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Post by Inigo Montoya on Oct 6, 2008 22:11:20 GMT -5
For those of us who will be voting in less than a month... (and anyone else who wants to throw in their 2 cents)
I had a discussion with a friend who thinks that people still vote with pro-choice/pro-life as the main issue driving their vote. It's really off the radar for me, personally, to the point that I didn't realize that BOTH the big two candidates are pro-choice this time.
So... how much does pro-choice/pro-life affect where you cast your vote? Or is there another issue (economics, national security, support for stem-cell research, etc.) that hugely influences how you vote?
I'm not asking WHO you're voting for... some of you have already stated your preference... I'm more interested in WHY.
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Post by Ouch on Oct 6, 2008 23:44:41 GMT -5
...there's also the 'liberty and pursuit of happyness' as well.
I believe being able to deal with the international community (in a positive and productive manner) is a major factor in deciding the executive representative of a nation.
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Post by faith on Oct 6, 2008 23:54:10 GMT -5
Wind- yes, that is true. But they wrote it in that order for a reason.
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Post by roger888 on Oct 7, 2008 1:18:40 GMT -5
This means every time I switch on the tv in the UK I will get bombarded with every little detail about Americas political life.Arghhhh.Its not as if I can vote in it!!My advice to all the tv companies in this country,tell me when its over & who won,the rest I dont want to know about
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Post by Claire on Oct 7, 2008 5:54:27 GMT -5
Fabulous question, Clover, because this very question has been on my mind as well. I used to be a "one issue" voter. I voted pro-life no matter what else was on the table. I can't do that anymore. For one thing, there are no "pro-life" parties where I live now (I left the US some time ago). And while I can still vote in the US federal elections, and Sarah Palin is staunchly pro-life, I have decided that I cannot continue to vote pro-life only while the rest of the world falls apart. War, the environment, euthanasia, stem-cell research, capital punishment, health care...I could go on and on...are also "pro-life" issues in their way. Is it really "pro-life" to vote for a president who is anti-abortion, yet pro capital punishment, and anti-environment, and pro war? No candidate in either of my two countries really offers me the a whole idealogical package that I can fully support. All of them, from what I can tell, offer some grave danger in some important area. It comes down to having to choose the lesser evil.
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Post by E on Oct 7, 2008 8:33:52 GMT -5
The ability to survive four years in office -- that's a big issue for me. I'm pro-life in that I want my President to make it a full term free of senility/terminal illness.
Oh, and the ability to hire. I'd like my President to make competent hiring decisions. That's a pretty good barometer of judgment.
And while we're here...
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Post by mrjefffurz on Oct 7, 2008 12:22:41 GMT -5
its simple for me...as long as the republican party is anti-choice( what gives old men the right to tell young women what to do with their bodies?" & aligned with the religious right i wont vote for any republican candidate (didnt mccain change his stance on roe v wade to appease the religious right?),,,in my state theirs a man, big shot in the state senate, that i have known since high school,,,i know him to be an honest, respectable, decent man,,,but i cant vote for him becuz we are polar opposites on nearly every issue....i realize i'm going to get fried on this post but its how i feel strongly so trying to change my stance would be a waste of keystrokes,,,
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Post by devogirl on Oct 7, 2008 16:04:18 GMT -5
I didn't want to get all political here because I think it's pretty off topic, but for what it's worth, I feel I have to speak out. Mr Jeff, I'm glad you posted and please don't feel like you are going to get flamed. I'm 100% pro-choice, and I'm not going to debate it or justify it with anyone. On the other hand I am not going to allow this issue to divide or over run the board. You're all free to express yourselves, but I would prefer we don't make the board into a political forum. If you have strong political feelings, go get involved in the campaign you support and use that energy productively.
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Post by Inigo Montoya on Oct 7, 2008 19:51:32 GMT -5
I didn't mean to get into an abortion or McCain/Obama debate... abortion was just the issue that I had been discussing with my friend and I just wondered if anyone was a one issue voter and why. I was surprised that she thought people still voted on one issue. She thought I was naive for not realizing that they do.
I started thinking about this earlier today and got kind of nervous, afraid I had opened a can of worms. But I really appreciate everyone's replies and think we've all been pretty respectful. I'm not looking to judge, divide or fight, I was just curious.
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Post by Triassic on Oct 8, 2008 1:47:34 GMT -5
roe v. wade is not going anywhere. it's been in place 34 years, and so far as i know it's never been really seriously challenged. because for one thing, conservative women probably find it...er...'convenient' from time to time just like progressives-tho they can't admit it; for another-cheap, legal, widely available abortiions have proven useful in keeping a lid on the growth of certain parts of the population(this aspect is NEVER, EVER discussed btw)...but both Left and Right have long used abortion to drum up support for their respective agendas; the right by pretending that leftists are PROMOTING the killing of fetuses and EXTENDING abortion rights(the brouhaha over 'partial birth' abortions, ect..,.the left pretends that roe v. wade is in dire threat of being overturned. so, i think abortion as a political issue is kind of a red herring. so are gun rights and gay rights, to some degree.
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Post by Triassic on Oct 8, 2008 2:12:00 GMT -5
and it must be incredibly irritating for folks in other countries to have to hear all the nonstop hoohah about the u.s. political race. and mystifying! how could a foreigner hope to understand someone like sarah palin? i mean, as an american, i know her type(sorta pretty, sorta smart, SUPER ambitious, SUPER self confident, kind of a bitch, and doesnt like to be crossed, doesnt mind running over others), but i don't think they have women like her in europe, say...
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Post by roger888 on Oct 8, 2008 3:18:29 GMT -5
and it must be incredibly irritating for folks in other countries to have to hear all the nonstop hoohah about the u.s. political race. and mystifying! how could a foreigner hope to understand someone like sarah palin? i mean, as an american, i know her type(sorta pretty, sorta smart, SUPER ambitious, SUPER self confident, kind of a bitch, and doesnt like to be crossed, doesnt mind running over others), but i don't think they have women like her in europe, say... We have too many of them here too ;D If we sent them over to America would you take them off our hands?
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Phil
Junior Member
Posts: 82
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Post by Phil on Oct 8, 2008 11:50:50 GMT -5
Pro life vs Pro choice is pretty far down the list of importat issues for me.
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Post by sittingpretty on Oct 8, 2008 13:32:02 GMT -5
Even if our right to have an abortion was taken away, girls could still swallow combinations of certain birth control pills to induce their own abortion. And, Lets not forget the infamous "day after pill"
Like Phil said; Abortion is pretty low on the list of priorities for me as well..
I think going "green" and healthcare are huge issues we need to deal with today, not tomorrow. Both canidates propose a fix, but even I know better than to listen. Its all propaganda. They all have their own agendas, and we always get an earful of happy days to come.. Same sh*t, every election.
Go Nadar! j/k
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Post by BA on Oct 8, 2008 17:20:57 GMT -5
Even if our right to have an abortion was taken away, girls could still swallow combinations of certain birth control pills to induce their own abortion. And, Lets not forget the infamous "day after pill" Like Phil said; Abortion is pretty low on the list of priorities for me as well.. I think going "green" and healthcare are huge issues we need to deal with today, not tomorrow. Both canidates propose a fix, but even I know better than to listen. Its all propaganda. They all have their own agendas, and we always get an earful of happy days to come.. Same sh*t, every election. Go Nadar! j/k I HATE going political but when I see Sarah Palin as an ACTUAL CANDIDATE for VP, I just go into jaw dropping mode. To me, she is just from another planet, one I hope to NEVER visit. I am 100% pro-choice. I am also given to understand that Mrs. Palin's water broke with baby Trig, while she was on an airplane. The average woman goes to the hospital when water breaks. Immediately, in fact. It's medically advisable, particularly if you ALREADY KNOW that you are having a developmentally disabled child that is already compromised. But Mrs. Palin not only didn't go to hospital, she went to ANOTHER speaking engagement before finally checking in to give birth. That is bizarre behavior, unless, of course, you are aiming to have a possible stillbirth. Hmmmmm.
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