Republican nominee

my2monkeyboys wrote: Here's the Republican version. Again, please no dems.

Meant to add that none of the choices were acceptable, but can't find a way to add that now. Any mods want to add it for me, pretty please???

my2monkeyboys replied: I think McCain is a little left for my taste on some things, but I think he'll be great at nat'l security.
To be honest, none of the candidates were quite what I was hoping/looking for, but I think I'll be ok for the most part if McCain wins the election.

Danalana replied: I'm with you. I'm disappointed in him on some recent things...I'm actually a little up in the air, but I know there aren't going to be anymore choices.

coasterqueen replied: McCain might not be my first choice, but Obama scares me, so I'm going McCain. I really truly hope that if Obama wins he does great things since so many people are counting on him. I'm not wishing he wouldn't, I'm truly wishing he does.

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I have no idea what I'm going to do - Dh says he might not even vote because he doesn't like McCain, but I would rather have him in office than either Hillary or Obama, so I will most likely vote for him.

coasterqueen replied:
Tell him he can't complain for the next 4 years+ if he doesn't vote.

HuskerMom replied: I'm not fond of McCain but I'm hoping he wins because Obama and Hillary scare me.

5littleladies replied:
Ditto! I went through about a month where I was NOT going to vote for a president but after a lot of thought I just might have to go with the lesser of two evils here.

lisar replied: I voted for McCain however I think all of the nominations are just shady this time. There wasnt any 1 that just stood out to me.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Ditto.

MommyToAshley replied: I need an "undecided" category. I don't know what I am going to do, and if I will support McCain. I am NOT fond of any of the candidates in any party. I am thrilled that Hillary didn't get the democratic nomination though. I think of the three (McCain, Obama, and Clinton), she is the one I would least like to see in office. I usually vote republican because the republican candidate comes closest to my views on most issues, but I will have to see how things go as the presidential race progresses and we hear a little more about their policies and views. I think the Obama and McCain debates will be interesting.

my2monkeyboys replied: Sorry! I didn't think of that one.



I can't vote for Dem, I'm just way too conservative. I'm not actually a republican, just a conservative who tends to agree with Reps most of the time.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I'm really undecided. I am not the most conservative of conservatives, that's for sure, but I tend to agree with the Republicans on most issues. McCain isn't really my top choice either, but I definitely am not thrilled about Obama or Hillary. At first I really liked Obama and thought he had it in the bag, but something just seems a little too "showy" at times, too much charm. Just makes me wonder how he would really do when the cameras aren't rolling. I am ready to hear the two debate and then I will have a better sense of where each stands. Right now I'm still on the fence.

coasterqueen replied:
He's a true politician, if anyone is swayed by how great he is on camera they should realize that a true politician isn't that way off camera. He tells you what you want to hear - it's the game I've seen him in my state, and while I think he's good at what he does, he also plays the game.

It's not only that, but those who think he's inexperienced and that will be better for this country than a politician that has been in the arena a long time has fooled themselves pretty good. He will surround himself with all the best people who've been playing the game for a very long time. Those that also believe that should also realize that the president doesn't make all the decisions like one would think. There is the legislature and those who he surrounds himself that have a lot of political pull on the decisions he makes. I just don't see him as the type to fight those he surrounds himself if he feels he's right and they are wrong. He's a smooth talker for sure - I think he has a LOT of people fooled with that talk. I hope he proves me wrong, though.

Boys r us replied: There is just something about Obama that I can't get past, maybe it's that his middle name is Hussein?!? I don't know..lol (actually..that does bother me and it shouldn't..but I can't help it)
Seriously though, he just seems shady to me!
I don't know..honestly if the Dems had produced a candidate that was just good..not very good..just average..I think they would have had this election in the bag given the foul taste most of us have in our mouths from this last 8 yr republican stint...but I can't say Hillary or Obama are what the people are looking for.
I am not crazy about McCain either. I don't know..Maybe I'll write in my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs Mills. I really liked her!

coasterqueen replied: One thing about the 8 year repub stint is I think a lot of people aren't looking at the VP and his role in all of this - just Bush. Most VP's just sit there and shut up and don't do anything. I think Chaney had a lot more involvement in the last 8 years than most think and he was more of the "problem" than Bush. So when we go into this next election I think the VP should be closely considered, too.....like can you imagine if Obama picks Hilary for his VP? OMG, I don't even want to think about it.

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
I think that if he doesn't,it will damage his campaign. She is now going to push the fact that she garnered 18 million votes and if he ignores that I think alot of dems are going to feel slighted and may #1) NOT vote at all or #2) Vote for the other canidate (ie McCain). Obama bothers me in a number of ways. The least of which are not his roots/religion...call it what you will but if the tables were turned and we found that McCain had been atteding KKK meetings for the past 25 years a quick brush of his shoulders and a pat speech would not quel an epic uproar!

coasterqueen replied:
Oh I agree. I just think it's a scary concept - the two of them.

My2Beauties replied:
Anything beats Bush though, God he's scarier than them all Sorry I had to chime in. I know I'm not a rep so I'm done now.

luvmykids replied:
ITA. I'm a Rep but said this year that I'd try to be open to all candidates. I really like Obama as a motivational speaker but he also seems a little shady to me in a used car salesman kind of way. If McCain picks the right VP who might be able to bring some balance to him I would definitely vote for him....but at this point I'm still seeing him as the lesser of the evils.

coasterqueen replied:
Ah now see I did everything I could to stay away from the Dem post because it was asked of us, plus it's nice to be able to come to a thread and not get bashed all the time. Guess not.

Maddie&EthansMom replied:
Hey now! That's my man you're picking on.

I don't like any of them. At all. I will vote straight party, but I'm still voting!!!

My2Beauties replied:
I didn't bash you, I just put in my 2 cents about Bush. That's all.

coasterqueen replied:
Well, that's what I meant. I just think it was nice not hearing all the Bush bashing in this thread - that is what the Dem thread was for

luvmykids replied:
I so didn't mean it that way, I'm sorry I was picturing a very specific person that I used to work with

jcc64 replied:

Just wanted to point out, Karen, that there is no bashing of ANY kind going on in the Democratic thread, fwiw. (where's that winkie smilie people always use?!) Also clear by the imbalance btwn the two threads how outnumbered we Dems are here at PC (and i'm not even a registered Dem, btw)
And another fwiw, ita that many if not most of the issues generated by this particular administration are the dominion of Cheney rather than Bush. But just because Bush decided to hand over the keys to his veep doesn't mean he isn't ultimately responsible.

coasterqueen replied:
Whether there is NO bashing going on in the Dem thread is not the point. I liked how a member made 2 seperate posts so we could ALL talk about how we felt as a Dem or a Repub about the nomination and not feel like we couldn't talk about it in fear of someone we liked getting bashed. I read the Dem thread and many times did I want to laugh and say something but I decided to adhere to what the OP asked and that was not to post there. I thought it was the mature thing of me to do.

Also, while we are on the subject of handing over the keys, etc. I hope you do understand that no one man alone makes all the decisions, therefore should not take all the blame I used to think that you can just put all the blame on one person, but after working so close to the state legislature I realize that I was purely uneducated and naive to place blame like that. So what if it was Cheney's fault, what if it was Bush's, what if it was also the entire legislature's fault??????? Why does everyone just bash Bush???? I just think it's ridiculous and naive to bash one person all the time for this. Maybe the ones who do this are the ones that don't understand the process? I know I didn't at one time and did a lot of placing blame on one person. Not anymore. I despise our state governor with everyone he's worth, but is everything that has happened to our state just his fault? NO. Should it be? Maybe, but it's not.

And I don't care if there are more dems than repubs or vice versa. It's not a race, it's not a game to see how much more there can be. I guess I'm confused by that statement.

If you are so up in arms about politics, about what Bush has done, etc how come you don't start out small by running for local offices in your area? If you feel so strongly about your views, etc, why not get out there and do it? You say we have to get out there and start doing something, well that means getting people in there (even locally) that have fresh ideas - can't just preach it, gotta do it as well.

luvmykids replied: ITA Karen, and FWIW, no matter who the president is (I did not like Clinton a bit ) I don't pretend to know enough to do a bit of what it takes...and jmho but the office itself demands at least a tiny bit of respect

coasterqueen replied:
You know I was thinking that very same thing earlier. I was thinking back to the days when you were supposed to respect your president no matter what he did. I was afraid to get an answer to that question, though.

PrairieMom replied: I'm gonna jump in here and just ask, since if you don't ask, you will never learn anything...

Karen, what do you like so much about Bush? or does it go back to the "He's the Pres, I must respect him no matter what" thing? and really? No Matter what?

coasterqueen replied:
Well, there are many things I like about him and mainly he shares a lot of my same views. Do I agree with everything he's done, no. Is everyone going to agree with EVERYTHING the president does? No. Is that a reason to hate him? No.

Hey, I even liked things about Bill Clinton and I'm not clearly a Dem. Did I bash him, not that I ever recall. I'd have to have my husband chime in on that one. I might of made fun of the whole ML scandal, but that's about it.

Yes, he is the president and we should respect that. Do you think you could do a better job? That's what I ask myself. I mean seriously, these people have to try to please an entire nation. If you think one person can do that you are dead wrong. I just can't believe someone could despise a president so much. I also believe that there is not one president who does everything right and there is not one perfect person in this world who will never make a mistake, bad call, or bad judgement - does that mean we should hate them? You tell me. Whether a president is dem or repub they are going to make mistakes, do bad things, do good things, etc, etc - does it really do us any good to bash them? Sure I express my views of how one might do wrong, etc but completely and utterly despise them - who am I to judge - I'm not running the country, I didn't work my arse off to get into the position to be in the political arena - I'm not in it so I know I don't have first hand knowledge of what it is.

When I comes right down to it, I'd say I'm not naive to think that any political party is perfect so there is things I'm going to like and dislike about every president. Will I fear some more than others - sure.

PrairieMom replied:
Okay. I see where you are coming from.

coasterqueen replied:
Ok. I didn't feel like I explained myself well since I was trying to type and listen to a conference call at the same time.

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
Girl I was thinking WTH???? Aimee is an Obama Momma?????

luvmykids replied:
This describes me, to a point....no matter how you felt about any given president would you treat him with out some degree of respect if you met him face to face?

PrairieMom replied:
I'm not saying I would spit on him or what ever, of course I would have proper manners and etiquette, I am just talking about being able to use my right as an American to disagree.
I personally don't believe that anyone should blindly follow or agree with anyone else, merely because they are put into a position of power.

Sorry, I know this went OT, I should have started a different thread. I know this wasn't meant to become a debate thread, and really I'm not trying to start one... I was just wondering.

Okay, so back to the topic...

coasterqueen replied:
Respecting them doesn't mean you can't disagree. I respect numerous people but still disagree with them. I disagree with some of the things the president does, doesn't mean I don't respect him, though.

luvmykids replied:
Exactly.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
LOL I was wondering the same thing... I get it now.

Maddie&EthansMom replied:
OBAMA MOMMA!


Mon, I knew what you meant...I was just teasing you.

jcc64 replied:

Which days were those, exactly? Sounds like a good recipe for a monarchy to me.
Interestingly, I've been reading A TON of primary source historical documents from the inception of our country for my American Lit class - Thomas Paine's Common Sense, John Winthrop's A Model of Christian Charity (a must read for anyone who considers himself a bona fide American Christian, imo), Jefferson and Franklin, etc.... One thing I am certain on, these guys believed that questioning our leaders is an ESSENTIAL ingredient for a healthy democracy, and without it, we veer off into pretty dangerous territory very quickly.
I'm a little insulted at your suggestion that my criticisms of Bush stem from a lack of understanding about the political process, Karen. I do my homework, and I understand completely how it all works.
And as to your suggestion that I run for office instead of complaining- you couldn't pay me enough to get involved with politics on ANY level. I don't believe it's a place for a person of integrity. I prefer to serve my community on a volunteer basis, of which I do plenty.
I consider you one of my best buddies here at PC, Karen, but on this issue, I'll always stand my ground firmly, and I expect the same from you.
Btw, feel free to go to the Dem forum and bash away. I'll be waiting there for you!

coasterqueen replied: Jeanne, I was not trying to insult you. I know you do your homework and are very educated on the subject. What I meant is that I think some that do bash the president are not even educated to the process of what goes on. I seriously think that is true. Is that true for all? No.

Question our leaders? YES. Bash them to no end? NO.

If you don't believe politics is a place for integrity then how can you believe in anyone in the political arean? How can you think someone could do great things if you feel that way? Is it a hope factor that you think they can or that maybe their integrity isn't completely compromised?

I consider you want of my best friends on this board as well, and I by no means ever want you to feel insulted by what I say. It really is not my intention. I know you and I have very different strong beliefs on politics and that's ok.

As far as going over to the Dem thread and bashing, I think I will try to refrain for now. I was doing fine bashing the dem nominees here.

jcc64 replied:

Life's all about a series of compromises. I entered into my marriage knowing that dh has some shortcomings, as do I, and everyone else. It's a matter of being able to live with the ones he has, and he mine, kwim? That's how I look at politics. There is no great savior looming on the political horizon, and never will be imo;as I said before, I don't think power and integrity are all that compatible, it's just the way I look at human nature. I choose not to look at myself as cynical or defeated- I'm simply a pragmatist.
So, what I do is find a leader who I feel embodies my "non-negotiables", just as I did with my marriage- a person who best embodies those things I absolutley cannot live without, and whose faults are things I can live with. I read an article about Obama in The New Yorker two years ago, before which I knew absolutely nothing about him. It was a very lengthy, balanced piece, as most of their political reporting is, and by the end, I felt very strongly that he represented a unique presence in politics- not simply his views or his personal courage, but his decision-making style, as it was represented in this article. The #1 clincher for me of course is that he was one of the few senators who had the courage to NOT support the Iraq invasion, at a time when it was practically political suicide to do so. That to me shows an independence not often seen in national politics these days.
Are there skeletons in his closet- I'm certain there are, and I'm also certain people will work diligently to either find them or make something up in their absence. That's the game- it remains to be seen if he'll survive it.