Why 11/04/08 is a Tough Choice

I have gone back and forth multiple times over the past 2 months as I attempt to decide who I will vote for on Tuesday. My rotation seems to go like this: Barr, McCain, Obama, McCain, Obama, Barr, to not even sure I want to vote.

OK, I know I'm going to vote, I just don't have the confidence that I would like that the person I vote for will be the best for the job according to my values.

I have some non-negotiable issues that I believe are morally right and because of that I require my candidate to agree with me. Here are some of the "big" ones:

• Foreign Policy - I am not an expert on all the different cultural forces at work in the world, but I do know that there is no such thing as "acceptable civilian casualties". And that is not exclusive to American civilians. I believe that every life on the planet is one that was made in the image of God and should be treated as such. Military force should be utilized as a last resort in dealings with other nations/groups/religious extremists, etc.


• Poverty - I have found some stats recently that are somewhat alarming to me. You may have heard similar numbers in the past: The top 1% of American wage earners are sharing over 30% of the nation's wealth. The bottom 40% of American wage earners are sharing 1% of the nation's wealth. I have always been a proponent of letting John Q Public decide how he wants to give his money for charity, but the problem of poverty (in the richest country in the world) is reaching epic proportions. If we aren't of good enough moral fiber to take care of it as public citizens through charitable giving, the government needs to step in.


• Abortion - I believe abortion is murder, it is a sin, and it should be stopped. Will making abortions illegal help stop abortions? Yes, and that should be done. But, I think a bigger step towards reducing abortions in America is dealing with the cause. Most abortions are a result of the mother being concerned about her future with a baby. Will she be able to afford food and health care? Will she still be able to work at all? The government needs to address these issues. But even still, why is she pregnant? Schools need to go further than teaching abstinence only. Students need to be made aware of proper and safe methods of contraception. That is a controversial opinion among most conservatives, but I feel like kids are gonna have sex. The option is uneducated, unprotected sex or safe sex. That's a no-brainer to me.

I think you can see why I am torn. The are other issues that I feel strongly about including immigration, health care, the federal budget, etc. But I don't think those are non-negotiable the same way that the three above are.

Good luck on Tuesday making your decisions and remember, the sun will rise again on November 5. (and if it doesn't, none of this will be a big deal at that point)

Monday's Political Cartoons

Count Every Vote

Sorry, no cartoons in this post.

I have never understood the logic behind the electoral college system. If you can explain it to me, please do.

There is a somewhat new idea gaining some steam that will hopefully be enacted for the 2012 election. It is the National Popular Vote (NPV) system.

Currently, Texans have 34 electoral votes for president. If McCain wins by 1,000,000 or 1 vote in the state, he still gets all 34 electoral votes. That doesn't make sense to me and it also disenfranchises many non-republican voters in Texas that know they don't have much of a chance to overthrow the Republican candidate in the state.

Under the NPV system, the 34 electoral votes would not be decided solely by the Texas popular vote, but by the national popular vote. If McCain wins the national popular vote than he gets all 34 Texas electoral votes, and vice versa for Obama.

If/when this legislation is passed in all 50 states, then every vote will matter. Even, democrats in Texas and republicans in California. Doesn't that make sense?

If you want some further details on this legislation, go here: http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/index.php

Okay, maybe just one cartoon:

Monday's Political Cartoons

Monday's Political Cartoons

Just a little late on these this week...

Palin was the Wrong Choice

If you don't like Electoral College projections and Electorate math than just skip this post.

Historically, Presidential nominees pick a running mate that will help deliver a state that they might not get otherwise. I think McCain missed a big chance at winning this election by picking Sarah Palin. She is an interesting character and has certainly energized the GOP supporters, but she won't deliver a state to McCain. Alaska votes Republican. No Democratic candidate has gotten more than 35% of the vote in any of the past 4 elections. Alaska is Red, period.

So, who should McCain have picked?

Rudy Giuliani.

Rudy is certainly not going to energize the conservative base the way Palin has, but those supporters will vote Republican no matter who McCain picked. Rudy leans left on certain issues (abortion, immigration) much like McCain (on other issues...). That gives McCain/Rudy a big edge in gaining undecided voters over McCain/Palin.

Additionally, and most importantly, Rudy is a superstar in New York. I'm not positive he could convince NY state to vote red in November. But, he at least would make it interesting.

New York has 31 electoral votes. 3rd most in the country. When Obama gets those 31 electoral votes, it will put him over the top and he will be the 44th president.

Even if you give every other state that is currently considered a swing state (Ohio, Virginia, and Florida) to McCain, without NY he can't win.

If you want to play with electoral college outcomes, you can make your own map at this site: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=1

Monday's Political Cartoons

This is the first installment of Monday's Political Cartoons. I'll search the entire interweb and find what I think are the funniest/most relevant political cartoons and then post a few here. Enjoy!

That one's a little tricky to read, but it's a gift basket from Osama Bin Laden to W Bush, as opposed to the threatening video he normally sends around this time of the year...

A jab at Obama and his main campaign message that would like to make you think that McCain is politically aligned with W Bush.





More lipstick on a pig here, additionally this cartoonist wants to be sure that everyone is aware of the tactics McCain is using in his campaign.