I got several messages on Facebook asking me what I thought after the debate last night. Surely I should have my mind made up now, right?
No.
I'm not sure I can explain why. I tried to talk it through with my husband last night, and I just kept going back and forth, back and forth in my own mind. So I copied and pasted an answer I gave to one of my friends, which was just me thinking it through out loud. Um, on my keyboard, I guess:
Oh, definitely Romney took this. Really impressed with his performance. And didn't Obama look SO tired? The biggest problem for me is that it's hard to get to the truth with all the spin. "My experts say THIS." "Well, mine say THIS" about the exact same numbers. I think my biggest issue with Romney isn't even a problem with him. I know this isn't going to be your favorite thing for you to hear, but I think absolutely without question that the Republicans in Congress are being held hostage by the extremists in their faction. And I think Romney has been knuckling under to them. I think that's what you have to do to win elections but you absolutely can NOT govern that way. If he allows them to keep him under lockdown when in office, then we're in big trouble. Their policies make sense when we live in an ideal world, but we don't. The math doesn't translate to reality. Is he going to pander for his first four years to win re-election? Or is he going to really sit down and work across the aisle like he did as governor? I'd vote for that guy. Know why? He was moderate. He was willing to compromise. He listened. I really like that guy. But the Tea Partiers in Congress are creating such an unbelievably toxic environment that I don't even know if it's possible. And that's what holds me back from Romney. Every economist on record says we're going to have to raise taxes. It's crazy to think we can't. And that's where I think Obama makes a lot more sense. On the other hand, I completely believe that Romney understands job creation. I just don't think his party is going to let him be the president he can be. So right now, still undecided. Maybe a little more Obama, not so much because I'm FOR Obama as I am against the extreme Republicans in Congress. I call BS on any of those Tea Partiers who say they're willing to cut spending the second a project in their home districts comes up. They won't do it. They can't. They'd get slaughtered in a re-election race the second their opponents point to all the programs they cut. Not in my backyard, etc. So I don't know. I don't think McCain would have done any better these last four years. I'm convinced he would have done worse, actually. I don't think any human being on the planet could have turned this around in four years. We're too much of a global economy now. So I think it's ignorant when people blame the president. I think he kept us out of freefall. I'm open to the idea of giving him four years to turn it around now. Then again on the holding me back from Obama side: I'm starting to be nervous about the unintended consequences of the health care act. And if it's as bad as the Republicans are saying it will be, then that's worrying. But will it be? It's all just really confusing.
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I got busy and didn't watch the debate, assuming Shawn would TIVO it. When he said he hadn't I was like, "why?" And he said something along the lines of "they're a waste of time at this point because they're for those people who STILL haven't made up their minds which is crazy." And I said, "you mean like me?"
I tend to avoid discussing politics online like the plague, but I wanted to poke my head up and say that your bowing to extremist worry goes both directions. There are extremists on both sides of the aisle who are trying to bully their ideologies onto others. My worry is that both candidates will possibly cave, so the question becomes which extremists can I more easily live with?
I totally agree with everything you've said. If Romney would be the guy I think he is/was, that would be great. But right now he's being somebody else in order to get elected and I don't know what the answer is because he can't be that moderate guy and get enough support from his party. My fear is the unknown. What kind of promises and backroom deals has he had to make to get where he is and what kind favors is he going to be obligated to return if he's elected. Ugh!!
You don't know me, but I just Had to leave a comment. Upfront I will say that I am a strong conservative and planning to vote for Romney.
~Your concern about Romney being able to work with Congress: He has demonstrated, as Governor, how he can and will bring both sides together. You may have only heard about that for the first time last night, because the mainstream media has studiously ignored any good qualities that he (Romney)has.
On the other hand, Obama has demonstrated over the past almost four years, that he is unwilling or unable to sit down at the table and work things out. What makes you hope that the next four years will be any different?
~I do think that Romney is the absolute right choice for this country and for this world right now. Obama's policies have hurt job creation. If he had done absolutely nothing at all, the economy would have come back quicker. Romney's policies can and will encourage job creation. And when there are more jobs, there will be more revenue coming into the system AND less is going out in the form of food stamps, unemployment, etc. The toxic environment that you are referring to are the conservatives, aka Tea Party members, that are fighting to keep more bad policies from being implemented. I fully believe that Romney being elected will open the floodgates of cooperation when there are GOOD polices and measures to pass. And you are right to be worrying about the Obama's Healthcare act. It started out as 2700 pages of legalese, and from what I understand is now much much longer due to amendments and clarifications. By comparison, Romney's Massachusetts healthcare act was less than 200. So many "surprises" are in there, I am terrified of what we still don't know, and how it can be interpreted. And I do believe that McCain would have done a better job. He would have focused on job creation from the get-go, and not just let the
"Stimulus" be IT. He has much more experience in general, and would have been able to better bring both sides of the aisle together on a wide range of issues.
I appreciate your thoughtfulness in considering who to vote for. But consider this: Obama's view is that government can fix everything. That has shown not to work. Free enterprise will create jobs, and Romney has the know how and EXPERIENCE to create the environment where businesses can thrive!
I'm exhausted of talking points for or against candidates, but I just wanted to poke my head in and ask if you've used isidewith.org to try to narrow down your options. It might be helpful?
Sad that knuckling under is what people have to do to get elected. I hate it. You ought to be able to really say what you think and not have to cater. No matter what someone says anymore there are people out there ready to stretch it and twist it and be offended by it. And we wonder why there are no honest speakers anymore. In either party.
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