DECISION 2008 – HELP!

Daddy always said never to discuss politics or religion. "It's a good way to lose friends." That being said, here we go……

As our presidential election draws nearer, I am becoming more frustrated every day. I am not a political thinker. (A fact that will become more evident as you read further) As an American citizen, I appreciate the privilege and feel it my duty to cast my vote come November 4^th. I have tried to do my homework but with each article I read, interview I watch, commercial I see, I am becoming more and more confused. I liken it somewhat to coming into the middle of a movie with a very complex plot. I feel like I just can't catch up. I'm missing half the story.

After careful consideration of all my options, I registered as a Democrat at the age of 18 because well….uh…..my parents were Democrats. However, I am not a loyal party member. I have always voted for the individual I felt would do the best job. (Sorry, Daddy) That decision has never been harder for me than it is in this presidential election.

Some random thoughts on the decision at hand:

• I have no problem with an African-American president. If it's the right person, I wouldn't care if he or she had green skin with purple nose hairs. (It would be hard to take him or her seriously but wouldn't they look great in high-def?)
  
• I have no problem with a woman president. I do however feel that it is an insult to the intelligence of American women to assume that we will vote for the McCain/Palin ticket simply because there is a woman on it.
  
• I watched both the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Based on their speeches, I would vote for all of them. Senator McCain doesn't have the charisma of his running mate or either party on the opposition but still I heard his message and liked what I heard. The problem is that I don't believe any of it. I'm not saying they don't have good intentions. I just think that once in office, it becomes much harder to follow through on the promises made.
  
• I think that when the parties spin their version of the "truth" and the media bites, we are left distracted, dazed and confused.
  
• It bugs me when I hear people, friends even, say they will vote for one or the other based on one issue. I have Christian friends that will vote Republican only because of the pro-life position. Don't get me wrong, I AM a Christian and I am pro-life (personally) but we will leave that discussion for another day. My point here is how much of the president's job is centered on that stance? Does that mean I would be good presidential material? Now isn't that a scary thought!
  
• I have other friends who will vote Republican because they are gun freaks enthusiasts. And here's where I'm at risk for losing friends on both sides. I believe we have a right to bear arms and MHS and I are regulars at the gun range. Never mind that in order to "bear my arms", in an emergency, I would have to find my cell, look up the safe combination, ask the "perp" (learned that on TV) to wait just a minute, open said safe, load the magazine into the gun and then …. Ready, aim……better run, Mr. Bad Guy. If you are said bad guy, this section was written for the purpose of entertainment only and in reality my "piece" is ready and with me at all times. And now I've lost half of you.
  
• On the other hand, I believe that it was really too easy for us to obtain our guns. I have to assume if it was easy for us, it's easy for anyone including Mr. Bad Guy which is why you can't turn on the news without hearing about a drive-by shooting, robbery or some other sinister and devastating tragedy. So, clearly we need more restrictions. And there goes the other half.
  

Anyone still there? Anyone? Oh, there you are. Confused, just like me? Well, read on and maybe together, we can create world peace, conquer the world figure this out.

• The Obama camp is all about change. Well, I'm all for that. I definitely don't want four or Heaven forbid, eight more years of the same. The question for me is; will things really change? And if so, will they be the right changes?
  
• The Republicans want us to believe that John McCain is a better choice because of his military service and the fact that he was a prisoner of war. While I have great respect for his service to our country and the sacrifices he made for us; does that alone make him the best choice for president?
  
• I have to say that I admire Sarah Palin for even entertaining the idea of being the VP. She is undoubtedly a better woman than me. She is just a few years younger than me, has a brand new baby and is running for office. I am quite certain that if I had a baby today, I would lay it down somewhere and forget where I put it. I am in awe. And I salute you, Sarah! (oops, make that Governor Palin!)
  

When D1 was 13, she told me that, "The problem with you, Mom, is that you want all the skies in your world to be blue all the time. Life just isn't like that." Well, isn't she just a little SMART MOUTH! So what if I'm a bit of a Pollyanna. I say, GOOD FOR ME! What the hell is wrong with that!

I want what I think everyone wants. Here are just a few of the blue skies I would like to see in my world:

• Affordable healthcare
  
• Outsourcing jobs to other countries stopped, incentives for industry to stay in this country thereby creating/keeping jobs here.
  
• A college education available to every student that is willing to work for it.
  
• Help the needy in a way that doesn't perpetuate the problem.
  
• A strong military with good, strong leadership. (If this blog doesn't die today, I might just elaborate one day)
  
• Economic RECOVERY (Well, duh)
  

I could go on but I think that I've probably said enough already to alienate most if not all of the readers of this blog. The blogosphere is full of posts with very definite opinions. So, I figure this is as good a place as any to get some much needed answers to my ever-growing list of questions. So, readers: I'm on the fence. Tell me why I should vote for your guy. Feel free to tear me down (gulp) or build me up (I can dream, can't I?) Or are you as confused as I am?

Go ahead. Make my day!