Reasoning Through My Vote

October 22, 2008

For the past few weeks, I’ve been leaning heavily towards Obama… now I’ve landed firmly back in the “undecided” camp. I’ve got my ballot, and am ready to check a box on most of the smaller offices (I actually had a dream last night about running into my representative at the grocery store… weird), but I’m still thinking through the big one. Here are the issues that are the most important to me:

Marketing America

We are not going to be the world’s lone superpower for much longer. It’s about time we realized how bad that is for us if the rest of the world hates us when they move above us in the ranks. Bush, as much as I respect him for parts of his presidency, has flat out failed at this one. McCain doesn’t seem to be much better. It’s time to stop being the world’s cowboy. If Obama is good at anything, it’s marketing himself. This is not an issue I’ve heard talked about much, but in light how how poorly we’ve done at it in the last eight years, it’s one of the most important to me now.
Point: Obama

The Economy

(I’m tempted to include fiscal policy under this heading, but I’m going to force myself to separate out the two.) McCain has come right out and said he doesn’t understand the economy. And if that weren’t enough, Colin Powell gives this as his only truly concrete reason behind choosing not to endorse McCain. However, if I force myself to exclude issues of fiscal policy at a government level, Obama comes out neutral in by book, primarily because I just don’t know enough. Looks like I’ve found a spot where I need to do some more digging.
Point: pending

Fiscal Policy

Okay, this one pisses me off. As a nation, we’re wracked with debt, and an incomprehensible budget deficit is only making it worse, and yet both candidates are trumpeting their marvelous tax cuts. I honestly just don’t trust what either of them says, and have no idea what to expect on this. Both say they want to balance the budget, but every candidate says that.

Obama has proposed something along the lines of $800,000,000,000 in new spending. I don’t care what he thinks he can cut out of the budget to make that much room, I guarantee it won’t be that simple; we will have to pay for it one way or another. And no, pulling out of Iraq doesn’t free up any money, it only means we’re borrowing less. Then again, I do have to note that the Dems have a much better track record in recent years of paying down the national debt. I feel like this issue is a craps shoot, either way.
Point: neither

Health Care

I do not want socialized health care. Period. Our health care system is a mess, and I don’t think any one plan is going to fix it. I also think, with our national debt and economy in the position they are in, we simply cannot afford the cost of setting up a socialized health care plan, even if I liked it as an option. Besides costing over $400 billion, assesments of Obama’s plan have called it, “a potpourri of prior initiatives that lacks an integrated design.” E.g. It’s just a lot of band-aids.

McCain’s plan just makes sense. Separate insurance from employment; open the insurance companies up to more competition and let the free market bring things closer to the balance they need. Will it fix everything? Certainly not. But it’s a step in the right direction. Check out this article defending McCain’s plan.
Point: McCain

Education

This one’s another mess. I’ll be brief by saying, I believe in a free market economy. Let’s give McCain’s voucher idea a chance.
Point: McCain

Conclusion

I can’t decide. I want to vote for Obama. I really like the guy. I just don’t think we can afford his policies. I’m voting McCain. President John McCain. And Vice President Sarah… oh, crap!

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