I often vote Republican and....

[Blackmail]

Yeah i know that the U.S. economy is doing pretty well (except for Michigan) but still:

-The deficit is out of control

-I sort of can still justify my original support for the Iraq war, but I can not support the way that GW has handled it. Why was Rumsfeld not fired like 2 years ago? Why did they not send more troops when it was obvious they needed more troops?

- He will not come out and be straight with us, he gives canned speeches. Blah blah blah.

It's too bad. Because he had the potential to be a great president. He COULD have transformed the middle east (and to be fair, it could still happen)

He COULD have curbed deficits (11% increase in Government revenues over a record last year, too bad Government spending is still much higher than their revenues)

Unfortunately in 2008 I will have no choice but to vote for a Democrat even if the Republican is the better candidate because we actually need to raise taxes and Republicans hate raising taxes.

It's also time I completely change my mind and say we actually need universal health care. The health care system is now a mess and too many people can't afford it.

Hell, I'd almost tolerate Ralph Nader in '08.

[Homicidalheathen]

Noooo! Not Nader!

[The_Dark]

I'm of the mind the Middle east is transforming. It's not like anyone can snap thier fingers and fix a mess that big.

I'm not sure raises taxes is the answer either. Major cuts in fedearl spending though...

I'd be right there with you on the Universal Health Care if it worked anywhere else.

[phee]

I don't vote for parties, I try to vote for people... So yes I understand

[Head Wreck]

as dark said its not an overnight thing in the middle east

but he could have handled the politics and the cultural differances a little bit better

[torn asunder]

nader in '08!!!

:innocent :fear

[Fierce Critter]

I still believe a vote for Nader is a vote for the Republican party. I believe it's too early to expect a 3rd party to get elected.

I never vote republican. However, within the past few years, I was looking seriously at giving McCain my vote, should he run in 2008.

However, he's pissing me off & disappointing me. I'm disgusted by how he plays the political game by buddying up with people who have slung mud at him such as GW &... what was it I heard recently, Pat Robertson?

Give me a break. Seems I can't trust him after all.

I'm not sure Al Gore is a good candidate, as I read stirrings of him considering another run. But perhaps that's a discussion for a different thread. Ditto Howard Dean.

[torn asunder]

I still believe a vote for Nader is a vote for the Republican party. I believe it's too early to expect a 3rd party to get elected.

not to single you out specifically, but as long as everyone keeps thinking this way, it'll be true. i can't in good conscience, vote for anyone i don't believe in, even if it's supposedly the better/lesser of two evils. personally, i will vote third party until they win, because i greatly dislike republicrats... :erm

[Fierce Critter]

Actually, I agree with you 100% TA.

However, I have to personally look at the circumstances surrounding a given election, and the importance of principal vs. "need".

For instance, in the case of wanting a really, really horrible republican president out of office for a 2nd term, I'd rather vote "lesser of 2 evils" and vote for the opposing democrat, who is much, much more likely to oust the sitting republican. But in the hypothetical case of a fairly decent, but not particularly effective Democrat running for his 2nd term, I'd say that's a good time for 3rd party advocates to really throttle things up and try to get a 3rd party into office.

Strike when the chips are up and you can afford to lose a little more, in other words.

[Msterbeau]

My parents are pretty conservative Catholics. He voted for someone other then Bush the last election. That's all I need to confirm my feelings about him. Not that I really needed any validation on the subject. :whistling

[BrassFusion]

I'm kind of the opposite when it comes to voting, Bmail... though I've done it twice so far. I actually liked Kerry and his views, so I voted for him, and i always hated everything surrounding Bush. Frankly, I don't think he's evil... just a puppet.

As for '08, why consign yourself to voting democrat? Just because the current admin is republican and evil doesn't mean the next has to be evil if it's also republican.

Has anyone seen that Huckabee guy? I heard about him doing something with Clinton about advocating health and fitness in schools, and that seemed cool. If he runs, against say... Hillary, I'd check out his civil liberties platform before I voted straight ticket Dem again.

[Blackmail]

I'm kind of the opposite when it comes to voting, Bmail... though I've done it twice so far. I actually liked Kerry and his views, so I voted for him, and i always hated everything surrounding Bush. Frankly, I don't think he's evil... just a puppet.

As for '08, why consign yourself to voting democrat? Just because the current admin is republican and evil doesn't mean the next has to be evil if it's also republican.

Has anyone seen that Huckabee guy? I heard about him doing something with Clinton about advocating health and fitness in schools, and that seemed cool. If he runs, against say... Hillary, I'd check out his civil liberties platform before I voted straight ticket Dem again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I will vote for anyone who raises taxes and/or cuts spending and that is most likely to be a democrat unless it's Guliani but he has too many personal demons to get the election.

I thought Reagan was the perfect person to counter Carter's irresponsible tax and spend, so now we need someone the complete opposite of Bush and his irresponsible policy of no-tax and spend even more.

[phee]

I will vote for anyone who raises taxes and/or cuts spending and that is most likely to be a democrat unless it's Guliani but he has too many personal demons to get the election.

I thought Reagan was the perfect person to counter Carter's irresponsible tax and spend, so now we need someone the complete opposite of Bush and his irresponsible policy of no-tax and spend even more.

Well said

[BrassFusion]

I'm not old enough to have meaningful recollection of anything before Clinton. A lot of people count that as a positive. It gets confusing, though, when I ask older people about whether our country has been anywhere near this fucked fiscally and socially in the past 50 years or so. I thought maybe I was just permanently jaded like most people seem to be. But I guess not.

[The_Dark]

We have been fucked since we got rid of the Gold Standard.

[torn asunder]

We have been fucked since we got rid of the Gold Standard.

amen...

[JaneDead]

i'm voting for oprah in 2008