Are you still undecided about the presidential election?

1. 85

   LauraGTposted 11 years ago

   I'm very curious about the undecided voters out there.  What issues are important to you?  What are you looking for in the president?  What do base your election decisions on?  What do you like/dislike about Romney and Obama?

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2. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 11 years ago

   I'm not undecided and know who I'm voting for, but I thought this post on a FB page of mostly males under the age of 30 is worth inserting here.  This specific post was addressed to someone who had stated that he was not voting this year because he was disappointed in the choices.  I know the author would not mind it being posted here. 
   
   (A) For those who say Obama has not accomplished enough, let's look at some basic statistical facts:
   
   --(1) He has kept 192 (38%) of his campaign promises. I doubt anyone on this thread can name a dozen of them, because you're ignorant, just like me. If you think he hasn't done enough, don't you owe it to yourself to at least be able to identify what he has done?
   
   --(2) He has compromised on 76 (15%) of his promises. Compromising is when an agreement is reached and both sides had to sacrifice something in order to reach that agreement.
   
   --(3) He's broken 86 (17%) of his promises. If you don't think a 17% promise fail rate is acceptable when it comes to campaign promises, you're ignorant. Sure, he made a shit-load of promises, but any reasonable person understands he cannot keep them all, nor could anyone. But, this is not a salient representation. If the issue you care about is in this list, you run the risk of being disenfranchised.
   
   --(4) 107 (21%) of his promises are still in the works. Shit is happening. The morons who think the Government officials sit around doing nothing all day don't know what they're talking about. Shit happens with or without your involvement. Your choice.
   
   (B) We live in a country that is globally recognized as a superpower; militarily, economically, and diplomatically. If you're pissed off because a couple things here and there don't line up with your narrow ideology of how the world should work, and are going to hold your vote hostage because of that, then that's fine. But we're not the only country in the world, and you're not the only voter in the US. You think Congress should work together? You think the country should work together with others? Yet you're unwilling to work together with your own government? Doesn't make sense.
   
   Everyone has a red line: cross this line and there is no coming back. For Edgar that line appears to be the NDAA. That's fair enough. Many people are disappointed that he did not veto that bill. If that's the last straw, and you'll turn your back because of that, just know that the opportunity cost of turning your back is implicitly supporting Mitt Romney. Do his ideals not cross your red line?
   
   The initial post was asking who people were voting for and why.  I was pretty impressed with the number of comments it generated, and the way in which the posters made their case.  No pettiness was allowed in the responses, unlike what we see in so many of the political threads involving older participants.

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      LetitiaFTposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well put.

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3. 76

   Shadesbreathposted 11 years ago

   It's hard to decide because everyone is lying and spinning everything (the candidates and the fanboys on both sides who worship the ridiculous "choice" they think they get to make and regurgitate lies with religious fervor), and the real issues are huge and complex and relate to the dance the common man does with the plutocracy, which keeps us trapped in a system that is only a mangy shadow of what the founding fathers built. The efforts of both candidates are about preventing revolts and rioting: just enough "good" to keep it from all falling down.

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      Dr Billy Kiddposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Shadesbreath, it must be frustrating being so smart that you can figue this stuff out ..."the dance the common man does with the plutocracy" .. Wow! What an expression.

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4. 76

   Mighty Momposted 11 years ago

   I actually met a self-proclaimed undecided voter on the plane home from Denver last night. He is 18 years old, just graduated high school.
   He had some knowledge of both candidates, but planned to do more research.
   He had not watched any of the debates, but had heard some "spin" comments on both candidates' performances.
   I asked him what issues are important to him. If he could even pick one issue he cares deeply about, to go and research each candidate's policies (and record) on that one issue.
   He volunteered that he is interested in energy issues. Likes the idea of wind and alternative energy put out by Obama. But also wonders what's wrong with the idea of drilling for oil in Alaska.
   
   The conversation pivoted into health and availability/affordability of fresh vegetables vs. fast food. He was very knowledgeable about GMOs, America's sugar addiction, etc.
   
   From there, he started talking about the conspiracy of our government, the Bilderberg Group, Bohemian Grove, and a whole lot about the Illuminati and hollow earth where dinosaurs live and aliens. Not to mention Freemason imagery in cartoons like Tom and Jerry and the Flintstones.
   DId you know Walt Disney was a Freemason?
   
   He volunteered that his generation is obsessed with conspiracy theories. He was giving me the exact same lines my son (now 20) has been feeding me for 2 years.
   
   My point is, this generation does not see any difference between Obama and Romney (my son uses term Obamney).
   They do not believe in the government system -- they feel it is trying to turn us all into zombies.
   They want to chuck the system and start over.
   
   So how can you choose one candidate over the other if you don't believe in the institution behind the presidency?

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      Shadesbreathposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes! Exactly!!!
      
      And, after all those exclamation points are done, I would ask you this: What, precisely and carefully explained, "institution" do you believe is "behind the presidency?" Each of those ideas carries multiple meanings, all of which apply with tremendous relevancy. What is it that you expect that young man, or any of us, to believe in, and how does it relate to the reality of the world we actually live in (which includes our ability to even know what the world we actually live in is)?

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   knolyourselfposted 11 years ago

   I voted for Stein (mail ballot) in protest, especially since they arrested her for trying to attend the last debate. Got to love democracy in America.

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6. 62

   Greek Oneposted 11 years ago

   I don't get to vote because of your damn citizenship laws

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      Ralph Deedsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I made up my mind several years ago.

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         maxoxam41posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         So did I.

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            Petra Vlahposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I did too and my answer to the question is I will never vote again and participate in a charade that legitimizes the "democracy"

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