Well, it's finally happened. My staunch Rep husband has finally admitted that he has NO choice but to vote for Barack Obama. Now, he HAS voted outside of his party before. He DID vote for Kerry in 04. However, it wasn't a vote for Kerry's policies, or his economic plan, but simply a vote for someone that wasn't named George Bush. And hey, I wasn't complaining. A vote, for whatever reason, was still a vote that wasn't going to Bush.
How it happened is after the break.
This election? I assumed that he would be going back to his Rep. roots. He didn't care for Hillary and didn't know much about Obama. He liked McCain and I thought there was NO way he'd ever think about voting for a Democrat. And that was OK- as my vote would cancel out his. {grin}
Then gas prices went out of control. We were trying to sell our house and home values plummeted. Luckily, we did find a buyer, although we took a BIG loss just to sell the house. And as our closing date loomed closer? Oil prices skyrocketed... REALLY skyrocketed. And guess what type of heat we'd be inheriting in the new house? Yup. Oil. So, the nightly rants about the prices of gas and oil started and how Bush was covering for his Oil buddies. And McCain was campaigning on keeping things the same. (Or at least I THINK he was? When did he decide to become the 'change' candidate? I think that was later?) And hubby was irritated, but not enough to do anything about it.
We moved, and were out of the loop re: national politics for a month or two. During this time, our 401K started to REALLY tank. And although we're not near retirement just yet, it still really ticked off my husband. More and more, I was hearing about how the current administration was giving the middle class the shaft. And then the conventions started... I wanted him to watch Obama, but he wasn't interested. He was still upset about the economy and the cost of the war, but still favored McCain. THEN. McCain picked Palin. And it all began...
As more became known about Palin, my husband would get this look that conveyed "WHAT was McCain thinking?" And with each new tidbit? I'd gleefully share what I had learned and he would get more and more puzzled. And somewhere in there, he heard Obama at a campaign stop. And liked what he heard. He saw the Palin interview with Charlie Gibson and LAUGHED at her answers. The best was when I caught him watching Keith O on MSNBC one night! lol.
Then the economy hit crisis mode. And McCain said the 'economy was sound'. And my husband shook his head in disbelief and wondered how McCain could say such a thing. When I told him of McCain's net worth? He shook his head, yet again. Finally, when McCain finally decided that it WAS a problem and wanted to "suspend his campaign" and postpone the debate? My husband started to get angry at the political stunts and I started to hear how McCain was a lot like Bush.
We watched the debate together on Friday. My husband made fun of McCain the entire time!! On how he looked nasty, wouldn't look at Obama, and kept repeating the old stories. HE was the one who noticed that McCain kept saying about how "Obama didn't understand." I just sat there in stunned silence, but with a big grin on my face. And he got more and more disgusted as the debate went on.
The game changer? Tonight I stumbled upon the Katie Couric interview on the net and played it. And his quote upon it finishing? "THAT just solidified my vote. There is NO way that that woman is qualified to be President" I gleefully reminded him of the debate on Thursday night and he said "Oh, this should be good"
So, thank you Senator McCain for giving my husband a bunch of reasons to not vote for you. I appreciate it... I really do. :D
PS: I just wanted to say 'thanks' for all the recs! You've totally made my night!