The reasons to vote for someone are hard to quantify. Sometimes it's the issues. Sometimes it's based on the person. Sometimes it is just a gut feeling. I am going to try and break down my top 10 issues and award points to both McCain and Obama and see where they end up compared to each other. The most they can get is 5 points per issue.
1. Abortion - McCain is solidly pro life. Obama is pro choice and even voted to protect infanticide simply because it might undermine Roe V Wade. I'm not fooled by Obama's rhetoric on this issue.
McCain 5
Obama 0
2. Health care - Obama wants to bring the uninsured into the federal system or provide help to low income families to purchase private insurance. McCain wants to tax health benefits and give a tax credit to cover some of the costs for individuals. I like Obama's plan while McCain's plan flat out sucks and will lead to more uninsured.
McCain 0
Obama 5
3. Iraq - McCain was right about the surge and wants to keep our troops there for many years to come. Obama wants to get out as soon as possible. I hate the war as much as the next person but I also want a stabilized Iraq when we leave.
McCain 4
Obama 0
4. Taxes - Obama is promising a tax cut to those making under $250,000. McCain's tax plan helps those making more money while also raising the deduction per child. That doesn't help me at all. I am better off under Obama's plan, assuming that he is serious about his plan. That's a big assumption.
McCain 0
Obama 4
5. Darfur - Both have similar voting records when it comes to Darfur but Obama has been a much more consistent champion of the cause. He also is willing to have the country take a more active role in the peacekeeping missions. McCain on the other hand sees it as another Somalia and is less likely to commit money and or troops.
McCain 1
Obama 5
6. Energy - Both claim to support renewable energy. McCain wants to drill for domestic oil and supports nuclear power but unfortunately doesn't support ethanol. Obama is more committed to wind and solar and less so to drilling. He also wants to raise fuel mileage standards.
McCain 4
Obama 4
7. Economy - Neither one has a whole lot of credibility in fixing the economy. Both voted for the bailout which ended up as nothing but a give away to wall street and other special interests. One good idea from Obama is allowing early withdrawals from 401ks without penalty. McCain wants to cut business and investment taxes while Obama is more likely to infuse the economy with government cash.
McCain 0
Obama 3
8. Terrorism - McCain has a lot more experience in foreign affairs and will be more forceful in combating our enemies. Obama wants to bring other countries together to help our cause. Unfortunately, he also wants to revert back to the old days of treating terrorism as a crime instead of an act of war.
McCain 5
Obama 1
9. School Choice - McCain has been a long time supporter of school vouchers and charter schools. Obama is in bed with the teachers unions which means he wants more money and little reform or accountability.
McCain 5
Obama 0
10. Character and Experience - McCain has built up a lot of good will and trust over the years. However, it appears he is willing to compromise some of his integrity in order to win the race. Nothing that can't be repaired but it does undermine his image of putting principles above politics. McCain also has years of experience fighting the system but few results to show for it. Obama has virtually no track record of accomplishments or reform. None! And I truly don't know if he believes every thing he says or not. What is his moral compass? His association with ACORN and Jeremiah Wright scare the hell out of me.
McCain 4
Obama 0
Total out of possible 50 points:
McCain 28
Obama 22
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15 comments:
Jeff,
Dr. Snyder is fuming, are u still considered a charter member of the Dead Historian Society? A couple of things first:
Health Care: Obama has a $12,000 penalty if a company cannot afford health care per employee. Also, you get fined if you cannot afford health care. I am not sure about this tax thing on McCain's plan, as he claims they offset themselves. Plus, there is a provision that if you choose to pay for your own the company can receive a tax benefit for paying you the salary rather than the benefit.
Taxes: Jeff, Obama's tax plan is welfare for 40% of the country, desguised as a tax cut. Obama wants to spread the wealth, by the way what good does raising taxes on people who produce jobs when jobs are being lost. Yes, more job loss. If a small business makes more than $250,000, they get hit with the tax. So what do you do to avoid the tax, make less than $250,000 and fire some people if you are close to that dollar figure. However, if you have a new tax bill of $40,000, how is it paid for? Two ways, increase prices and see a drop in business which leads to layoffs, or just lay off the guy making $50,000 to cover that new expense. His tax plan may not mean anything to you personally, but to the business world it is a profit killer which destroys the tax base and jobs. If Obama wins watch the markets completely crash.
Darfur, this issue is like everything else. Obama says something on the trail and is completly opposite in action. If Obama is out to stop the genocide in Darfur, why did he not only support his "cousin" Odinga in Kenya, but brake the law in campaigning for him durring his visit in early 2007. Read last Sunday's Washington Times and find out who Odinga is, a real slimeball. If Obama would stop the genocide in Darfur why did he campaign for a man who displaced 500,000 christians to be elected after he lost by 250,000 votes.
I hope that clears up somethings Jeff. I am concerned about My Country. Having read "An the Almond Tree Blossoms" By sir David Aikman, I fear this book is coming true more and more everyday.
I am amazed at how much cheating the dems are doing this year. Credit card fraud going to the Obama campaign, last minute additions to primaries so canidates can raise more money such as Missourri, Acorn, and now they have found Obama homes with volunteers registering multiple times and they do not even live in these swing states. This thing is a mess, and I hope we can survive this mess.
Cj
Jeff -
As always, we rarely agree on issues, but I am always heartened by your thoughtfulness in your politics. And, you know I'm happy that you gave Obama a higher score on health care - I must be rubbing off on you! ;o)
CJ
Your analysis on health care is flat out wrong. The penalty is only to large businesses - like say, Wal-Mart - who don't offer health insurance. Also, the whole idea of a "pay or play" approach to funding health insurance expansion is what Massachusets under ROMNEY'S leadership, and it is cheaper that what these employers would pay to offer health insurance to their staff. Flat out, McCain's health "plan" sucks. A tax credit is NOT a health plan. And tax credit that still leaves a $7K whole for people to pick up in order to go out and buy health insurance on their own is not helping anyone!
Also, I find it laughable that Republicans are up in arms about the ACORN thing and their fear that the election will be stolen considering what happened last election. But, anything to brace yourself for defeat, I suppose....
While I do not agree with what has happened with ACORN and registering voters, I do not think it is a major threat to voter turnout. I will say that what you are seeing happening is a valid risk when you have any type of signature/ballot campaign and people are paid to collect signatures.
Tamesha,
I am not going to get into McCain's plan. While choice is a policy, since it allows me the individual to have more choices, I will rack that into nothing more than idiology. However, I would like to put into play two things, and if there is any offence I apologize as my coments are meant to spur thought about government involvement.
Tameshia I assume you work with Jeff in the statehouse. I will also assume you have a left wing worldview, which includes that government is the savior of man in some forms but not all. I will also assume Tameshia that outside of college and high school you have never held a job outside of politics or government. If those are wrong assumptions I apologize, and I just proved what assuming does.
From a personal standpoint. I do not trust the government with my sons life. When you look to England and Canada there health care is in shambles. Doctors are leaving those countries left and right, and now Canada is in the midst of debating bringing in "profit" modeled clinics to keep doctors in Canada. When Canadians need surgery they do not have it done in Canada by in large, if they are wealthy or even middle class they also buy American insurance to make sure they get their needs fulfilled. It is government intrusion that makes health care so expensive in the first place. Plus, go to any military hospital or vet hospital and the waits are horrendous. When I take my step daughter Balboa naval medical hospital for a simple check up I am amazed at the 4 hour wait to see a nurse practioner. Remember, the Walter Reed mess just two years ago, that is what you will get in America if you socialize it.
Your example of the Romney plan in Mass, is the very reason why he did not win the nomination. Conservatives looked at that and said what a mess. While I was a Romney voter, since there was nobody else to vote for, the Massachussets model has been horrible. Self-Proprietors are getting killed. If they go two years without insurance their fine goes up to over $1500. If you CHOOSE to not get insurance you should not be forced to get it.
One thing I do not understand about liberals is this. They constantly complain, and rightly so as many actions were not just unbelievable but downright disgusting, about government interferance in civil rights. We had school segregation, the Tuskegee experiments, endorsement of Slavery America's original sin, and the modern housing crisis brought by GSE's, the coming student loan crisis brought on by GSE's, the looming destruction of the American economy by Medicare with its insolvancy in two-five years, amongst others. Why would you trust government? The same people who brought you all of this you are now willing to turn your life over too? The same people who have created the messes that our grandchildren's grandchildren will have to pay for, we want to give them the choice of our lives.
What stops the next step? You are too old to pay bills for and we cannot afford it? You are to sick and the recovery time is to long? That you do not have long to live to pay your bills? Now can those happen now, yes they do, but insurance companies have little choice in many of these situations now. I have spent more time than I wish too in ICU units over the last two years. What I find there is the most upliffting stories you will ever see. Parents who never give up fighting, even when the doctor says there is no need too. What you find are kids who pull through to lead normal lives. Why would we want to stop that? If we turn health care over to a GSE,who do you appeal to for continued coverage? The government will at that point be profit and king, and that can only lead to more Tuskegee moments. That is the history of all governments not just ours, when they get intrusive they become destructive.
With our unfornuate history, I just do not understand why anybody would trust government or any government with such a huge issue.
CJ
Tamesha,
In regards to ACORN. What is so disturbing is this? How many congressional seats in 2006 were won by dems because of fraudulent voting? If it is so small that it would not hurt anything why would the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals throw out 200,000 registrations. Bush in 2004 won Ohio with 185,000 votes, I doubt one of those 200,000 people registrations would have voted for Bush. I am not a Bush fan as his largest failures have come when he tried to cross the aisle and got stabbed in the back time after time. Yet, if this were to happen in any other country we would be all up in arms. Oh yeah do not forget that there are more people registered to vote in Indianapolis than there are eligible voters.
Why does this matter? Think back to the Indiana primary, it was what put the final nail in the Clinton campaign. She needed a big win and did not get it and almost lost the state. Look at Lake County and what has happened. The mayor of Gary went on MSNBC, CNN, and FOX and said I am just waiting to hear how many votes I need to get. Was he a supporter of Hillary, nope but of Barry. They stayed up as late as they could without releasing a single vote total, until people in the press were openly mocking the city over the how many votes do you need. WEll, how do you get these votes? Simple you register thousands of people who have no reason to vote, and then in the last half hour they all show up to vote. If it is not close they do not need to vote, but if it is they do. Remember 2000, not Florida but New Mexico, which ended up having no final impact. Bush was declared the winner on the night of the election. However, due to the closeness of the election there was a mandated recount. No big deal the law is the law. However, three weeks after the election a "box of votes" had been discovered that had not been previously counted. In that box 80-90% of the votes were for Gore. Or what about the 2004 Washington govenors race, where the Republican won the race on election day, the following recount, the following court mandated recount, and then lost when 1500 felons were allowed to cast illegal votes. Oh and who can forget the 2002 North Dakota race of John Thune vs Tim Johnson. There was tremendous voter fraud, Thune had a case, but decided he did not want to turn North Dakota into North Florida. That is why we in the right get worked up over groups like ACORN, who recieves taxpayer money. They turn what Lincoln called "man's great last hope" into a system of fraud and deciet.
I do not know were this race really is at currently. Most of the polls maybe wrong because ACORN has inflated voter registration across the country, which has produced polls that have 40% dems and only 24% republican in them. Of course you are going to have an Obama landslide, these polls are suppressing McCain votes. I think BO will win, but at what cost and will it be worth it? Can we survive it? Bush has governed from the left on domestic issues minus taxes and look what it has gotten us. "Government is not the solution it is the Problem"
CJ
CJ
Thanks for your response. Actually, I do not work in government anymore. I worked for the federal gov't for a while and that was a nightmare. More because of the people than the actual work itself.
I have worked in healthcare for my whole career and have seen the horrors of people not being to access quality care and the probelm of allowing the market rule. I am not a proponent of a single payer like canada or europe, which is why obama's plan of allowing people to buy into the federal health system makes sense. I don.t trust insurance companies who are motivated by profits to be the sole deliverers of quality care.
I do not think of government as savior, but I do think that government plays a vital role in protecting and providing resources and opportunities for her citizens. If that makes me left wing, I will gladly assume that label.
Tamesha,
Then why does Obama go to some places and call it single payer, and then when "everybody" is watching say it is not. That is why BO cannot be trusted. What is wrong with Profit, it is what pays us. Chavez decries it but I have not seen him turn away the petro dollars.
Also, this registration fraud has now turned into voter fraud in Ohio. The Attorney General has been sent this case.
http://www.palestra.net/ Click on the house and now people are voting illegally.
cj
Also, in the Tuskegee incident racism was the culprit.Government in the hands of racist individuals and a racist system that is unaware or in denial of their racism will always fail.
Tameshia,
First I just reread one of my comments and I apologize for misspellings and grammar issues. I broke the first rule of my job as a domestic engineer: do not type and prepare a kindergartner, 4th grader, and preschooler for the day and get into a discussion. Which is why my boss cannot wait for the election to be over so I focus on my job instead of my second love politics.
You are right that Tuskegee was a racist act, there is no denying it. It was vile and disgusting, again created by a democratic administration who had been given absolute power: FDR. Which is the point, when you give government unlimmitted power than the unthinkable will occur, and one day people will shake their heads and ask how could something so brutal occur. What stops any government from doing the same against the elderly, sick, or poor. When you give absolute power to somebody it creates absolute curroption.
The GSE's are a perfect example, within this government mess Jordan Reins (sp?) requested that the books be cooked in order to make his bonus. When Bush called him on it in 2001, 2003, and 2005 in cogressional hearings (by the way you can see them on YouTube) Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, and the rest of the senate Dems said no we are not going to allow an investigation. Think of all the money lost because Frank lived with a VP of Fannie, Dodd was receiving multiple home loans that nobody else could get, and Barry in TWO YEARS became the second all time recepient of Fannie money. Do you think there will not be the same corruption in a GSE health care system. It is illogical to think that government has found Jesus in this mess, as they are trying to fix a dam collapse with a boulder. It will work in the short term and create a bigger mess later. The reality is simple either let the market fix the problem now or let it fix it later with more furry. The more govt involvement the more furry later.
CJ
Jeff,
Great job at "scoring" the candidates. I had done this in my head and had tried to explain my process to my wife, but I was unsucessful. I'll be directing her to your blog for an explanation.
One thing I've always been curious about re: the left...maybe its an easy answer that I'm overlooking, maybe its straight up hypocracy. I'd love to know.
As proponents of choice, the left has always championed the right of the individual to choose for them, or their family. In fact, BO's pet project is the Freedom of Choice Act. Why then, is it so impossible for them to support school vouchers? Sure, the FOCA refers directly to the right of a women to choose to have an abortion and school vouchers is all about the right of the parents to choose what school their child goes to, but the root of both of these issues is choice. Why is it imperitive that the "right to choose" be protected at all costs for one issue (abortion), but then denied and belittled in another (school vouchers).
I don't have an answer except to think that is straight up hypocracy, but then again, I don't fancy myself to be a political heavyweight....just a curious citizen. Any thoughts?
Is that CJ Good posting all that "right wing" rhetoric? Music to my ears.....:)
Jason Ford
Bill Hall 94-96
bonovox40@mac.com
Seriously, do you guys think they are even going to get to healthcare in the next 4 years?? To me this is not a real strong point on whom I want to vote for. To be honest, I don't care for either plan too much...
Great post, Jeff - glad you came out on the McCain side, though! ;)
Jules,
If BO gets to 60 Senators, you bet we will have single payer. I just posted, my beliefs as to what will happen in the first 6 months of a BO administration.
http://itshouldbeso.blogtownhall.com/
CJ
CJ, I totally understand your fears. I didn't mean to belittle the matter at all. I too fear an Obama/Biden presidency. And, yes, you are right about the supermajority. Anything could happen. I guess for me it comes down to biblical values and I don't see how Obama measures up no matter how many have tried to convince myself and others. I just recently watched an Obama support video about "CHANGE" with all the music to go with it. I tell you, people look at him like he is their saviour. My Saviour is Jesus Christ. No one can compare. In saying this, God knows who is going to be elected and there will be a reason for his presidency. If it turns out to be Obama like everyone already says, then maybe it is for a few million people to WAKE UP! Unfortunately the rest of us will have to suffer the consequences as well. I have really been trying hard to put my faith and trust in God and his Divine authority.
Yes, we must rely on the divinity of God and his authority. We must remember that God allowed Isreal to have a King even though he begged them not to ask for one. It eventually led to the destruction of ancient Isreal. We as Americans must remember, that while God inspired the greatest government in the history of the world, that it does not mean he will not allow it to fall apart, if we do not act.
The reality is Health Care is the least of my voting habits, while there needs to be major reform in medicare and medicade which is the reason why it has become so expensive. However, health care is a symptom to the problem of BO. It is simple it is a jobs killer, Canada was on the verge of bancruptcy until oil hit $150 a barrell and is concerned it is going to low. Everything BO has endorsed has proven to be so bad that europe is moving away from it to conservatism, Ie. France, Italy, Germany, and Canada.
If Obama becomes president we need to be worried about how American we will be when his first term is over.
CJ
Oh and by the way wait until all the obamaiacs find out he sees great value in taxing your 401K to create a second Social Security. The first one worked out so well why not try it a second time. Good Grief...The more I see the only change I see is the new Carter is a better speaker.
cj
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