Think Before You Vote

Ferraro's words, "if Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position" were not racist. It is insulting, rude, shallow and very telling for Obama and his campaign to take Ferraro's comment out-of-context and spin it into some racist rhetoric.

This is precisely one of the big problems with American society at the moment. If a white person even mentions race, no matter how innocent the comment, the white is slandered as a racist.

Good for Ferraro for not backing down! The facts are there and we all know that Obama is where he is because he offers symbolic hope, in part because of his color, in part because he's different than the white presidents we've had in the past and in part, perhaps, because he's an underdog. Hilary is probably seen as privledged because she's a white woman who has Bill as a backer. Although that is true, Americans very much live in a society that is sexist... plain and simple. It's a shame, but it's true.

As a man, would you rather have any man in office than any woman? Be honest. Would having a woman as president put your old boy's club status (which all men belong to regardless of race) in jeopardy? For a lot of American men I believe the answer is yes.

Obama may be an underdog due to his race, but I believe Clinton is more of an underdog due to the misogynistic rhetoric we live with in our daily lives which runs rampant in American culture. Clinton has never once played the 'gender' card. Obama is freely and continually playing the 'race' card and it's getting out-of-hand.

People, think about it. You may be shallow enough to buy into Obama's bogus allegations regarding Ferraro but if he were to become president and had to deal with international affairs and someone said something he didn't like, how would he respond? Would he automatically try to use the 'race' card? Man, I hope not. Can you imagine how little credibility America would have overseas, at that point. As if our exchange rate and global credibility isn't far enough down the toilet.

Clinton was right was she said, "Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act" If blacks, or anyone else for that matter, thinks that MLK was the first person to ever care about civil rights than they need a new history lesson. This race crap is out-of-control if it is that far fetched from the truth and people believe it.

Yes, there have been many messed up laws which existed that were not good for people - both blacks and women. If you are unaware of it at and before the turn of the century (1900s) women fought for equal rights and fought for this with blacks in many instances because both women and blacks lacked many of the same rights - such as the right to vote and to own property. This was a solid 60-80 years before MLK made his speech.

I believe Lincoln thought slaves should be free and I also believe a lot of whites fought to free the slaves. I'm also quite sure that I decend form some of those whites as we moved to America in 1623, for the most horrendous reason of civilizing the Indians. I'm Irish and very aware of how anglo men treated Irish woman through the times of indentured servitude and how some of that same inappropriate culture remains in today's American society. Are you? If not, you should be because it's part of our history, as Americans.

It's been a long road for all of us. And hopefully all of us have been learning very important lessons along the way.

I was too young to vote for Mondale/Ferraro and honestly, I'm not sure that I would have. I didn't think Mondale was the strongest candidate and I didn't particularly care for Ferraro. It wasn't because she was a woman, it was because she just rubbed me wrong. The fact that she's standing behind her words today gives me a whole new level of respect for her -one that I'm losing for Clinton due to her's weak reaction to Ferraro's comment which was probably due to Clinton's fear of isolating potential voters - not a good call. It's important to know your president will stand strong when times get tough and damn Clinton for not doing that in this instance.

That being said, Clinton's political positions are solid. She's proven herself and her dedication to our country over time and through her actions. I am a Hilary supporter because I think she would be very good for the citizens of America and is our best presidential candidate. She has earned my political loyalty. Hilary clearly has the best chance of moving our country forward.

Who gives a crap about Obama's color. Sheesh! The question is would he make a good president and from everything I can tell the answer is a resounded NOT A CHANCE. Unfortunately, that probably means he'll be elected president since I also felt so strongly against Bush and enough morons in our country voted him in office as well. (I'm not addressing the Florida issue and perhaps noteworthy, I was a FL resident at the time.)

Do you really need to wait until a year-and-a-half after Obama has been in office to realize he's full of hot air and doesn't really have a platform. This is a huge problem folks. Our international standing is shaky, at best, right now. We need to improve our global reputation and I simply don't see that Obama can give that to us.

The least Obama should have done was to say, 'Yes, Ferraro is right, but I'm learning along the way, I'm glad I've been given this opportunity, I have a great platform and a great team, here I am and I'm grateful that I'm here because I'm right for the job' and then layout his plan in detail. Instead, he runs for the 'race' card and denies the obvious. Ouch. How can he be good for our country if he lives in denial of the obvious or refuses to admit it. It's not like having an edge is a disadvantage. It's not like riding a wave is a bad thing. It's not like it's a bad thing that the US is ready for some real change. It is bad that he's pretending this isn't the case. I don't trust that.

People, get your sh*t together. Soon, the US will not be financially strong enough to dig itself out of it's globally weak position. We are a country of spoiled brats who have never known what it's like not to be globally powerful. We won't like it if that day comes.

Please think before you vote. Don't listen to the headlines. Listen to the full debates. Listen to what the candidates say and how they respond. Don't vote race. Don't vote gender. Clear your thinking from the rhetoric and stigmas and please choose the person you truly believe can best meet the needs of American citizens. It's really important this time around. We are in new territory, internationally, and we better be careful.

Other countries are getting stronger while America is getting weaker. That is not sensationalism. It's a fact. We need a president who can be strong at home, in America, because without internal strength we won't have international respect. Other countries have money, too. Other countries import and export. We don't have a lot to export, so when our dollar is weak and we aren't importing as much our overall value internationally declines. Further, our greed ridden society's execution of the foreclosure market has hit the international community and they probably don't appreciate it much. Do I even need to mention how devastatingly bad the Iraq war has been to America's overall reputation worldwide?

Get it together. Pick the president you feel will be there for you, your family and your country because if our president doesn't fit those perimeters that president will not be a strong international figure.

I heard a black woman say, "It's a hard choice. Should I vote my gender or my race".

Please don't vote that way. This isn't a 'I'm a girl', 'I'm a black' club. This is an "I'm an American" club and the stakes are our country. Vote for the person you feel will best serve you, your family and your country.