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Letter: I respect McCain, but I’m voting for Obama
Op-Ed · September 10, 2008
I wish the media would stick to the issues. I don’t care if a candidate wears a blue tie or a red dress. I don’t care if the candidate is an African-American, a woman, a Native American, 80 years old or 45 years old. The fact that a candidate can gut a caribou will not affect my decision to vote for him or her. I try my best to base my vote on objective information, such as a candidate’s positions on issues, past voting records, and political endorsements, in addition to how well the candidate relates to the public and other politicians. I try not to base my vote on negative advertising and smear tactics. I admire Obama’s and Biden’s commitment to avoid negativity in their campaign and agree with their statements last week that Sarah Palin’s children should be off limits and that we should stick to the issues.
It can be difficult to keep up on candidates’ voting records and position statements because many of us work 40-60 hours weekly and have children to care for. A few informative Web sites that have helped me figure out how Congress and the Senate have voted in the past are www.votesmart.org/index.htm and projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/. You can look at voting records on specific issues, such as energy, education, environment, health issues, defense, seniors and social security, to see how U.S. and State Senators and Representatives have voted in the past. It is important to realize, however, that during the 110th Congress, Obama has missed 45.5 percent of votes and McCain has missed 63.4 percent of the votes due to campaigning. Information about political contributions is also available. There is information about governors but unfortunately not very much information about Governor Sarah Palin.
I also think TV ads are sometimes misleading, and that is why it is important for us to educate ourselves on our candidate’s policy statements and voting record and not be persuaded by smear tactics. One misconception is related to Obama’s economic plan. Middle-class taxes will not be increased with Obama’s plan. Obama’s plan actually cuts taxes for the middle class. He realizes that a strong middle class translates into a strong United States of America. People with good-paying jobs don’t have to work two jobs and/or overtime to make ends meet, and they can spend more time with their families. In fact, Barack Obama’s economic plan will cut taxes for the middle class by over $1000, three times as much as John McCain’s plan. Under Obama’s plan, 80 percent of Americans will pay lower taxes, and only families making more than $250,000 per year will pay higher taxes. It just isn’t the case that your taxes will increase unless you make more than $250,000 per year. Barack Obama’s plan will also reward companies who keep jobs in the United States and not those who send jobs overseas. In contrast, John McCain’s tax cuts are directed at the rich and large corporations.
To discover the truth about other misconceptions regarding Barack Obama, go to my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome. If you don’t have a computer, fortunately the library does!
You can also go to the Web sites of organizations that are important to you to see what candidates they endorse. They often have explored candidates’ voting records and positions in depth before making their endorsement and will give the reasons why they endorse a specific candidate. For example, the Sierra Club endorses Obama. The Sierra Club strongly believes, as I do, that we need to make a concerted effort to cut our reliance on oil for the security of our nation, in addition to decrease global warming and to take care of this beautiful planet that we live on. See www.sierraclub.org/politics/ for details. The fact that John McCain has 23 big oil lobbyists working in important positions on his campaign indicates that the McCain ticket will be influenced by oil companies through subsidies, tax cuts and legislation.
I am so ready for a change, and while I deeply respect and honor John McCain’s service to our country, the fact is that he has voted with the Republican Party about 90 percent. of the time. I am, therefore, supporting Barack Obama and Joe Biden on Nov. 4. I believe they can bring unity to our country and re-establish our reputation in this ever-changing world. I believe their policies, voting records, and position statements are the best for our country at this time.
Ann Jurgensen
Tipton
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