Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ManintheMiddle]

My absentee ballot has been sent back to Honolulu and while the Aloha State has always gone Democratic, making my vote for all intents and purposes moot, I still felt obligated to participated in the process.

Except for when I worked and voted for Eugene McCarthy in 1976, I have generally either voted for the Republican nominee in presidential elections or not at all.

This time around I finally decided to vote for Obama and if my story is typical of a lot of independent and/or undecided voters, it spells doom for McCain. I came to this decision after carefully reading Obama's second book, The Audacity of Hope, which is one of the most articulate, well reasoned, insightful, and even-tempered political tracts I've ever read.

Consider this, if you will:

1) I am ex-military from a military family background.
2) Foreign policy is usually my overriding concern in any national election.
3) I fervently oppose affirmative action policy as it is usually applied.
4) I despise the Far Left wing and people like Bill Ayers.
5) I despise ministers like Wright and Farakhan.
6) I am generally although not absolutely anti-abortion
7) I am over 50 years-old and I am a White male

So why else did I cast my vote for Obama?

1) Colin Powell, who I deeply admire, endorsed him.
2) I trust that Obama will surround himself with able advisers
3) Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School
4) Obama leans toward the center, as did Clinton
5) Obama didn't just engage in damage control in denouncing Wright
6) Obama is not actually in favor of partial birth abortions as portrayed
7) You can teach an old dog new tricks, despite the adage and I am an American first and foremost

I'd be curious to know if any other posters have decided to vote for Obama and, if so, what your reasons are.

And I'll gladly welcome dialogue and debate on my choice of candidate

[canuckistan]

As an educator I am thankful that you recognized magna cum laude from Harvard Law as requiring more discipline, intellectual depth, and rigour of thought than a barely-passed bachelor's degree.

It is the presidency after all--most foreign leaders a US president deals with have equally accomplished educations behind them as well.

There is no longer any room for below-par.

Why the Republican party still doesn't value a solid, proven education in their presidential candidates is beyond me.

[agentX]

I was leaning towards McKinney for most of the year but my state became a swing state after the DNC in Denver so I voted for Obama instead. It's nice to have my vote count for once.

Obama's not perfect, but he is competent. McCain is not/no longer is competent. He hasn't been competent since the Vicki Iseman affair and there's no way he's anywhere near competent now.

[kingplaya4]

Don't get too happy people. The majority of Americans still think European style socialism is just a touch above National Socialism. If Obama wins, it will probably be only for one term. No way can he clean all of Bush's messes up, and he will be blamed for everything.

I gave up gambling, but if I was still a betting man, I would put some money on McCain. I don't buy for a second McCain is going to take North Carolina, Virginia, or any other strong red state. I don't trust the people of Ohio for a second after they made it close enough for Bush to either win or steal the election.

I could see McCain winning without Pennsylvania, but I think this is a bit overpessimistic, I think he probably needs to win here, because New Mexico and Colorado going Obama's way wouldn't surprise me. I lived in Upsate NY for several years, and most of those people I would call liberal Republicans. They like their guns but are okay with a woman's right to choose. They don't like socialism. I really have no idea how Pennsylvania will turn out, but keep in mind the rural counties have a lot of Republicans. Turnout better be good in Philly and Pittsburgh as well as in the suburbs.

One thing foreigners may not be aware of is that with the exception of Vermont and perhaps a western state or two, if you removed all the urban areas and their suburbs from the US, the Republicans would win every election in a landslide. In other words, there are a heck of a lot of ignorant people in the US. We were taught in school that we are the best country in the world, and few could even imagine that this might not be true.

[On the other hand]

Kingplaya:

Thanks for the viewpoint. But I think you made a slight mistake in what you wrote...

[ManintheMiddle]

canuckistan noted:

[Jandar]

What is a moderate conservative?

[mises]

[ManintheMiddle]

mises inquired:

[Tiger Beer]

The Harvard Law Review part of Obama's career was impressive. The liberals and african-americans were expecting him to shift things to the left and to their side, but it DIDN'T HAPPEN. He was actually fairly conservative and worked with fairly conservative people as the Head Honcho of the Harvard Review.

Anyone who thinks he is going to shift things far to the left if chosen, they should certainly study his history with power when he became chief of the Harvard Law Review.

[sharkey]

I CAN'T BELIEVE AMERICANS ARENT ENDORSING SOCIALISM!!!? NO ONE HAS A JOB THERE, THEY HAVE ALL BEEN OUTSOURCED. AMERICANS WILL WANT SOCIALISM SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE, OR PEOPLE IN THE WESTERN WORLD WILL NEED TO REVOLT SO COMPANIES WILL KEEP THEIR JOBS IN THE WEST RATHER THAN THE EAST. I HOPE PEOPLE BEGIN TO GET UPSET ABOUT HAVING TERRIBLE JOBS AND THERE IS A RETURN TO THE MANUFACTURING ECONOMY.

SORRY CAPS !

[Nowhere Man]

[bangbayed]

[Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee]

[Nowhere Man]