I am one of the few people on campus who does not have “Obama ’08” plastered all over my backpack. Shocking, I know. I am not a registered Democrat. If the election were today, I’d probably vote for John McCain. Here’s the real twist though—I’ve looked into the politics and still reached this conclusion.
As one of Barack Obama’s constituents, I’ve been rather disappointed with him. Call it selfish, but I remember Illinois electing a Senator and not a full-time presidential candidate. I know plenty of people in my state couldn’t care less, but there are many, like I, who are dissatisfied.
According to The Washington Post, Barack Obama has missed 294 votes in Senate. That is 45.8 percent of all the votes while he has been in Senate. While in the Illinois State Senate, he voted “present” nearly 130 times. This is our potential president, a man who has avoided making decisions his entire political career. I’m not sure about the rest of the electorate, but I have higher standards for the most powerful person in the United States. Yes, McCain has missed a large number of votes this cycle, but he has 20 years of voting records behind him. Obama was in senate for 143 DAYS before he began his campaign.
So what, pray tell, is Obama qualified for? He is charismatic. I’ll give him that. But the President is not a talking head; he is a decision-maker. Where does Obama stand? He campaigns on change, that’s all good and well, but when has he shown that?
Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem if people look into the issues, look into the facts and find that Obama is the candidate to hang their hat upon. My biggest problem is the large number of people who have not looked into those issues but have just joined the litany of voices. It is easy to get seduced into Obama’s rally cry of change, but the electorate needs to look at the facts and then make a decision. They shouldn’t just support Obama because it’s cool or they get a free T-shirt. Politics needs to extend beyond our limited university sphere.
In Eve Samborn’s column, “R.I.P. College Republicans” (Student Life, Sept. 19) she chastises the College Republicans for not being active on campus. Perhaps the reason the lone McCain and Bob Barr supporters have not made their voices heard is the same reason I don’t feel comfortable sharing my political views on campus or in class. There are many liberals on campus who are tolerant of everything and everyone EXCEPT the other side. If you don’t like Obama it’s because you are racist, intolerant and uneducated.
I’d like to think that’s not me, but that is how I am made to feel much of the time. This campus is resoundingly liberal and it is hard to challenge that. That being said, non-Democrats were involved in the voter registration. Just because it was a non-partisan event does not mean they are sitting back this election. It is hard to do much more on this campus without being attacked, but that’s tolerance for you.
While I agree that both tickets have their strengths and weaknesses, after looking into the politics and actions of both groups, I have to back McCain/Palin over Obama/Biden. In the intolerant atmosphere on this campus, this is not an easy stance.
We need to remember that opposing views strengthen our democracy and intolerance only weakens it. I am still keeping an open mind to all sides as we go into the debates. I hope everyone else will too, because that is what we owe our country.
That is how we get real change.
If "for all intents and purposes" a present vote is equal to a no vote, why not just...VOTE NO? This nonsense about a present vote being some signal to your fellow legislators for reformation of the bill in question is a far larger, and far deeper pile of crap than you accuse Caitlin of submitting. "Present" is a neat way to take both sides of a position at the same time. "Present" is a political tool to prevent a politician from being nailed down on the ISSUES. "Present" denies the constituency, the voter, the citizen from quantifying and qualifying accountability from their representative. "Present" is delaying and deceptive tactic. "Present" is not having the courage of your convictions to stand up for what you do, or do not believe in. "Present" is a ruse that signals one thing while inferring and implying another. "Present" is, for all intents and purposes = ABSENT.In matters of national security, in matters of life and death we are not offered a "pseudo no" vote. In life, in our careers we have to commit to a position, commit to a decision and stand by it. People are still "hashing" on this "nonsense" because there is so little of anything else to look at in Barack Obama's resume. His legislative accomplishments are nonexistent (sorry PRESENT) and if it weren't for the sheer number of nonsensical, silly present votes he has added to his otherwise nonexistent legislative record you may have a case for so flippantly dismissing their presence. For someone who casually dismisses the opinions and positions of someone who clearly put such a considerable amount of time into NOT throwing incendiary comments around, your chosen rationale is considerably less rational.