I know very little about Joe Biden, but I have to say that what I’ve heard in the media recently has made me rethink my decision to break with my party and vote for Obama. Well, Biden and Obama’s recent lukewarming of his policies.
Surely anything is better than another 8 years of Republicans, but am I really going to hang my hat on two people who don’t really represent me? Just represent me better than people to whom I’m completely opposed?
I’m not really keeping an eye on the DNC because, I have to say, I’ve lost interest in it since Obama started distancing himself from the kinds of things that made me support him (women’s rights, affordable heathcare, end to war). I’ve subscribed to a blog about it, since I no longer have the benefit of NPR in the evenings (I leave school too late for that), or much of it in the mornings. And many of the blogs I keep an eye on anyway keep me updated on the major developments. But I’m reconsidering my position. Is anyone else? Or is Biden a good choice?
11 responses so far ↓
1 Les // Aug 27, 2008 at 8:02 pm
NPR problems? Try thin.npr.org . NPR any time. On a Windows Mobile PDA or a computer.
2 Cobwebs // Aug 28, 2008 at 4:22 am
My husband the political junkie was thrilled when Biden was chosen, so I think he’s probably okay.
3 leisurelyviking // Aug 28, 2008 at 7:36 am
I’m afraid after taking a political science minor, this seems completely normal. After securing his party’s nomination, Obama’s trying to make his stance appeal more to conservatives because he needs 51% of the vote to win and he can assume now that his party stands with him. If he’s elected, I expect his stance will return closer to what it was previously. This happens in every presidential election.
4 xJane // Aug 28, 2008 at 9:31 am
I sure hope so, leisurelyviking (awesome name, btw!)
5 ebrown // Aug 28, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Barack Obama has been remarkably consistent in his political views. He continues to call for the end of the war in Iraq.
“Here is the truth: fighting a war without end will not force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. And fighting in a war without end will not make the American people safer.
So when I am Commander-in-Chief, I will set a new goal on day one: I will end this war. Not because politics compels it. Not because our troops cannot bear the burden- as heavy as it is. But because it is the right thing to do for our national security, and it will ultimately make us safer.”
His stance on women’s includes being pro-choice, in favor of equal pay for equal work, fighting gender violence, and fighting poverty for women and children, who are the largest percentage of the poor in the USA. He supports health care for all those who want it (on that issue, I think most Democrats are doing a bit of hedging and not calling for single-payer health care).
I feel positive about this ticket. If Obama-Biden would inherit a 555 billion surplus instead of a 9.5 TRILLION deficit they would be able to accomplish so much more. As it is, they will have to spend a lot of time just cleaning up the mess. And I think they can do it.
6 ebrown // Aug 28, 2008 at 2:28 pm
The Surplus is the amount Bush inherited, which he blew through during his first year.
7 C. L. Hanson // Aug 29, 2008 at 8:32 am
I hadn’t been following the possible vp choices closely enough to have a strong opinion on this one, but I like the assessment of a friend of mine on a symbolic point:
The fact that he was so quick to help make amends after Biden’s questionable racial remarks demonstrates that Obama is not about condemning people for not already being enlightened about race. Rather, he understands deeply that overcoming prejudice and stereotypes about the “other” is an extremely difficult task for all of us across the board, and we need to come together to work on it.
Additionally, rather than focusing on the usual media show/circus, I would recommend reading Obama’s books. I’m very unhappy with some of the politics that have gone down in the past month or so, but I’ve read The Audacity of Hope, and I’m almost done with Dreams from My Father, and I’m very impressed. I trust him as a leader.
This man is brilliant. And I don’t mean in a “let me tell you how I know all the right answers” kind of way, but rather in an “I understand how complex these problems are and I’m going to do everything to open my eyes and ears and brain to understand” kind of way. It’s not just hype. I’ve traditionally been a third-party voter, but I’ve never seen a candidate in any party I’m more excited to vote for than this one.
8 Chandelle // Aug 29, 2008 at 9:12 am
Wait – what party are you breaking with to vote for Obama?
I probably won’t be voting. I want a “None of the above” option. I refuse to vote for a lesser evil and support a system that I believe to be 100% corrupt and broken. I guess that makes me a bad citizen. Sigh.
9 Craig // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:25 am
I wish I could vote. I think the fact that I pay taxes and am other wise treated as a citizen except when it comes to vote is unfair. Plus, getting citizenship is wicked expensive.
10 xJane // Aug 29, 2008 at 12:37 pm
CL: that’s good to know; I’ve thought about reading Audacity but never ended up doing so. In the beginning, he gave me faith and hope in the system (which, yes, Chandelle, is corrupt) and that was the major reason that I was excited to vote for him. More recently, I feel like he’s stopped being so outspoken on the issues that I felt he was so courageous in speaking loudly about in the past.
Perhaps I’m wrong and it’s merely media coverage on the media I listen to that has changed. I would really enjoy being hopeful again.
Chandelle: I find the democrats to be barely less conservative than republicans. I’m a registered Green.
Craig: this came up at Feministing recently and it’s a sticky issue.
11 ebrown // Aug 29, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I vote. I volunteer with my party and for my candidates. I donate to candidates and issues.
I refuse to take the position that I’m too virtuous to be involved. The view that the system is corrupt and therefore one should simply stay on the sidelines and sneer or weep is the kind of passivity that corporatism encourages and which is so destructive to democracy.
If you don’t like the news, go out and make some of your own.
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