who are you voting for?
Like many Americans, this upcoming election has been almost (if not completely) annoying to me. I believe the most frustrating part has been trying to decide who, out all of these crazy people, will I eventually choose to vote for as the next POTUS.
As a registered Independent, it has been pretty difficult to choose. Because honestly — I am not sold on any of them.
Throughout this whole process.. here’s how my selections have gone:
Ron Paul
Mike Huckabee
Hillary Clinton
John McCain
Barack Obama
Undecided
And I’ve been undecided for a good while now. But I’ve watched all the debates. Watched as much election coverage as my sanity would allow. And have finally made my decision. And with just over 2 weeks to go–I hope you have decided how you’re voting too.
I will be voting for: John McCain/Sarah Palin
And it came down to this: As a Christian and as a woman, I simply can’t see myself voting for a man who claims to be a Christian and speaks so passionately about human rights but believes that abortion should be a choice. Good enough reason? I hope so. I feel I am choosing the “lesser of two evils” as my mother would say.
So, I’d love to hear the who and the why behind your decision.
It is unlikely that you’d sway me, but hey, you can always try. And don’t be bashful. For some reason there’s a stigma behind revealing our presidential choices. But the way I see it, why would you vote for someone you’re not willing to admit to?
If you’re still undecided, what will it take for you to finally choose?
If you’re NOT going to vote… don’t even tell me. That’s your own problem and I can’t even begin to explain how wrong that is.
REGISTER TO VOTE HERE.
steve jobs.
McCain. No great other reasons.
And I am calling you out Anne J. I think you won’t say. Don’t think it is shame or embarassement, per say, more likely you don’t want to hurt future book sales? I am challenging you with a smile so take it as such. But lets see you put it on the line…will it be a funny response or the real one?
Thanks Crystal for showing your cards. That means a lot.
McCain
i for real am writing in steve jobs.
it’s my right as an american to choose!
I am voting for Bob Barr
I wish Ron Paul would have gone independent.
For the record, I think Obama is more pro life than McCain.
McCain – anti-abortion = 1pt
Obama – anti-war + anti-death penalty = 2pts
i’m just sayin’
I am very much voting for McCain. I will honestly tell you why. I have issues with Obama’s socialist views. I also have issue with the idea of spreading the wealth around. The idea of a tax break for 95% of the people is rediculous. Contained in that 95% is the 40% who don’t make enough to pay taxes. I can’t handle a candidate who claims to be a Christian but doesn’t value life. He wants to expand the tax dollar amount to Plan parenthood. This leads to taxpayer paid abortions. I just can’t do it. I can very much go on and on, but I won’t. lol There you have it.
@Vince — i’m with you on the Ron Paul. if he were on the ticket somewhere, i would vote for him.
(sorry crystal)
Anne, I will need picture proof from the voting booth (use your cell) of your write-in vote. Somewhat kidding…
You could vote for Ronald McDonald too. After all, it is your right.
You also have the right to not vote. It would waste fewer peoples time.
I’m pretty much right there with you, Crystal. I just can’t get past the whole abortion thing.
And while Vince makes an interesting point, it’s about innocence vs. guilt when it comes to abortion and the death penalty.
And the war? It’s true that it’s awful. My brother and three of my cousins have fought over there during the last few years and it was heartbreaking thinking I’d never see them again. BUT…my family chose to enlist. No one forced them. And they’ll be the first to tell you that.
I don’t think McCain is without fault or error. But as you said, Crystal, he’s the lesser of the two evils, in my opinion, of course.
I’m torn.
Obama has a good plan to help Darfur and I think he has a better plan for the economy not steller but good. But the whole abortion thing kinda makes him a no vote.
McCain has no plan for helping Darfur or Uganda and I don’t think he will fix our economy but he is pro-life.
Can I take the things I like about both of them and throw out the things I hate then make a whole new candidate?
mccain
i feel as christians we need to vote for morals above all us! i believe mccain is the better of the two worst; ron paul was my vote.
To be honest, I don’t like either Obama or McCain. But to me McCain/Palin are the lesser of the two evils. Its not that I don’t like Obama its the fact that I don’t like the fact that he is pro choice. That bothers me.
I’ll be voting for McCain.
I so wish that one day we would be able to vote for a truly pro-life candidate…and I don’t mean anti-abortion. I mean someone who values life AND quality of life–someone who cares about unborn babies–someone who cares for senior adults on fixed income that have to choose between heat and heart medicine–someone who cares about the hungry, the poor, the outcast, the wealthy, the disabled, the intelligent, the homeless, the business executive… someone who cares about people more than about personal perception.
Just my thought.
I will be voting for McCain. My vote would be for Huckabee since he has an economic policy that is fair. But the fact the Obama will be appointing court justics that would lean left scares me and then his “spread the wealth around” comment really has me concerned.
McCain.
I don’t understand why one person can’t like both the environment and unborn babies. And I also don’t understand how they can “promise” to do things when the country is hugely in debt. It doesn’t make any sense to me at all. But neither does the election and voting process. But, until i’m in charge of rewriting the whole thing, i’ll vote the way it works now. Besides, my first task in rewritting things that i’ll never be able to rewrite is the Kansas foster care and adoption system.
Anne, Anne, Anne. Cmon, that is a pure cop out. Im with Brice on this one. Biblically we are to never conform. This is one, that is huge. To the world that is. And trust me, THEY ARE WATCHING!
Oh, MCCAIN/PALIN
obama
the abortion issue is not about pro-life, it is about pro-choice. they are not pro-abortion — they are about choice.
my father raped me throughout my childhood and adolescence resulting in a pregnancy. i am thankful that i had the choice to terminate.
no woman EVER wants to have an abortion. it is a difficult decision with serious emotional consequences. but to take that choice away from that woman is making her decision for her. you can’t legislate morality.
@renee, i appreciate your heart and your vulnerability in sharing this about yourself. in a situation such as yours — i can understand the decision to have an abortion. i am not speaking to you when i talk about abortion rights.
there are women all over this country who use abortion as a form of birth control or as their “only option”. don’t believe me on that — ask the girls i used to counsel in crisis clinics.
abortion issue aside — what makes you choose Obama?
@crystal — those women all over the country need to be presented with more options. taught proper sex education. abortions can be prevented, but we need to be able to talk about sex openly.
as far as obama, i am quite liberal, and approve of his policies. i think he will be a refreshing president, and think that the only way out of the hole the nation is in is with him as president. i do believe that he is capable of helping the middle class, and i do believe in his universal health care plans.
that said, the mccain/palin ticket terrifies me. mccain has a noted angry temper, refuses to unseal his psychiatric records (in spite of the torture he received and his diagnosed ptsd), and sounds way too much like he is out of touch with the middle class of america. he resonates with those who want things the way they currently/already are.
and as a side note: i am terrified of mccain dying and palin being president.
@renee, thanks for your insights!
Obama. Here’s why:
I LIKE the idea of spreading the wealth around. Greed has brought our country to its knees.
Decent healthcare (i know this is arguable) should be right for everyone.
McCain is a fear/war monger with anger issues.
McCain is learning how to use the internet. ??
He’s really old, and Palin, although a Christian, is the wrong kind of Christian to lead our nation (if it’s even possible to be a follower of Christ and lead a nation).
Obama, although pro-choice, is not pro-abortion. I myself am pro-life, but ONLY if the government steps in to rescue the unaborted children and/or take care of the “unfit” mothers. Also, the abortion rate won’t really decrease, it process will just become much more dangerous.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Outlawing abortion is like giving tylenol to a cancer patient. It will basically serve to appease the conservative Christian voters, but not tackle any of the real issues from which abortion stem, like proper sex education and proper upbringing. A difference needs to be made in how, and what, children are taught. Only through years of correcting the current methods will fruit be seen in the ways of our society. The Republican ticket does not value our education system the way the Dem ticket does.
Sarah Palin :)
My first choice was Mike Huckabee.
As for spreading the wealth, wealth should be for those whom have earned it. I also believe the welfare system should be run by the church.
And although the abortion issue may not be considered the #1 issue…it is the most basic issue.
McCain / Palin
abortion is a clever way for the republicans to convince the Christians to vote for them (NO OFFENSE CRYSTAL, WE ARE FRIENDS!!!!)
I guess i look at it pragmatically,
abortion, while important, is sort of like fighting against prohibition back in the 20’s. It’s going to happen, and we might as well work toward tackling the issues that are still up for grabs.
Healthcare.
the Environment.
the Economy.
the War.
these are things that are up in the air, and that will come down and land in the next 4 years. Abortion will not be overturned, no matter what McCain promises. at this point, if he spends his time fighting abortion, he’s not spending his time wisely. look at the state of things, and tell me that abortion should be top on the priority list?
I’m personally still trying to figure out why America think socialism is so bad. I’m sure there is some reason, but im failing to see it as of now. NOT SAYING THAT OBAMA IS A SOCIALIST! because he really isnt. that is just a buzz word that the GOP is using for their death rattle in this campaign process.
sorry for the offense, i get worked up.
on the plus side, it’s all almost over, only a couple more weeks!
McCain. As for the Obama being more pro-life comment. 48,000,000 lives lost to abortion since Roe v. Wade. Less than 2,000 due to death penalty. And even the most agressive estimates of lives lost in Iraq – military and civilian – don’t even come close to 48million truly innocent lives.
@Amy: didn’t know it was a numbers game…
@Everyone:
the sanctity of life is unquestionable. It’s wrong to kill. Period.
The death penalty says that a criminal is beyond redemption, and should be killed because no one, not even Jesus, has a chance at saving that person.
War (especially from an American perspective) decides which lives are more important. As if that’s man’s choice.
Abortion says “my life is more important than the life of my unborn child,” no matter WHAT the situation. That’s not love.
If this were Panera, we could do the “you pick two” special. But then you’d have to be Democrat, because the Republicans only care about the lives lost to abortion. Oh wait, they don’t actually care. Looks like the McCain/Palin voters just got ripped off.
Unfortunately, the Republican party is only pro-life because they don’t want to PAY for abortions with their own tax dollars. I mean who does? But still, lame reason to line up with them.
All joking aside, these things are why it’s almost impossible to be a true follower of Christ and run a nation. A decision has to be made as to which sin to reject, and which one to embrace.
i don’t think you can legislate morality, in general.
While I think it’s great we Christians are for pro-life.
Why is it we don’t seem to care that much when an unmanned American plane drops bombs on Iraqi villages and many kids that are already alive are now dead?
Many call it a righteous war. I call it evil.
Also, do we care more about the thought of abortion, is this issue becoming an idol to the Evangelical culture?
BTW-How do we start caring for the women who is deciding on getting an abortion. That to me seems to be the bigger issue we need to think-through.
Obama is not for abortion. He just thinks the government should not be allowed to dictate what a free person chooses to do.
Again most Christians are for less government. (if your a conservative). But of course on this issue we want more government.
I do respect McCain. I don’t trust Palin. Biden is a career politician. The one thing I like about Barack is his POSSIBLE ability to create better friendships with the rest of the globe. Now I do wish he was pro-choice. But I won’t allow one issue that is not going to change eradicate other issues that I think are important.
That being said I’m putting my hope in Jesus and I pray we (the church) can do better at loving and serving our world.
@chris
yes. we have made one issue THE issue. I agree that we have lost the forest for the trees on many issues. I think the Bible speaks to a much broader scope of caring for persons. We would do well to consider them as we live and work and play.
@renee:
I realize my pro-life stance could be read with different intentions that with which it was written, so I clarify for the record.
First, like Crystal, I appreciate your transparency and authenticity. I in no way wanted to come across as ungrateful or combative in my earlier response. By saying “pro-life” I mean someone who is concerned about ALL the issues in dealing with quality of life.
Whether it be abortion, end of life care, child abuse, hunger, war or poverty (to name a few), I want a candidate that is pro-quality of living for people. I think we need to ask the question: What is the very best option for the person in this situation?
I don’t think a pro-life/choice argument can be limited to prenatal issues. I would like to see a larger scope of the issue. Hope that clarifies a bit.
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