If you believe like this who would you vote for?

I'm still trying to put together a good list of canidates I would/could vote for. I started off leaning for Dean due to his stances on guns and taxes but he's going the wrong way for me on the war, Kucinich seems interesting but I know little about him other then the dating thing (bad) and taking on Ted Kopel (good). Clark and Kerry so far have left me cold but maybe I should start looking at them... If you had these ideas who would think would be the best fit?


Some issues I feel strongly about, issues that will make vote for or against someone...
Social security...my no 1 issue, I want it fixed and fixed right.
Gun control.......sorry but I'm a farm boy at heart and want my rifles, even those that look evil to some ;)
War on terror.....I generally support whats going on now, sadam and olsama IMO were evil and needed taken out. I wish we'd had better planning for after the war and see room for improvement over bushlite.

Issues that mean something to me but I'm alot more moderate on...
Taxes.... Don't mind paying but want my dollars not to be wasted.
abortion...don't want it banned, don't mind some restrictions
military....I want us to be strong but not centered around the military
Middle east peace...I'd wish we'd have a plan that would work
Media power...I don't like that a few companies are controling everything we hear, but don't suscribe to any tin foil theories :)

Issues that mean little, I wouldn't vote one way or the other based on a canidate view point...
animal rights
gay rights
Religious rights

your views are more to the right than most people on this board. I would say your ideal candidate might be Lieberman or McCain.

You sound like a true "centrist".

Unlike others who might try to steer you to someone with little chance to win, I respectfully suggest you review the qualifications and views of Wesley Clark.

First of all, I believe he clearly has the best chance to beat Bush.

Secondly, I feel he is in line with your views and with those of most Americans.

Lastly, although his background is in the military, he does not believe our country should be focused on the military alone. He is bright and diplomatic, therefore he feels military is to be used only in the last resort.

At our official site Clark04.com, you can learn just about anything about Clark and his views.

Happy Holidays!

Lastly

At the risk of being deleted, when you say "our official site," are you saying that as a supporter, or as an employee?

Welcome :hi:

Check him out.

..on individual issues I think Kucinich is a great candidate.

I'm not high on Kerry or Clark either. No to Lieberman. Edwards leaves me cold too. Dean is somewhat interesting, but Kucinich truly is for the people. Here's why you may want to take a look at him.

Taxes? I'm with you. Cut the waste, but not at the expense of needs. It seems that everytime there's a rush towards efficiency it ends up being babies tossed out with the bathwater, if you know what I mean. No meat cleavers, please.

Abortion? Same. I'm not wild about it and it's reasonable to have some restrictions, but I'm completely opposed to it being outlawed.

Media? Don't get me started. Not that he's alone in this respect, but Murdoch makes me ill.

I've got no problem with people owning guns. As with abortion, I think it's reasonable to have some restrictions.

Social Security is a big issue for me too. Everyone seems to be putting off fixing it. Hiding the problem and sending it on to the next administration is irresponsible and we're quickly running out of time to fix it before all hell breaks loose in about five years.

Kucinich opposes the privatization of utilities (especially water) because it's needed by everyone. A basic right. It shouldn't be subject to the profit motive. We're told that the profit motive is good. More efficency, etc... I don't think that's true. I work for a big company and I don't see a great deal of difference between public/private with the exception that a corporate hierarcy acts as an uneccesary middle man taking an undeserved cut of our tax dollars and driving up rates.

I'm all for having a strong military. My father was in the service as were five of his brothers. With me, however, I'm very conservative about it's use. IMO, we shouldn't be projecting it around the world as a tool of "protecting" our interests because we often do so with a complete disregard for the interests or wishes of other nations. I agree that SD is a bad man. I begrudgingly supported the actions based on the administration claim he had WMDs. When I learned the WMD claim wasn't true I turned against it. I'm not however supportive of a complete and immediate withdrawal. That would create an even greater problem than we now have. We need some help, for sure.

Furthermore, the money we're spending on the military and weapons is immoral when I consider all the people who do without both inside and outside the U.S.. Food, shelter, medicine, education, etc... are getting less funding because so much is going to the military. We can afford to cut military spending and still be sufficiently strong to protect ourselves.

Take a look at "A Prayer for America." It's a short paperback costing about $12. You may be able to read some of these on his website too. Put aside differences you may have with him regarding Iraq and see if those collected speeches by Kucinich don't strike a cord with you. They're not devisive. They're inclusive. They won me over and I voted Republican up until George I when the GOP diverged too far away from what I thought they represented. Certainly, the Democratic party has problems too, but I'm not voting party. I'm voting candidate.

Finally, thank you for considering someone other than our current President. Being open to other choices and ideas is commendable.

:toast:

...and yes, I'm taking it out on YOU :)

"Gun control.......sorry but I'm a farm boy at heart and want my rifles, even those that look evil to some "

Ok, that's great. Now tell me your position on gun control, seeing as how gun control really has nothing to do with taking away your "rifles" and has everything to do with responsible gun ownership: closing gun show loopholes on background checks, requiring a 7-day waiting period on gun purchases, requiring gun owners to be liscenced in the same manner that we are liscenced to drive a car.

Gun control is about a responsible mean between two extreme positions: The extreme position that everyone should be able to own a bazooka and a ignorant denial of the fact that this country has a gun violence epidemic, and the other extreme position that says the 2nd ammemdment gun rights were a mistake, and we should do everything possible to ban guns and keep them out of the hands of the public. Somewhere in the middle is the mean of responsible gun ownership that accepts there are some weapons not apprporiate for the public, like a 50mm cannon for example, and that also accepts that gun ownership is a responisbility every bit as much as it is a "right" and that there should be some protections and guidlines in the law to help regulate things.

One of the thigns that I think pisses me off more than anything about republicans or gun "activists" of any stripe is the fact that theyr arguments against responsible gun laws are so utterly stupid.

Lieberman is a big proponent of more gun control.

you can keep him...but to each his own.

Check him out--especially on SocSec, but on everything. He's with you right down the line with the possible exception of terror: he believes that if we abuse people less, they'll be less inclined to try to hit back. (Makes sense to me)

How does anything in that post remotely sound like Kucinich?

As to how, go look it up. His site is easy to find and well-organised, and most of his positions are articulated clearly enough for the basenoter's purposes.

Social security... will forever be in jeopardy without a balanced budget.

Gun control....... Dean had an A rating from the NRA while in office.

War on terror..... Dean proposes that we fight the war on terror within international law and with international support, not as a rogue state. He also would guide our efforts based on the truth, not by manipulating fear to achieve objectives that have nothing to do with terror.

Taxes.... Dean wants to repeal Bush's tax cuts to pay for (nearly) universal health care and to bring the budget back into balance (see Social Security). Your tax dollars will not be wasted. Dean is recognized as a fiscal conservative.

Abortion... Dean supports choice. He did not support the ban on late-term abortions as he believes lawmakers should not be making decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor.

Military... Dean recognizes the need to beef up the military in certain areas. Would not be a militant president.

Middle East.. Dean has said we need to be a fair broker of peace.

Media power... Dean would break up some of the larger media monoplies.

I applaud you for thinking this through carefully.

Dean is the most ardent critic of that plan. So he certainly disagrees with Dean alot on the issue of the War on Terror.

plan that is workable. Not just lip service<"We gotta be fair to both sides..." NOT like some, who meanwhile have their AIPAC advisers whispering in their ears.A good plan with meat, a plan that doesn't dump Israel's security and doesn't dump the Palestinian Authority's right to have a viable nation. Check it out.

As far as waste, and overspending on the millitary, DK is the only one talking about the $$ONE TRILLION the Pentagon can't account for, and he says we can reduce the defense budget by 15% without any loss in security for the nation or any loss of effectiveness of our armed forces.Check it out.

Edit: don't believe you will find a candidate who is a perfect fit, but DK should really be right up there.