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Open Phones: Undecided?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Listeners who haven't decided between John McCain and Barack Obama share their quandary.
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Comments
I want to know Barack Obama's position on key issues to me like gay marriage and health care reform to give us a national health care system.
Anyone know Obama's stance on these? I haven't been able to find out any info.
kathie
i think obama is pro civil rights.
But is he pro gay marriage? I have my doubts and I want gay marriage to be legal.
It is time to give everyone else the rights that heterosexual couples have.
It is critical that we keep the Confused Old Man out of the White House - he thinks we want to stay in Iraq (and attack Iran) and continue Bush's Glorious War to Resubjugate Brown People.
And is it me, or does McCain look like the geezer who greets you at the WalMart?
Steve,
the geezer who greets us at WalMart is smarter and better looking than McCain.
Did you guys know that McCain is still claiming that he has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and he collects $58,000 tax free from the government for being disable while he is a millionaire and married a beer heiress worth $190 million?
I thought this was for undecided voters and comments above do not really help anyone.
Also why are obama and mccain my only choices? I encourage people to find third party candidates to vote for, while they will not win, there has to come a point where we have to show that this two party system is just not working out for people like me.
Katie
could that be true??
do u have a source?
1. Anyone who can't decide between Obama and McCain must have other serious problems. There is such a difference between the two that I can't imagine where the conflict of decision might be.
2. Obama is not pro gay marriage as of a panel that questioned him on the subject on LOGO TV back in the Fall. It is the reason I wanted Dennis Kusinich on the ballot and the reason why I will not be voting in November for the first time in my entire votable lifetime. I do like Obama but I cannot bring myself to vote for anyone who is against gay marriage even though I am against any marriage period. If there is such an institution as marriage in our culture than it should be available to everyone and that's my reasoning. If Obama changes his mind since that panel then I'll vote for him.
I heard the tidbit about McCain on Thom Hartmann program on Friday's episode, he is on the Air America network, on after Brian Lehrer from 12-3pm. Thom always has facts straight.
By not voting for Obama, you are voting for McCain indirectly and allowing him to get elected and another 4 years of Reaganomics!
Usually I vote for the lesser of two evils. In this election I'm not offered that choice so as of now, I can't see myself voting. Obama hasn't paid his dues..I question his ability to make decisions based on his lack of experience. McCain's support of the war is unacceptable as is his stand on abortion.
what kind of person is still undecided. what's the dilemma?
save the country from a 7 year downward spiral OR you're a selfish greedy war-mongering racist.
what kind of person is still undecided. what's the dilemma?
save the country from a 7 year downward spiral OR you're a selfish greedy war-mongering racist.
I will agree with Robert. If you are undecided between Obama and Mccain then you must not actually know any of the issues they represent.
I can see if you are between voting for Obama or a third party candidate of vice versa, or voting for mccain or not voting at all. but there should not be a lot of people who are undecided between this two.
Katie, I don't buy that merchandise anymore. That's a ploy to get folks to vote who don't want anybody. If one doesn't vote then they chose no one for an office and whoever gets in or doesn't get in that office is not based on that non-vote. I have no guilt about not voting anymore. I don't want either to have my vote and neither of them will get my vote. I'm very comfortable with that.
#13 I really hope that was sarcasm
"third party candidate?" are we allowed to vote for a 3rd person?
Suit yourself Robert,
but remember, we the People can make the difference if we want to.
16
noo?....not really
Gay marriage?!!!
With the economy, the war, healthcare costs, a neglected national infrastructure, the assault on habeus corpus, future supreme court appointees, etc. gay marriage should be way down on the list here.
The question makes no sense here anyway. If you are committed to gay marriage it's pretty obvious who gives you a better chance to get it. No research necessary on that one.
Gays marriage is important because they have been discriminated against for too long. Give them marriage and the benefits that go along with it and that will go a long way towards improving our economy.
"save the country from a 7 year downward spiral OR you're a selfish greedy war-mongering racist."
I am not sure which part of your statement bothers me most. I could really the same about the people voting for obama. Obama sounded pretty war-mongerind when he was in front of the israelly lobby. and well i do not even have to get into the racist part.
If this is how obama supporters feel, then it makes me want to vote less for obama, not that i was going to vote for him anyway. Keep preaching that way see how many people you get over to your side.
I guess if i dont want to vote for the bi-racial candidate it makes me a racist....hahahahaha
I am crossing my fingers that Obama can do the job because the thought of the loose cannon from Arizona scares the bejeebers out of me.
Gay marriage? really? how is gay marriage going to improve the economy?
Obama is NOT for gay marriage. Nor was Clinton.
Kuccinch is the only one. But that said in our AMAZING democracy we only have two political candidates.
Obama is for civil unions and that is a step in the right direction. McCain is more of the same.
Neither one of them adequately addresses health care costs. McCain wants to give families a $5000 tax deduction to buy individual polices; won't go far when the average cost of such a policy is $12,000. Obama wants to allow people to come in and out of the system as they please but at the same time cap the premiums which will lead to adverse selection and I give it a year.
Neither has a plan to control the costs which are rising at twice to three times inflation.
That said, I cannot honestly say I am undecided.
As far as John McCain:
John McCain has an entire campaign staff of OIL LOBBYISTS. By labor day gas will be $5.00 a gallon.
This election will come down to two things:
1. Oil prices
2. The war in Iraq.
John McCain loses on both counts. Americans will vote with their pocketbooks. Like Rupert Murdoch says Obama will win by a landslide.
22
as u wish. but if u live in NY or the northeast for that matter obama already has your elector college votes.
mccain supports bush, bush wants to invade iran.
bama is just telling AIPAC what they wanted to hear.
Oh my god he's gonna veto beer! Ahhhhhhhh!
Undecided?!?!
Uh how hard is the choice? Either you want more Bush policy or something different.
It's not going to change over night but do you want more of this insanity?
Can we still have wine?
Thank you. 2 minutes of McCain is about all I can bear. Maybe he should consider becoming a standup comic!! Anyone agree?
john mccain just blamed the demecrats for the ridiculous spending of the governement! is this guy for real? is he in touch with reality at all?!
Please, enough with this "lack of experience" nonsense.
Rumsfeld and Cheney had more experience than anyone in the history of the US government.
Their years of experience combined add up to more years than McCain has been alive.
How has that worked out?
Obama will be fine, he's a smart guy.
Robert
there's going to be a lot of whining, no matter who wins.
McCain Sounds like a and old man verging on dementia. We need a president that can actually speak in public.
What leftists like Obama don’t understand is that the wealthiest Americans pay more than their fair share. “Those Americans” are most often self-employed. As such, “Those Americans” pay both the employee AND employer portions of the Social Security tax—12.4% total, plus both side of the Medicare tax. (See http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/oasdiRates.html). Obama never ran a business and has no clue the crap the self-employed have to deal with.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24970066#24970066
a nice piece of video on Obama's stand on Israel
That woman makes Jews sound stupid! Obama is not a muslim, and so what if he was!
This is absurd! Your last caller says she's worried about Obama because she's Jewish? How is that acceptable??! What would the reaction have been a few years back if I said, "As a Catholic, Joe Lieberman worries me?" It's an absurd double standard.
Brain don't be fair to her let her make her own statements about her.
I've heard this station being called "National Palestinian Radio" but I'm sorry this station is SOOOOO Jew-centric.
People that have one or two policy issues with Obama should really consider voting for him anyhow. The gay marriage issue is largely gong to come down to the composition of the Supreme Court. A McCain presidency at this point would sentence us to a ridiculously conservative and out of touch Supreme Court. Stevens and Ginsberg can't serve forever.
re: Social security, since the OASDI portion is capped at 6.2% of the first 97,000 of income, someone earning $194,000 is effectively taxed at a rate of 3.1%.
If an argument of fairness is made, based on the idea that you are paying into a retirement account for yourself, this can be countered by the fact that some people live longer than others and collect no matter what, while others die younger and do not collect on all they paid into. You can argue either way, but, the overall situation is the system needs some adjustments made. And, these are minor compared to Medicare.
Bill
This woman believes something Ari Fleischer peddles? He's the best liar the Bush administration ever had.
"McCain is the classic opportunist. He’s always reaching for attention and glory." Ross Perot
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html
If Jewish Americans want to make this election about vote FOR or AGAINST Israel, and Obama is against Israel they in for a very rude awakening.
The next caller who claims to be a Jew and "afraid of Obama" ought not be allowed to join the conversation. This person is CLEARLY working for the RNC.
As a Jew I am extremely offended and ashamed by people such as the last caller who are "afraid of Obama," a sentiment that can only be fueled by the misinformation about him that is circulating in the Jewish community. Jewish leaders MUST communicate the truth about Obama and above all MUST stop these ludicrous rumors. Educated and supposedly ethical, liberal and open-minded Jews should be ashamed of themselves. They sound bigoted and ignorant and should know better.
Sue, are you just angry because Clinton didn't get the nomination?
AWM [20] is right. Getting Obama into the white house is the only way to appoint progressive supreme court judges and further the cause.
You must know that he can't publicly support gay marriage. The religious right will come out in droves on election day. Why do you think the New Jersey gay rights issue in 2006 came up right before election day? The right wing brings it up every time to polarize us.
The greed of poor people. Yes poor people are so greedy. They want to buy food. Food! Jeez.
You people are scaring me. If you all don't stop being so damn finicky, we *are* going to end up with McCain, endless war, no healthcare solutions, and the continued attack on the middle class.
Again we get to see this year's Republican candidate trumpet his "pro-life" stance. I guess he was once a female in her reproductive years in his previous life, so he knows what I deal with firsthand?
I just heard the McCain "invitation" to Obama and offering to take the same plane. I know his funds are low; is he hitchhiking? Looking for a ride? Town hall meetings certainly would be good for the candidate with the least amount of funds and now he's looking for cheap transportation!?!
"The next caller who claims to be a Jew and "afraid of Obama" ought not be allowed to join the conversation. This person is CLEARLY working for the RNC."
I agree with Soren. Come on, Brian! Don't allow this sockpuppetry to besmirch your show!
Why is everyone such a GRUMP?
"THE GREED OF POOR PEOPLE" this sums up America.
The GREED OF POOR PEOPLE????!!! What is the last caller saying?
Obama is going to keep the troops in Iraq as long as McCain.
He is no longer talking about pulling the troops out.
He said in debates he'd pull them out in 16 months however he's stopped talking about it.
I wish i had made Steve's point. Not even Ari Fleischer believes Ari Fleischer anymore.
I'm all for this "Israel" debate.
I know we can lose those Southern Florida Jewish votes but it's worth it to have this debate.
I would vie that MOST Americans could give a crap about what Israel does or doesn't do.
Our President is supposed to defend the constitution. Israel is not the USA and Jewish people only make up 2% of our population.
I'm voting for Ralph Nader again probably. Most countries(democratic that is) have more than 2 parties to vote for. Let them have their town meeting debates and include 3rd party candidates. Let Ralph Nader and others into the debates!...Stop the political system from manipulating the people and limiting choices!!!.......there's more to life than coca cola vs pepsi, mcdonalds vs. burger king....and democrats vs republicans!!!!!!!!....................
#63 stop it thats america dirty little secret lets keep it that way
One the issue of Israel, I am an Obama Supporter with a lot of family in Israel. If I hear one more person say they have a problem with Obama's Israel policy I am going to go nuts! He is not suggesting anything even slightly radical in our dealing with Israel. What could be more harmful to Israel than the insane Bush administration policies that have helped make Israel a pariah in the world's eyes and bring Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran to prominence? We need to deal with Israel as an ally, but a rational ally that tells them that (for instance) the West Bank settlements are wrong and an impediment to peace. We must elect Obama for our sake and for Israel's!
Thanks for nothing Orinoco. I suppose you think that if Gore had won in 2000 there would be no difference in what happened over the last 8 years. Way to use your power as a citizen to shape the direction of your country.
I will be researching third party candidates. If you are voting for obama and mccain, you will probably get more of the same. I am tired of the lesser of two evils and refuse in partake in something like that any more.
It's official. Americans are too stupid to navigate democracy for their own benefit. A teacher(no wonder private school is worth $30K/year) believes propaganda written by the fact checkers at super market tabloids. Kathie is confused about which party has a better civil rights record. A bunch of angry women think the best way to honor Hillary Clinton's historic campaign is to vote in a way that threatens to make Roe v Wade tantamount to Plessy v Ferguson and the Lilly Ledbetter decision will become the new law of the land.
John McCain is counting on the desperation created by his party's policy's to make a gas tax holiday a deciding factor in the election. It becomes increasingly apparent how the country became so dysfunctional. What I can't understand is how people became so stupid. Anyone know?
#47,
if gay marriage proponents want to make this election about gay marriage (again) we are all in for a hurting.
Neither Clinton nor Obama support gay marriage, but they do support civil unions.
In the end, gm will be up to the supreme court. So vote for the more progressive candidate. (Duh!) That's Obama.
Sheesh.
AWM, I agree, with the issues of the war and the economy, the so-called civil right of marriage should be, at the very least, back burner right now.
Sheesh. It's unbelievable. Wake up, people. (And grow up.)
hey ladies on mccain's first wife
"When Carol was discharged from hospital after six months of life-saving surgery, the prognosis was bleak. In order to save her legs, surgeons
had been forced to cut away huge sections of shattered bone, taking with it her tall, willowy figure. She was confined to a wheelchair and was forced to use a catheter. . But when John McCain came home from Vietnam, she had gained a lot of weight and bore little resemblance to her old self".... so he divorced her
One thing you can say about poor people, as "Gina" said--they are greedy!
re: the Jew-centered Obama smears. People believe these things, against all odds. That's why they're pumped out; it's frightening.
I know a woman who sends out every dingbat rumor she comes across on the 'net, rumors easily checked and disproved--as I have pointed out to her. She simply refuses to do anything else but pump out hogwash. To meet and talk with her, you'd never suspect she could be so very screwy. Yet the flood continues (going directly to my trash).
Tony,
Hmm, I'm going to go with under investment in education and purposeful misinformation by the administration. Oh, and demonizing "elitism" in the form of quality higher education and annoying things like science and books.
Tony #68,
Thank you!
The self indulgent ignorance of many of its citizens.
THAT is America's dirty little secret...
For 2008 the Social Security Taxable Wage Base(that's what it's called) is $102,000. Employees who make more stop paying the employee part of the tax at that point.
Self employed individuals are both employer and employee and pay both parts.
If #34 thinks that he's overtaxed as a self employed individual he can go get a W-3 job. I'm guessing he doesn't becaouse he nets more than he could as an employee despite what he pays in taxes
Ashley 57
just look at the world
People have been literally tortured to death under the Bush administration's directives. We have a Three TRILLION dollar war going on, a 9.5 TRILLION dollar federal deficit, and the economy is going in the crapper.
And the civil right that liberal Americans are most concerned with is... gay marriage?
Hello? Please. Get. A. Grip. People who want to talk about gay marriage pre-November (pre-NOVEMBER! only a matter of months) are no better than Marie Antoinette at Versailles.
Think of someone other than yourselves. Like those dudes at Gitmo. Miserable fates. THAT's a civil rights issue. There is nothing CIVIL about marriage - leave it to the churches, who will marry BOTH gay and straight couples.
I find it outrageous that McCain, who refusies to vote for the GI Bill for our troops because "it's too generous," is himself getting $58,000 a year, tax-free, from the US government for his military service.
man.....who could possibly BE undecided at this point??
who has EVER voted for a presidential nominee with whom they agreed on EVERYTHING?
The difference between mccain and obama is beyond blatant and it was GREAT to hear him blasting mccain just now. Do not back off! Hearing mccain chuckle and misspeak in comparison was embarrassing.
as the son of a jew whose parents barely escaped the nazis i am SICK and TIRED of these jewish callers saying how "afraid of obama" they are. How much of the right wing koolaid have you had today? Don't you know water hydrates much more effectively?
obama is not going to abandon Israel so just calm down and look at ALL the issues. In fact his fresh image might even HELP resolve the whole issue since he is a man who in not afraid to talk to people with whom he disagrees.
is her PERFECT? no. no candidate ever is....but undecided? remember when they said that gore and bush were the same? give me a break already. the reason the polls are as close as they are right now is because of racism and propaganda. all the "experienced candidates" either lacked charisma or made terrible choices on the war in iraq. If you want more republican rule...vote for mccain...if NOT....vote for obama. it really is not that complicated.
let them eat cake!
I swear, I'm going to go totally apo (apoplectic) if we have to have the gay marriage discussion pre-November. Let's make a date to discuss it in December, okay?
December.
December.
It is very close.
Anyone who is voting for McCain because Obama isn't for gay marriage is likely the kind of person who would cut off their nose to spite their face.
Please. We like your nose just as it is. Don't do it.
don't tax me GOP's are greedy!
McCain blaming the Democrats for the ridiculous spending of the government is hilarious! Who does he think has been in office for the last 7 years?
Obama is a joke. Flip-Flope. Have zero understanding of basic economy. 25 years ago after the clip of rev. Wrights speech Obama would be dead as a candidate.. He feeds the crowd anything they pleased to hear, typical democrat. Here is just a few quotations for you, Obama’s foreign policy lovers:
OBAMA DATED MAY 18: Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us.
OBAMA DATED MAY 18: Iran, they spend 1/100th of what we spend on the military. I mean, if Iran ever tried to pose a serious threat to us, they wouldn't stand a chance.
OBAMA DATED MAY 20: Iran is a grave threat. It has an illicit nuclear program. It supports terrorism across the regions and militias in Iraq. It threatens Israel's existence. It denies the Holocaust.
and yes rosie 53....i also heard about that caller talking about "the greed of the poor" and how this was a serious factor in her decision whether or not to vote for obama...unreal. i had to think...."did she just really say that or am i going nuts?"
that is the kind of thing you hear and just want to give up on the whole system.
Carol (#74). It's W-2. I know that because my expertise in dealing with numerous taxing authorities.
Here's a thought, how about after the campaign is over and Obama pays all the necessary campaign expenses, he pays both the employer and employee tax on ALL of the remaining money he will pocket after his $300 million fundraising? I will bet anything that all money he keeps is tax-free.
@ Jay what do you think of the greed of poor people.
@ jay
do you REALLY want to get in to talk about changing your stance on issues in regards to this campaign?
mccain has switched position on issues so many times it is practically a blur at this point.
granted...i sympathize with him because he is caught between a rabin right wing base who needs red meat....and more moderate voters....he wants and needs both groups to vote for him....so his positions, shall we say....have "migrated a bit"
that should read "rabid"...not "rabin"
an edit function would be useful for poor typists like myself.
@Bored
They are the base of base of the Democrat Party. Hate and anger will create an electorate.. And then an illusion that a huge government will solve all their problems.
Just think about high taxation on corporation. Corporations don’t pay tax – YOU DO. Lowering corp. tax is the only way to improve economy and lowering outsourcing. It’s a base of US, not government workers with a rate of growth close to GDP.
i too wish for self editing after posting
"hate and anger"....what are we in bizarro land here??
i think everyone knows who has a corner on the market in that department.
we are talking about the party of karl rove and the christian right.
i also recently read a juicy quote from mccain calling his wife a c(*& in public after she teased him about his thinning hair. the guy has anger issues.
so as far as hate and anger (you could add fear to that list) creating a voting base....not a strong position on which to advocate republican rule.
jay
"Hate and anger will create an electorate"
true look at the GOP their power in the south is based on such fear of blacks taking your wives in the night. gay are coming to take over with their secret (civil rights) agenda
oh dear!
eligit, you scooped me!
Im a conservative and not happy with McCain also… but Obama.. beside his excellent campaign to promise paradise and the way his people run fundraising through internet social networks there nothing else.
Jay #83
McCain, March 17 - "As you know, there are al Qaeda operatives that are taken back into Iran, given training as leaders, and they're moving back into Iraq."
He repeated this by the way... four times within a week... and once in Amman... which is the capital of Jordan... in the middle east!
If you didn't know, this is not only wrong it's incredibly wrong. The war is 5 YEARS and counting. This is unacceptable for a candidate running for POTUS, who voted for the war, with a hawkish stance on the war
We know where lack of knowledge about the region can get us.
Don't get me started on "100 years" and "out by 2013"
As usual, the "uncommited" voters turn out to be a bunch of wackos. I wish Brian would stop having this segment on his show, because it is so depressing.
If you want to know where the candidates stand on the issues, here's an idea: go to their websites and read all about it. Be proactive.
As for this, "I'm Jewish and Ari Fliescher told me to be afraid of Obama." Come. On. Why do they let these people on the air?
jay
what about the message we would send to the world when we elect a son of muslim to our highest office?
the probability of obama taking the troops out of iraq is close to zero. That is not going to happen. be realistic.
People get the government they deserve. I am sorry to say
Leonardo
explain, do u mean in 2012 we will have the same troop level as we do today?
This thread is closed.
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