Dear independent voters,
Please enlighten me: What I simply don't understand is why you are thinking about voting for Barack Obama.
If you were someone on the left, someone who thinks bigger government is better government, someone who thinks "spreading the wealth" is a good idea, someone who thinks Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are the best thing since sliced bread: OK, I get it, you and Senator Obama share the same ideology. You hold common values and policy positions. Knock yourself out with an Obama vote.
But if you are independent?
OK, let's start with McCain. If you are an independent, why wouldn't McCain be your guy? This is a Senator who's keystone pieces of legislation are named in the form McCain-Democrat. McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, McCain-Lieberman, etc., etc.
As a conservative I still cringe at about 30% of the things that come out of McCain's mouth because so much of his policy positions are distinctly un-conservative. I've railed against McCain right here on this blog, and if he were to win the presidency, I'm sure I'd so again. I only support McCain because's he's the least anti-conservative candidate who has a reasonable chance of winning.
McCain originally earned the title of "Maverick" as a pejorative because he so often took the offensive against Republican people and positions. He is the very definition of a "moderate" politician.
So, maybe you don't like his choice of Palin. But you should. She, like you, has an independent streak. She took on members of her own party. She formed an administration that consisted of Independents, Republicans, and Democrats. If you want a "Washinton outsider", well, there is exactly one person out of both tickets that meets that requirement - and it's Sarah Palin.
What is more, it was you, the independents, that made McCain the frontrunner for the GOP presidential choice. McCain won the New Hampshire primary but didn't come in first among self described Republicans. He also took the South Carolina primary, but again, didn't come in first among self described Republicans. It was you, the independent voters, that picked McCain for the Republican party.
But now you're putting your support behind Obama?! This confuses me in so many ways.
For starters, don't you realize how liberal he is?
I've always imagined "independent voters" as a bunch that are sick of politicians lying to them, doing whatever shady things they can to win, promising change and reform and bipartisanship and then governing from the ideological extremes.
But Barack Obama is that kind of politician. And I think you could claim he is the very worst of that kind of politician because of the degree to which he tries to cover up the fact he is that kind of politician.
OK, so maybe that flies in the face of the conventional wisdom and the media's Obama narrative: So, please, hear me out on this.
First all, for all his talk about a "new politics", Obama has happily engaged in "old" dirty trick politics when it's been to his political advantage.
Obama has also routinely falsely make things up out of whole cloth when it's been to his political advantage. Put most starkly - he has no problem lying to you. And, given his history of breaking pledges, Senator Obama's word certainly doesn't seem very trustworthy.
As if making things up and saying false statements weren't bad enough, Obama also has no problem leveling hypocritical attacks against his opponents.
And how do you get, as an independent voter, get past Obama's thug-like attempts to silence his critics?
Finally, there are all the (overplayed) Obama connections. I don't want to get deep into these, but please take a serious moment to consider the following: Would you be comfortable sitting through Rev. Wright's sermons? Would you be comfortable attending a political event hosted by William Ayers? Would you be comfortable having Tony Rezko spending $625,000 to help you complete a deal on a house?
None of those seem to me like situations independent voters would be comfortable with.
Barack Obama can deliver an amazing speech and has run a tremendously well executed campaign to make people believe he is a "post-partisan" moderate fighting to bring hope and change. But he's not. He is simply a typical liberal politician using the worse kinds of political techniques of hypocrisy, spreading falsehoods, and intimidation to try to bring a distinctly non-moderate agenda to Presidency.
I ask again - if you are an independent voter supporting Barack Obama... why?
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2 comments:
McCain is in trouble for many reasons:
1) Palin excited the base and independents at first, but her interviews since have hurt. Independents are worried about his judgement.
2) Conservatives aren't thrilled about McCain. The recent bailout caused a rift between fiscal conservatives and the rest of the GOP base. McCain forcing himself to the middle of this crisis and taking a stand has caused fiscal conservatives to decide not voting is better.
3) Real conservatives want to punish the GOP for moving so far away from their roots. I've heard before that the Republicans look no better then when they're the fiesty minority. I tend to agree. The rise to power has gone straight to their heads. Instead of reducing government, the draw of becoming intricately involved in all aspects has caused more government instead of less.
4) Independents who loved McCain are asking, "Where is the Old John McCain?" The old McCain would have never agreed to the bailout. Where is our fiesty old maverick? Has the national campaign finally changed him permenantly?
McCain started out with the problem of courting two differnt bases; independents and conservatives. He did well at first, but is now stretching and straining to try to keep the pieces together.
He can still win, but the road will be tough. In the end, maybe it would be better for McCain to lose. We needed a Jimmy Carter before we got Ronald Reagan.
anonymous,
I agree about McCain's tough chances and that conservatives (like myself) are tepid about McCain.
Two points of difference though:
Per 3.) I'm actually OK with a feisty Republican minority in the Congress, although their minority may turn out to be so minor as to be irrelevant, at which time they will hardly be feisty.
Per 4.) If anything I think McCain's voting for the bailout is a reminder of the old independent McCain, putting "country over [conservative] ideology".
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