...I'd be interested in the positive reasons why. Not why you will likely vote against Romney, but why you will likely vote for President Obama. It's going to be a negative election, so we may as well have a discussion as to the positives of each candidate.
Sure, I'll play along. Saved the economy, saved GM, got healthcare reform passed, got bin Laden, got us out of Iraq, winding down Afghanistan, DADT/gay marriage... he's been pretty successful at stuff I think is important. barfo
Romney likes to say that "Europe isn't even working in Europe". He's right when it comes to European countries who have tried austerity. Countries that have used stimulus have been fine. And among the most fine are the most "socialist" - particularly Sweden. And Paul Krugman has been saying all along that what was wrong with the stimulus was that it was too small. In other words: what barfo said.
So you're voting for Obama because he didn't pass a large enough stimulus? Seems odd, considering the debt and deficits that his first mistake (not passing a larger one) have added to the treasury. Seems like that would be a reason to vote against Obama to me.
It's a good list, although I'm not satisfied with how some of this went down (would've liked a public option on health care, would have liked us out of Iraq/Afghanistan sooner, would've liked much stricter regulations on Wall Street and some prosecutions). But overall I feel like he got a shitty hand and he did maybe not the best he could with it, but he did well enough. In particular, I think in 10 years Republicans are really going to regret the Obamacare label. History has shown that these kinds of health care reforms become massively popular wherever fully implemented. Republicans score short-term political points with the label, but it will haunt them. Few average Americans associate popular programs like the Interstate Highway System or NASA or Medicare or Social Security with one party. But universal health care reform will forever be known as a Democratic program. I'd add to barfo's list the idea that we need to balance out the Supreme Court with more moderate justices. As wildly as Romney has swung in the past on issue after issue, there's actually a chance he might buck his party and go with more liberal picks despite everything he's said during the election. But I'd rather not take the chance on what kind of person he decides to be today.
I was determined to go 3rd party due to Obama's continuation of the Cheney erosion of our civil rights, his war on marijuana, his ambivalence toward the 2nd amendment..., but frankly there's no 3rd party I can take seriously. They're all whack jobs. Romney is a complete anti-American douchebag who will hopefully be in jail before November, but I could never vote for a Republican anyway, even if they were competent and honest. And barfo points out Obama has probably been the strongest, most successful President in my lifetime when it comes to accomplishing what he promises, which were all very important deeds IMO.
To be honest, I don't know too much about either of them besides the basic stuff, but there's just no way I could vote for Romney, so I'll most likely be voting for Obama.
Just to be clear, I'd prefer if people wish to trash President Obama that they do it in another thread. I'm interested in reading a positive defense of President Obama's record. I want to see why they support him, not why they hate the other guy.
