USA 2008 Elections follow up.

Well I promised a thread on USA elections and here it is. Please be polite !! No hate attach or extremist views or the post will be removed.
Italy ( and the rest of the world ) feels deeply the impact of the US elections. This is a way to share comments.

I will stick my neck out - hopefully no one whacks me too hard.

I am not completely happy with any of the candidates - but have decided to vote for Obama.

My reasons are pretty general:

I typically lean toward the liberal side on social issues and on the environment - I think McCain - and the Republican platform in general - is dangerously conservative on social issues - and that they are pro big buisness at the expense of the environment.

I think that the USA has a really bad reputation in the international community - and the only way to gain back some credibility is to make a radical change - discontinue the Republican influence for a while.

I am suspicious - and I think most of the rest of the world is too - that McCain will just be more of the same approach to international politics - and continue the Bush doctrine - of "pre-emptive defense" - which basically means if we are afraid of a country - we strike them first even if they haven't demonstrated any substantive threat directly to the USA.

My 2 cents worth...

Carlo

I agree with Carlo 100%.

I don't consider myself to be bias to one party or the other, i strictly vote based on issues. I think a major problem in this country is the fact that people vote based on party.

I just feel that McCain is going to be the same as Bush, and we all know how well that went.

Firstly i am not AMERICAN but i follow closely the american politics because whatever happens in America, there will certainly be a ripple effect afeecting other nations and continents.

Lets 1st examine what Bush admin has done so far during his term - most of the time he focus on fighting Terrorism and waged war on Iraq and Afghanistan...nothing was done on the widening economic inequality in the US, global warming was largely ignored and he to certain extent pursue many other dangerous pursuits such as the issue on North Korea and Iran. The republican candidate, McCain has vowed to continue what Bush admin has done so far and to certain extent wants US to increase military spending! US population is only 4% of the world population and yet its military spending is over one half of the world's military spending, i mean these spendings are from the citizens tax money but yet Americans largely ignore this ...

i for once hope that this time around, Americans will choose wisely..for me Obama seems to offer better solutions to the problems americans have...

so American, please vote wisely!

I think too many Americans vote based on misinformation or no information. The elections always bring out the big guns and lots of private interest money. The money pays for skewed facts or outright lies regarding the opposing candidates. People do not bother to check facts even though, in this day and age, this is easy to do. There is actually a web-site factcheck.org which checks everything and is unbiased.
I agree with Carlo and Joe that we really need a radical change. The Bush administration has devastated our credibility abroad and has no regard for the environment. They still do not believe in global warming.
I am also very wary of a "Born Again Christian" as vice president - especially since McCain is very old and having been a prisoner of war, has an elevated chance of dying earlier than those who have not had that past experience. To me, a person with a religious agenda which includes imposing their beliefs on others, is a dangerous person to have in power in a Democratic country. Look what happened with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Palin tried to have certain books banned from the public library in Wasilla when she was mayor of that town. This kind of dictatorship is totally unacceptable in our country.
I will be voting for Obama and I hope that he will prove to be the leader we need to pull us out of the hole Bush got us into.

Joe - don't the different parties have basic issues they always stick to? Is one "left" or "right", one more socially-minded and the other more capitalistic, or isn't it like that in the US? (please forgive my ignorance of US politics, but I can't vote there so haven't taken much of an interest until the election results come in)

italian people also vote base on party and not based on issues!

Can anyone tell me what is the average turnout for US voters at Presidential elections? In the UK it's criminally low - quite often around 40%, and in Italy, if my memory serves me correctly it's nearer 80%

Imho no matter how unexperienced Obama can be, he will never be able to do worse than George. Never.

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Mark,
It can be pretty low in the U.S. - but I think this year, it will be different. For one thing, many African Americans will be voting who may not have voted in the past.