I have studied policy and voting records and many of the votes that would have helped me make up my mind, well, all three were absent. I say that calm posters might sway me because they might bring something to my attention that I have overlooked or did not pay attention to when reading. Ever since I have been old enough to vote there has been a Bush or Clinton in the White House. I associate two candidates with previous administrations and another one I'm not sure if he has enough experience, yet. The actions of his pastor did cause me to recoil but I am trying to work through that.
One of my main concerns is how in the Hail
are we going to continue to pay for the war????? None of the three has been able to answer that question to my satisfaction. And if I am not satisfied then I am undecided.
I also don't think the three are giving any service to how vulnerable our country is from open borders from a national security standpoint, not an immigration point.
Tom Clancy told Larry King that he had once thought of writing about the 9-11 scenario but he didn't believe it was possible and he didn't think his readers would buy it. I think some areas of our borders that are not secure could lead to a possible "unbelievable" scenario in the future and that concerns me. These are a few of my thoughts, not all, on this race.
No disrespect taken
I can appreciate your thoughts. Here is something to consider: you pretty much know what you will get with McCain and Clinton. Their records are clear.
Obama offers to lead the country to find a way out of the mess that the last Administration has left us...and while he may not have years of experience...that may be a good thing. He may have a greater vision. Some of the most respected politicians (is there such a thing?) and government and business leaders seem to think so.
It could not get much worse, IMO, than the last 7 years--and before someone jumps on this; it is my opinion...you don't have to pay any attention to it!
The Minister was over the top--but there is some context to his anger--and that is not who Obama is. Even the worst of Obama's critics would have to agree [or not ]with that, I believe.
Having spent a good portion of my life (and I am old enough to be your mother, if not your grandmother lol) working in government and politics...I think it is important to know that those clips of the minister did not just magically appear--they were selected by the Opposition Research teams to bring out the fear--so, thoughtful people take that context into account as well. It does not excuse the venom of the isolated remarks, but it does put them into context. It is a political campaign! And, McCain and Clinton are running their campaigns by the old rules. Obama is doing something different.
It is up to the American people to decide whether they want something different or business as usual. And, the truth is: no one knows exactly what will happen, or what they will do, including McCain, Clinton and Obama. World events have a way of inserting themselves into situations, so it does not bother me that they do not know what they will do on every issue. (Obviously Bush had no plan for 911. I remember his promise of "no nation building--and compassionate conservatism"--just look to Iraq and Katrina and see how that plan went.) I am much more interested in the vision they have to make our country better than it is now.
I started this thread because I believe Obama's speech in response to the Oppostion Research strategy of the selected tapes, is analagous to being in an agrument, and one person saying to the other: "you know, you have a point--now, let's discuss it. " It defuses the argument most of the time; and sometimes it elevates the discussion to a place where growth can occur. And if ever we needed to grow in this country, then we need to grow on the subject of how race divides us. As I said in the beginning, I believe he showed a tremendous amount of courage to give that speech. At the same time, it was a good tactical move for his campaign--he had to do something. I also believe he demonstrated the best of the Christian doctrine: he faulted the behavior (sin), while still loving the person(sinner).
I enjoy this discussion board because I think it is good that people in this country care enough to get involved and express an opinion. Most of the time, we do that w/out getting personal or hateful. Sometimes, we mess up there too--but, the important thing is to think about the issues and discuss the pros and cons. and, to realize that our very existence as a country is due to a few brave souls who had the vision of a better world, and were willing to travel to a wilderness to make it happen. America has been better than we are now; we can be better again--but I believe we need a leader and followers who have the vision to get us from here to there.
As I said before and as I am telling my students: think what you want about the political campaign--but pay attention to the speech. It is historically important.
