Help me understand

[Steve]

A friend of mine admitted to voting for BHO. He said the 8 years of Bush drove him out of the Republican Party. Bush was a failure because he acted as a leftist. Voting for someone more leftist is insane. Why not vote 3rd party, write in someone, or stay home. I just don't understand it.

[M Remington]

I did the same thing, Steve (and I know a lot of others who did, too). Let me give you the reasons:

1. I was very pleased with W's initial response to 9/11. Then, going into a full-fledged war in Iraq caused me some heartburn. We took our eye off of the ball in Afghanistan and we're payign the price for it. Then, W was unable to come up with a justification of the war (he tried several times until he found one that would stick).

2. I was very pleased with the fiscal position that Clinton left us in. Then, when W got into office, he squandered the surplus (I was used to paying taxes at a certain level, so I really didn't care that my taxes slightly decreased). I am fiscally conservative so I was upset that W kept spending and cutting taxes. The two do not work together, hence a huge deficit and national debt.

3. W let the religious right hijack our country. I am a Christian and I go to church, but my religion is a private thing--I don't think it should be worn on my sleeve AND I am not going to criticize people who do not share my views.

4. W was the king of secretive government. He claimed executive privilege at every turn (remember the energy policy of VP Cheney and the people involved).

I have ALWAYS voted for Republicans (and I will continue to call myself a Republican--I cannot bring myself to be called a Democrat). I was so disappointed with Bush and the rightward movement of the Republican party that I voted for Obama to primarily send a message. Why did I not vote for a third-party candidate. . . it would have been a wasted vote. Why not stay home. . .McCain might have won and the Republicans would not have gotten the message. My goal, and I would suggest the goal of many, many Americans was to send a message.

Obviously your friend and I are not the only ones who "jumped ship." Obama's victory was less an endorsement of Obama than it was an indictment of Bush and the direction of the Republican party. When the Republicans are willing to represent people who are not to the far right, many of us will return. Until then, we'll keep hammering them with losses until they get the message (it appears that the message is starting to be heard).

[road kill]

I did the same thing, Steve (and I know a lot of others who did, too). Let me give you the reasons:

1. I was very pleased with W's initial response to 9/11. Then, going into a full-fledged war in Iraq caused me some heartburn. We took our eye off of the ball in Afghanistan and we're payign the price for it. Then, W was unable to come up with a justification of the war (he tried several times until he found one that would stick).

2. I was very pleased with the fiscal position that Clinton left us in. Then, when W got into office, he squandered the surplus (I was used to paying taxes at a certain level, so I really didn't care that my taxes slightly decreased). I am fiscally conservative so I was upset that W kept spending and cutting taxes. The two do not work together, hence a huge deficit and national debt.

3. W let the religious right hijack our country. I am a Christian and I go to church, but my religion is a private thing--I don't think it should be worn on my sleeve AND I am not going to criticize people who do not share my views.

4. W was the king of secretive government. He claimed executive privilege at every turn (remember the energy policy of VP Cheney and the people involved).

I have ALWAYS voted for Republicans (and I will continue to call myself a Republican--I cannot bring myself to be called a Democrat). I was so disappointed with Bush and the rightward movement of the Republican party that I voted for Obama to primarily send a message. Why did I not vote for a third-party candidate. . . it would have been a wasted vote. Why not stay home. . .McCain might have won and the Republicans would not have gotten the message. My goal, and I would suggest the goal of many, many Americans was to send a message.

Obviously your friend and I are not the only ones who "jumped ship." Obama's victory was less an endorsement of Obama than it was an indictment of Bush and the direction of the Republican party. When the Republicans are willing to represent people who are not to the far right, many of us will return. Until then, we'll keep hammering them with losses until they get the message (it appears that the message is starting to be heard).

Well, you are certainly teaching us a lesson!!

How's it working for you??

[Bob Gutermuth]

I was disappointed that the GOP didn't move more to the right under W, the party is a bit too liberal.

[luvalab]

From an e-mail from a friend, in response to my laments about current situation:

"I think our last election was proof to anyone sane that there are no
differences between our two parties. You (and I) chose the candidate who
hinted that he might stop our wars, instead of the one that promised he
would not."

Remington also addresses several points.

Believe me, I want government OUT of peoples' lives--and saw no future for that in the Republican party, only lies followed by policies that proved them liars. Some of use took the risk of choosing a new liar (and we're none too pleased).

Also--While Ted Rall is far and away further left than I am on several issues and he doesn't speak for me (and I disagree mightily on anything "Cap and Trade" so let's not pick that one and go there), his June 30 summary of why he "misses" George Bush adequately sums up several of the reasons many of "us" (myself and friends who voted Democrat) could not stomach McCain--who on all policies but torture, pretty much vowed to continue doing whatever Bush had been doing--and the anger many of us are feeling at Obama for not only failing to follow through on promises to be different, but for actively continuing (snowballing) the policies that drove us AWAY from considering a Republican follow-up to Bush. http://www.rall.com/rants.html

[Roger Perry]

I did the same thing, Steve (and I know a lot of others who did, too). Let me give you the reasons:

1. I was very pleased with W's initial response to 9/11. Then, going into a full-fledged war in Iraq caused me some heartburn. We took our eye off of the ball in Afghanistan and we're payign the price for it. Then, W was unable to come up with a justification of the war (he tried several times until he found one that would stick).

2. I was very pleased with the fiscal position that Clinton left us in. Then, when W got into office, he squandered the surplus (I was used to paying taxes at a certain level, so I really didn't care that my taxes slightly decreased). I am fiscally conservative so I was upset that W kept spending and cutting taxes. The two do not work together, hence a huge deficit and national debt.

3. W let the religious right hijack our country. I am a Christian and I go to church, but my religion is a private thing--I don't think it should be worn on my sleeve AND I am not going to criticize people who do not share my views.

4. W was the king of secretive government. He claimed executive privilege at every turn (remember the energy policy of VP Cheney and the people involved).

I have ALWAYS voted for Republicans (and I will continue to call myself a Republican--I cannot bring myself to be called a Democrat). I was so disappointed with Bush and the rightward movement of the Republican party that I voted for Obama to primarily send a message. Why did I not vote for a third-party candidate. . . it would have been a wasted vote. Why not stay home. . .McCain might have won and the Republicans would not have gotten the message. My goal, and I would suggest the goal of many, many Americans was to send a message.

Obviously your friend and I are not the only ones who "jumped ship." Obama's victory was less an endorsement of Obama than it was an indictment of Bush and the direction of the Republican party. When the Republicans are willing to represent people who are not to the far right, many of us will return. Until then, we'll keep hammering them with losses until they get the message (it appears that the message is starting to be heard).

It took more than just democrats voting for Obama to get him elected.

http://www.tvnewslies.org/html/campaign_lies.html

[BonMallari]

Neither Republicans or Democrats want to see the emergence of a third party here in the US, in order for a third party to succeed it needs some much needed infrastructure ($$$$) to be a viable alternative. they will do everything in their powers to see that never happens, because a third party would actually force them to get things done...In a two party system the parties can portray the opposition as the evil ones and vice versa

As to the claim that W let the Republican party get hijacked by the Christian right, the opposite is actually the truth, the evidence rests in who they nominated, the Republicans nominated a MODERATE, some say almost liberal in McCain, and because of that we are all paying the price, they flat out got snookered thinking they had to move to the center to win an election. The Republicans need to hold closed primaries in all the states to eliminate having the weakest candidate selected..Look back at the timeline and the numbers, McCain was down and running out of money before he went to states with open primaries and he emerges as the front runner and winner. I voted for McCain but he ran an inept campaign, I wont make that mistake again...

[Terry Britton]

The existing government officials may try to use the new hate crime laws against anyone organising a new viable third party.

[Steve Amrein]

I guess I can understand some of the folks who voted against McCain to show they are sick of the left leaning W style politics. I was and still very displeased how W turned out. I was even more disappointed with McCain's nomination. I actually thought that he was a D with the voter record and bills he sponsored. I also believe that a 3rd party vote is currently a waste of a vote. Symbolic it may be, but unless it gets really bad I don't see it successful.

My problem with the protest vote is that BHO and the left will have so much of the ubber left agenda in place that it will be near impossible to rollback. Even a freeze on additional spending is considered a tax cut. They have made tax cut a dirty word.

Just as during the election with economic woes tends to vote someone new in I am not convinced that a conservative will be able to make a go of it. They will have to make the argument to cut back on spending and policies that BHO and the MSM will have been campaigning for 6 years. I was flipping between fox and cnn and it seems like the honeymoon is wearing off. I guess at some point a small bit of journalistic integrity will rise.

[Julie R.]

It took more than just democrats voting for Obama to get him elected.

Yep, it took ACORN and their massive infusions of goobermint cash. Just wait til they get done with the census, we ain't seen nothing yet.