ness and ignorance; the Republican Party represents much of what I think is wrong with this nation.  Republicans have been saying that Barack Obama is the most divisive President in history. I disagree completely.

 

I think it is mostly the Republican radicals who have divided this country, who resort to name-calling whenever anyone disagrees with them.  It is Republican hatred that prevents our government from working, to the point of collapse - and you can see evidence of this almost any time you look for it in your daily news.  It is Republican Party platform and obstructionist policy that threatens to destroy us – and has perhaps already succeeded in doing so.  What we really need to do as a nation is throw out all of the haters and all of the radicals (along with all the lawyers!).

 

Mitt Romney blows like a feather in the wind. I have doubts that he has much integrity if any; I haven’t seen any honesty in him. I think most of what he says and does is posturing and favors the wealthy because that segment is all that he cares about. I think he has revealed his true beliefs in unguarded moments.

 

I am not "against" the wealthy -- I'd love to be one of them -- but I am against "special interests" being able to run the show with no regard for others. I am against back-room deals.  I am against the way things are done by the Dick Cheneys of the world.

 

What I want is a leader with the vision to promote long-range strategically-planned policies that favor success across all of our population and that are in line with what “America” has always meant in its most idealistic sense – but with the realization that it truly is a global world, global population and global economy and we can never be strictly self-serving as a nation again. 

 

While I don't agree with all of Obama's policies and opinions (he’s way too left of center for me and he spends too much money), integrity is everything and he is doing more of the right things to restore the USA's reputation around the world. I believe Barack Obama has integrity. His policies are more environmentally-friendly which is of huge importance. I think his strategy is directed at long-term success and I think the Republicans are wrong about the economy (again, they tend to be self-serving and simple-minded). It was mostly Republican thought and ideas that set the stage for the recent economic collapse.

 

I disagree with Obama’s plan to increase taxes on the wealthy – they should pay the same tax rate as the rest of us.  Anything else is not just and in my opinion un-American. I am in favor of a nation that looks after its own people -- a nation that makes sure its people aren't hungry and that they get the medical care they need.  I am in favor of a nation that makes sure its citizens have access to opportunity and education.  On the other hand it isn't the government's job to provide those things; it is our job as the people of the United States to create and provide them.

 

I think Mitt Romney would be a simple-minded disaster in foreign policy, just like GWB was. I don't have a thing in common with the Christian right and I wouldn't give them an open window to even get into the political house if I could stop them - their beliefs are mostly fantasy and harmful fantasy at that.

 

I wish there was a candidate who was more in line with my beliefs -- it seems like all I ever have to choose from is the lesser of two evils.