Reader S:
Its been a real roller coaster ride. I was quite impressed by Sen. Obama's speech and found myself planning to vote for him. But the next day, Sen. McCain announced Sarah Palin as his VP candidate, and I moved back to the undecided category.Gov. Palin's speech was very fascinating to watch. I was a little taken aback by her willingness to go after Sen. Obama, but I also found myself admiring her for being so gutsy and able to pull off such a fantastic speech under such stress. Her obvious pro life stance does give me pause, but I want to here more about her views on this topic and others, before I make a decision.So I guess, I am still undecided, and will likely wait till the end of the debates to decide.
Reader B:
I haven't yet made my final decision, though I am leaning toward McCain/Palin. I honestly respect all four candidates and would prefer to seem them perform under the pressure of the debates before making my final decision.
2. Does Sarah Palin make you more likely, less likely to vote for McCain?Much more likely. The governor is someone I admired as a future star of the party before she was chosen. The fact that Senator McCain would reach out to a woman, and to the next generation of leaders, with his pick is inspiring. With 3 senators running, it's wonderful having a normal person from outside of Washington on a ticket.3. If you're still undecided, what are your biggest hangups about Obama and McCain?
Obama: where and will he stand against his party and its interest groups? It's still difficult to see Obama as a president as opposed to the leader of the Democrats as it's hard to find any areas of disagreement. Every candidate needs to eventually stand above his party and for me, Obama hasn't yet done that.McCain: is there a true, consistent governing philosophy that would guide his decisions, or is it mostly gut instinct? I would like to have more confidence in what choices he will make to solve issues, particularly regarding the economy and healthcare. It often seems his desire is to "get things done" more than achieve a specific result.
You can't go from a 0% chance to less than 0%, so I'll just say that McCain's choice of Palin reinforced my decision to not vote for him. It typifies his gambler's mindset when making decisions; reckless, influenced more by gut and emotion than cold reasoning. He liked her story and her perception as a maverick like himself, willfully ignoring or downplaying any information that negated those perceptions (in particular the pork-busting Bridge to Nowhere rejection fantasy). In this way he reminds me far too much of Bush. Perception is more important than reality. Make a decision and sell it rather than do the hard work required to make the right decision in the first place. I don't particularly like Joe Biden, but I can see how he could help Obama be a more effective president. The process Obama went through to arrive at his decision is the kind of process I want our president to use when leading America.
[On] Mccain: I actually voted for him in the 2000 Republican primary. I do accept the less-partisan nature he's displayed over the years as a genuine desire to put country over party. And I also believe he'd be a better choice than Obama for reigning in federal overspending (my #1 issue). But neither of those are enough for me to forgive his unrepentant trumpeting of the Iraq cluster-fuck. I don't trust his foreign policy instincts because of it. I also hate how he swallowed and shat out his integrity in ingratiating himself to Bush and the rest of the Republican establishment in order to try to get their support for his presidential bid. Considering the true character assassination he was subjected to in 2000, that he came back on his knees really cracked my respect for him. The last straw was his turnabout on the Christian ultra-right, the Dobsons and the Robertsons and their kind. I loved him for the agents of intolerance line. Reconciliation with Falwell completed my disillusionment. Finally, I fear another four years of conservative federal and Supreme Court judge appointments.
This talk of religion reminds me of another thing I dislike about Palin; given her Assemblies of God membership and stance on teaching of evolution, her probable belief in literal Biblical creation signifies to me an inability or unwillingness to let fact overrule ideology. What else will she ignore if it doesn't fit into her worldview?
3b. Now Obama: My doubts about Obama are more non-descript. I have a lot of the same fears others have expressed: his relative inexperience in an executive position, the dearth of specifics in his policies, etc. That he executed a remarkable primary campaign, ran a disciplined, innovative and efficient campaign operation (especially when compared to HRC's), and is an excellent motivator, these things assuage some of my experience fears. But I really want more details in his proposals. His budget numbers don't add up. What is all the waste he's going to wring out of the system, the same nebulous waste every candidate promises to cut but somehow never finds once he's in office? He's exceptionally bright, thoughtful and inquisitive, but so was Jimmy Carter. I can't seem to shake the comparison, and I don't know if an agnostic like me can muster enough faith to see beyond it.
After writing this all out, if I had to vote right now, it would be for Obama. But two months is a long time, and until he addresses my concerns, that vote is nowhere near solid.
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