So, I get into a lot of historical and political discussions with people. I find most of them excruciatingly frustrating. Most people have no idea what they are talking about and, really, I need to find the will-power to just stop talking to them about this stuff. People don’t argue to share information: they argue to win. None of us are immune to this reality. I do it, too. But, when I am beaten, I concede the point – that’s what makes me different.
After hearing so much bullshit about both Obama and Romney, I decided I would do a really easy (as in, it took me three hours to make) breakdown of where each one stands regarding the major issues. It’s over-simplified. It’s not a complete breakdown of what they think. If you want to know a total breakdown, go to http://2012.candidate-comparison.org/?compare=Romney&vs=Obama – reading all of it will take you at least a day.
If you don’t want to do that…if you want to trust that I have my facts right, with as little rhetoric as possible…then read my list. I’ll tell you that I’m a liberal, right off-the-bat; so my judgments are my own, but the comparison is as basic and honest as it can be. I like the idea of government changing, as long as those changes aren’t bad for the people of my nation. That’s what “being a liberal” means to me. And it’s what it should mean, to you. I have plenty of conservative opinions, too. A lot of liberal ideas are total shit. Before I let you in on my insight, stick with me for another couple of paragraphs.
Most peoples’ understanding of “liberal” and “conservative” are ridiculous. For example, if you are “Pro-Choice,” are you a liberal or a conservative? You’re a conservative. Why? Because you support the current legislation that gives women the right to choose – if you desire to change that legislation, that makes you a liberal. What about the desire to make Social Security a privatized system? That’s right: you’ve got a liberal outlook! Conservatives want to keep things as they are; liberals seek to change things. That’s it. That’s all it means. Painting people with wide-stroke brushes is stupid. Please stop using words like “liberal” and “conservative” to define people. It’s dumb on a level that makes other dumb stuff look smart.
That having been said, I hope you enjoy my list. I have given my opinion to who I think has the best opinion regarding each topic, and I’ve included a tally at the end of the blog for an even easier breakdown between the two candidates, according to my opinion on them. Thanks for reading.
Abortion: | |
Obama – |
Pro-Choice Anti-abortionist |
Romney – |
Pro-Choice Anti-abortionist |
My Decision: |
Tie – they both have it right |
Afghanistan: | |
Obama – |
Wants to pull troops out (with no specific plan to do so) |
Romney – |
Wants to let the military decide when to pull out |
My Decision: |
Obama – his plan sucks, but it’s better than just trusting
the military, who would love to be at war forever |
Budget: | |
Obama – |
Wants to increase taxes, maintain/increase most spending,
introduce stimulus packages |
Romney – |
Wants to decrease taxes, maintain/lower most spending,
introduce stimulus packages |
My Decision: |
Romney – this one is a no-brainer |
Business: | |
Obama – |
Wants to increase the rights of workers, limit the power of
corporations, raise the tax on corporations |
Romney – |
Wants to lessen the rights of workers, increase the power of
corporations, maintain/lower the taxes on corporations |
My Decision: |
Obama – though, his desire to attack corporate bottom-lines
will not be a good thing for business |
Capital Punishment: | |
Obama – |
Wants to limit C.P. to only the most heinous crimes |
Romney – |
Is perfectly fine with C.P. |
My Decision: |
Obama – C.P. is barbaric |
China: | |
Obama – |
Doesn’t like China – doesn’t like their spying on us, their
human rights abuses, but sees it in our best interests to do business with them |
Romney – |
Doesn’t like China – doesn’t like their spying on us, their
human rights abuses, and is willing to take a hard-line stance economically against them |
My Decision: |
Tie – both sides make good points |
Civil Liberties: | |
Obama – |
Only cares about the civil rights of American citizens,
and only if they are obeying the law |
Romney – |
Only cares about the civil rights of American citizens,
and only if they are obeying the law |
My Decision: |
Tie – they both suck |
Cuba: | |
Obama – |
Fuck Cuba |
Romney – |
Fuck Cuba |
My Decision: |
Tie – they both suck |
Economy: | |
Obama – |
Increase spending, increase taxes |
Romney – |
Decrease spending, decrease taxes |
My Decision: |
Romney |
Education: | |
Obama – |
Empty rhetoric |
Romney – |
Empty rhetoric |
My Decision: |
Tie – they both suck |
Energy: | |
Obama – |
Decrease dependence on foreign energy,
increase R&D to create domestic solutions |
Romney – |
Decrease dependence on foreign energy,
increase R&D to create domestic solutions |
My Decision: |
Tie – they say the same thing as almost everyone |
Environment: | |
Obama – |
Trust the government to protect the environment |
Romney – |
Trust corporations to protect the environment |
My Decision: |
Obama – Romney’s a shill on this issue |
Foreign Policy: | |
Obama – |
Stop behaving as we have in the past, creating more enemies
for us to deal with later |
Romney – |
Defeat jihadists militarily; compete with Asia economically |
My Decision: |
Obama – Romney’s foreign policy is extremely short-sighted
and causes precisely the kind of past problems Obama is talking about |
Gun Control: | |
Obama – |
Wants to limit weapons designed to kill people |
Romney – |
Doesn’t want any limits beyond what we already have |
My Decision: |
Obama – Romney’s gun control policy is narrow-minded
and short-sighted |
Health Care: | |
Obama – |
Create ObamaCare |
Romney – |
Kill ObamaCare |
My Decision: |
Romney – ObamaCare is a poorly-thought-out plan that will
do nothing but strengthen already-massive insurance companies |
Homosexuality: | |
Obama – |
For gay rights; for civil unions; against gay marriage |
Romney – |
For gays rights; against civil unions; against gay marriage |
My Decision: |
Obama |
Immigration: | |
Obama – |
Supports immigration; supports amnesty; wants secure borders;
wants to regulate the ability for illegal immigrants to work; thinks a fence is stupid |
Romney – |
Supports immigration; admonishes amnesty; wants secure borders;
wants to regulate the ability for illegal immigrants to work; thinks a fence is necessary |
My Decision: |
Obama – again, it has to do with logistics; Romney clearly hasn’t
thought it through and is just pandering |
Iran: | |
Obama – |
Iran spends 1% of what we spend on the military – as a legitimate
threat, they are a joke |
Romney – |
We may have to attack Iran, because they’re scary |
My Decision: |
Obama – Romney is pandering to peoples’ Islamophobia |
Israel: | |
Obama – |
Support Israel, period; Palestine gets support if they
bend to Israel’s will |
Romney – |
Support Israel, because we’re scared of Islam,
and Palestinians are Muslims |
My Decision: |
Tie – both are tunnel-visioned, for their own reasons |
Marijuana: | |
Obama – |
Supports decriminalization, not legalization |
Romney – |
Thinks marijuana must be illegal and is a gateway drug
(but is cool with alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine, being legal) |
My Decision: |
Obama – Romney is a Mormon (what do you expect?) |
Minimum Wage: | |
Obama – |
Wants it to increase to $9.50 ASAP |
Romney – |
Wants it to increase slowly according to an arbitrary index |
My Decision: |
Obama |
National Security: | |
Obama – |
Highly rhetorical about government/military action;
wants to see the USA secure while upholding a moral code |
Romney – |
Wants to increase military spending by an additional $4.4 billion
(on top of the $1.1 trillion we spend now), supports prisons like X-Ray, and thinks private armies are a good thing |
My Decision: |
Obama |
North Korea: | |
Obama – |
We need to do whatever we can to protect South Korea |
Romney – |
North Koreans lie and cheat, and if they want us to
pay them off to stop building nuclear weapons, they need to let us send UN inspection teams |
My Decision: |
Romney |
Poverty: | |
Obama – |
Spend more money on social programs to benefit
the impoverished |
Romney – |
Thinks welfare created poverty; wants to create more jobs;
has literally said “I’m not concerned about the very poor” |
My Decision: |
Obama, but only because Romney loses so bad |
Prescription Drugs: | |
Obama – |
Wants to regulate them more and adjust their prices to
make them affordable |
Romney – |
Says very little on the subject |
My Decision: |
Obama |
Social Security: | |
Obama – |
Wants to strengthen it, but has no real plan to make it happen |
Romney – |
Wants to privatize it, because the current way sucks |
My Decision: |
Romney – I say let him take a shot – it can’t get much worse than it is |
Stem Cell Research: | |
Obama – |
Supports it |
Romney – |
Supports it |
My Decision: |
Tie – both are right |
Taxes: | |
Obama – |
Wants to increase taxes, especially on the rich |
Romney – |
Wants to decrease taxes, especially on the middle class |
My Decision: |
Romney |
So here’s my Tally:
Abortion: |
Tie |
Afghanistan: |
Obama (barely) |
Budget: |
Romney |
Business: |
Obama (barely) |
Capital Punishment: |
Obama |
China: |
Tie |
Civil Liberties: |
Tie |
Cuba: |
Tie |
Economy: |
Romney |
Education: |
Tie |
Energy: |
Tie |
Environment: |
Obama |
Foreign Policy: |
Obama |
Gun Control: |
Obama |
Health Care: |
Romney |
Homosexuality: |
Obama |
Immigration: |
Obama |
Iran: |
Obama |
Israel: |
Tie |
Marijuana: |
Obama |
Minimum Wage: |
Obama |
National Security: |
Obama |
North Korea: |
Romney |
Poverty: |
Obama |
Prescription Drugs: |
Obama |
Social Security: |
Romney (barely) |
Stem Cell Research: |
Tie |
Taxes: |
Romney |
And for a totally arbitrary scoreboard:
Obama |
Tie |
Romney |
14 |
8 |
6 |
But take into account that, if you remove the “barely wins” and the “both opinions suck ties,” and consider where they agree to agree in ways I agree with as points for both, it looks like this:
Obama |
Romney |
15 |
9 |
To put it simply…and this is my own opinion…Romney will do better things for our economy while Obama will do better things for almost everything else. The question is what you care about. I have honestly not decided who I will vote for, but studying all this today has helped me a great deal.
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Hey Joe. I really enjoyed reading this. I agree with most of what you’ve said here, and appreciate a realistic look at all the issues. Well done, sir.
i agree, well done joe
The US Military does NOT want to be at war forever. The guys/gals that served during the 1980’s-2001 had great careers. They spent more time with family, traveling the world and believing in the country they protected. Now they are burnt out, the VA medical system is so understaffed and it’s going to worsen when more and more disabled vets get out. The highly qualified military service members continue leaving the military because of the physical and mental anguish on both them and their families. Also, if we weren’t at war, less money would be spent, but the service members would receive better care “all around.” That pot of gold is used regardless, it would be smaller, but used better.
Civil liberties- I don’t like Obama’s stance on “traitors” and whether a deemed terrorist with no US affiliation should receive same rights as a US citizen because they are caught on US soil. I am also not fond of the idea of holding a US citizen hostage for an indefinite period of time, but if you’re not a US citizen, no protection is deserved.
Environment- you currently have government organizations, run by civilians/members of organizations/corporations, with an agenda. I feel a corporation can/would serve better since they can’t hide behind the veil of sovereign immunity as easily. If BP screws up, they get sued. If EPA screws up, the government has to grant you permission to sue them.
Foreign policy- a stance must be taken. History shows us if we fail to act; ie US Cole, and act on the defensive, we will always lose. Offensive, even when wrong, is a better strategic move than a defensive position with no plan in action.
Gun control- doesn’t decrease violence. Those who posses and use guns legally are the only ones affected by gun control laws. There has to be a deterrent factor to prevent guns from being used wrongly. I believe in strict punishment for crimes involving weapons. Will it deter? Maybe. Likely? No.
Homosexuality is left to the state, not federal government to regulate. I believe most issues should be handled at the lower levels of government. We shouldn’t be forced to rely on Federal Government for protections; that’s why we elect local and state politicians who have a better grasp on local issues.
Healthcare- lobbyists need to be gone and allow doctors to treat based on “best medical practice” and intuition. It is an art, not all science.
Iran- It’s not about money. When you fight gurilla and dirty, you can accomplish a lot with little; fear is the desired end state.
Private militias are necessary. The government can’t act in ways needed at times. My favorite example is when a US citizen is taken hostage by a rogue nation the US government will not pay and often not assist with extraction. However, private militias can act and leave the red tape behind.
My tally……….Obama= D-bag. Romney= D-bag. Obama provides many resources which I use to live off of, but when you dig into some of them, like military pay/healthcare, Obama has tried to take them away or reduce them. Congress has stopped it. My fear is he will find a new way of “reducing government spending” by taking from disabled vets via a new Bill or regulation.
Not to mention the Freedom of Information Act(FOIA) bullshit.
Romney reminds me of Al Lewis “Grandpa” from the Munsters. Cut that hair already.
Obama can’t just answer a question in real time. Stop thinking and start speaking.
Regardless, same BS every 4 years. Two years wasted campaigning, two years spent Presiding. Make it a four and your out term so they actually serve for four years.
The military was also downsized after the Cold War, much to the chagrin of many of the top brass. When I say “the military” I am not talking about your average grunt – I’m talking about Generals/Admirals who are invested in war as a means of maintaining their power/money/influence. If we weren’t at war, too many lawmakers would say “Why are we dumping so much money into the military?” I’d hate to accuse the high-ranking officers about not really giving a shit about the average soldier’s plight but…actually, no: I’m OK with accusing them of that.
I always remember the quote by Dostoyevsky where he said “The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by observing its prisoners.” I don’t give a damn where people are from or whether or not they are deemed a noncombatant by what uniform they have or don’t have on. If we want to show the world that we’re “not like them,” and be a globally-recognized force of awesomeness, we need to show it by treating the people who hate us, and who we hate, with the same rights as we do our citizens. But, that’s probably a really idealistic opinion. haha
Your environmental remarks make a VERY good point. I may need to re-think my decision on that one.
Foreign Policy, Gun Control, Homosexuality, Health Care – all very good points.
Iran, I disagree. They don’t do much guerrilla action, outside of Lebanon. Most of their military is conventional, but stuck in the 1950s.
I am fine with private militias, domestically. American-based internationally-active private militaries that operate without any regulation – that pesky “red tape” – makes them as dangerous as the militaries of those “rogue nations,” in my opinion. If there was such thing as “international law,” I wouldn’t be so worried. But there isn’t. So they freak me out, because they don’t answer to anyone except who contracts them to do things.
Obama freaks me out. It’s very possible that I vote for Romney, if for no other reason than it will save my family tens of thousands of dollars by avoiding his new tax plans. Yeah, it’s a selfish reason. So what? haha
Always good to have you up in here, Luke! Your posts are always a welcome addition to my blogs.
i agree, the military itself does not want war, i mean who wants to work hard, NO ONE right. even the generals or admirals!
there is so much more to all of this
u just cant make everyone happy in life
4 years only would not be the solution, i just dont understand why we always have to pick only between 2 guys, i mean, remember when we use to be younger and we would pick players in school for our soccer or basket ball game
u pick one, and then i pick one, and then u so one and so one
so then we can choose from many different players
wouldn’t that make sense so then we the people can have more options
what do u think mr luke?
i enjoyed reading ur comment, keep on writing more
wow that was amazing man, u really spend a lot of time doing this i can tell
it was very interesting to read
politics is really not what we think it is, really, its really not about any of this stuff, i mean talking about it. bla bla bla
life is good,
A lot of talking but 6 years later nothing positive anyway.
Where I work even gals without any education tell me that politicians talk mean nothing their position and money involved do.
Hey Alex; check out http://jsphfrtz.com/how-the-outrageously-rich-play-politics-a-gambling-analogy/ if you have the chance.