I'm undecided. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm leaning towards any one candidate, but I'm very susceptible to switching my support and have done so countless times already. In case you're wondering which candidate I'm leaning towards, it's gasp! Hillary Clinton. I concede, I still have a lot of questions about her candidacy, but I have even more about Obama's. I can't see any definitive reason to support him over Clinton, so, Obama-loving Kossacks, enlighten me. Why Barack Obama?
Every single one of my liberal friends supports Barack Obama. Why, I ask? To paraphrase, they simply tell me he brings hope and idealism. I've heard this sentiment conveyed in varying ways, but when it comes down to things, this is by far the largest reason my friends give me. Occasionally, Hillary's Iran vote has been brought up or Bill Clinton's stupid comments or that Hillary's a crabby bitch. But in the end, I hear very little about the issues.
I'd think that after witnessing the rise of George Dubya, we would all recognize that personal attributes should factor very little into how we vote. It was, after all, the Jesus freaks in the Bible Belt who came out in droves to support him--simply because of his religion. I want a candidate good on the issues. I'm not sure Barack can deliver for me regarding a few important topics. I agree, he is much more likeable than Hillary, and he has run a cleaner campaign (in many thanks to Bill). But there is one important way in which I can't see how Barack's the best: what can he do to help the economy?
As far as I can tell, Barack has little to no experience handling economic issues. He was a state senator for some odd years and a U.S. senator for four years, during which the economy seemed more promising than today. What will he do to end the looming recession? What will he do to create jobs or raise the per capita income? I just don't think he's done much to address this problem on the campaign trail, and I haven't seen any diaries here touting his economic expertise. I have questions about Hillary, too, but I think being by Bill's side gives her a certain degree of understanding. So please tell me, what will Obama do to fix the economy, and the subprime mortgage crisis, too, I guess? I don't give a rat's ass about hope or charisma if there's nothing to produce results.
I'm likely leaving a lot of things out, so please educate and convince me about the candidates and the issues. Thanks for your input.