Could you explain to me what you, and other voters opting out or writing-in, are protesting against?
What did Obama do wrong to disqualify him from being voted for? Is it his "small town" faux pas?
And, I'm honestly just asking.
Update. My team was down 3-0 in the Calder Cup finals, but have won the last 2 games and are still alive (which prevented the Wolves from taking the cup on our ice
, which we had to watch the Admirals do a few years ago
)
Anyway, here's your answer:
Background to see where I fit in: middle-aged woman, college educated, agnostic. Although I’ve mostly lived in small towns, I’ve also lived in Boston and for several years in NYC. I consider myself independent although I am a registered Democrat. I’ve never voted Republican in Presidential elections, but I’m not a party loyalist and will split my vote in other elections. I live in an area with a corrupt Democratic party. This area is now under investigation for a lot of things, by the Secret Service and other agencies including the FBI for violations across the board up to and including our judges. So while I support the stated values of the Democrats, I often find the reality much different from the lip service and often find the laws enacted for protection don’t have many teeth. By nature, I’m a populist. I’m pleased when the citizenry gets rowdy. I like a shakeup when government is unresponsive.
I’m generally unresponsive to rhetoric. I don’t get inspired by Obama’s speeches (or really, anybody’s) and I wasn’t outraged by Jeremiah Wright. I pay attention to what is said but I only believe what people do.
First of all, I’ll answer your small town question. I took notice of the comments not because I didn’t find some truth in them and not even because of the stereotype (God knows, I use the stereotypes myself) but because it was an answer to a specific question, implying that the only answer to the reason that people might choose another candidate than him is unenlightened status---an implication I’ve seen in enough posts here. People choose their candidates for a whole slew of reasons—philosphical and personal and I find it shortsighted and foolish to offer a palatable, simplistic explanation for a choice. It’s a bigotry of a type. But I don’t think a whole lot of offense was taken. The running joke for a while was “What are you clinging to today?”
I would be hardpressed to deny that Hillary supporters include some racists. (As I would be naïve not to thing that Obama’s supporters include some sexists) But I find it distressing that many Obama supporters think that race is the ONLY reason why a Democrat might prefer someone else or the ONLY reason why Obama might not get a Democrat’s vote in November.
A few things bother me about Obama. We saw a lot of the candidates here being that Pennsylvania’s primary schedule provided a lot of campaigning time. On the same day, Hillary was speaking 2 blocks north of where I work, Obama was speaking 2 blocks south. (I didn’t go to either) They both appeared in St. Patrick’s Day events—Hillary at Scranton’s parade, Obama at the Irish women’s dinner (which I thought took a lot of courage since the bulk of the members were Hillary supporters and he made a good impression since women are not allowed to attend the men’s events—by the way, an awful lot of men were at the woman’s event). However, during the Wilkes-Barre events, Hillary made sure that union workers were used to set up her event. Union workers were not used for Obama’s event. I understand he requested them, but Hillary made sure they were used. I probably would have passed it off if he hadn’t had the same problem in the Verizon Center a few months before, where he used a nonunion hall and got a huge amount of flak for it. I would think he would have been more careful. (I am aware that he has a large amount of union support. I am also aware that the union that would have worked his event supports Hillary. And I am also aware it is in the realm of possibility that Hillary’s insistence on union workers and refusing to use nonunion venues is purely politically expedient. Edwards appears to have been the most prounion candidate.) But it is the difference between words and actions.
Obama works up a crowd better. I think Hillary works a crowd better. (Just a random observation)
I was put off by his refusal to debate after Pennsylvania. Not that I thought we needed more debates. But because it came after his worst showing at a debate. Bad timing. A little bit of fear there, discomfort? (Hillary in the same position may have done the same thing, but that is speculation). I thought that his race speech was strong and effective (and so I posted) but a parsing of it would indicate to me that it was a speech carefully designed to end a racial discussion not to encourage it. I wasn’t really happy with the sweetie comments, especially in their contexts. I believe Obama was the first candidate to broach that both the Republican and Democrat nominees take only public financing. This was said during a time before his very effective money-making machine took control and it seemed likely the Republican candidate would have the financial advantage with private donations. When he had scads of money coming in, he backed away. The public financing was meant to appear as a principled stance when it benefited him. I think he ultimately chose correctly on a pragmatic basis, but I took notice that it is easy to stand on principle when it benefits you. It’s been a pattern that hasn’t separated him from any other politician in my eyes. None of these were deal breakers either alone or cumulatively. I certainly appreciate some of his legislation.
I could list the flaws I find with Hillary, but it’s not like they haven’t been pounced on here.
What didn’t bother me? Not wearing a flag pin (lol). That was actually a plus for me, since I don’t wear flag pins, I won’t recite the Pledge of Allegience and I don’t cross my heart during the anthem, although I will stand respectfully enough. Jeremiah Wright didn’t bother me. In some ways it reminded me of many groups with legitimate complaints marred by hyperbole.
But to answer your real question, Although Obama didn’t give me a strong enough reason to vote for him, he didn’t do anything himself that would make me register a protest vote. The protest vote (mine anyway and many of the other people I know) isn’t against him.
The primary reason I’ll be voting for Hillary in November, it has been the media which is increasingly blurring the line between news and commentary. I’m not finding much difference these days between MSNBC and Fox. With a 24 hour cycle without 24 hours of news to fill it, the cable stations became ripe for opinion over analysis, loudness over reflection, taking a one-line sentence (or for that matter, a speech by someone like a Jeremiah Wright) and magnifying it all out of proportion. These talking heads have decided to determine the news, to sway it. If you say it loud enough and long enough, it must be so. They set themselves up to steer the course of this primary. I don't trust in the process as much anymore. They wrote the story before it happened. And when Hillary didn’t follow the narrative, they exploded on her and her followers. You know if there wasn’t this 24/7, this repetition, there wouldn’t be this polarization. There was mythmaking and misogyny.
There was an interesting column in the Washington Post regarding what we are finding acceptable as political discourse now.
Link here:
Marie Cocco - Misogyny I Won't Miss - washingtonpost.com
Although I don’t agree necessarily with the last line regarding a hatred of women, I found the easy use and acceptance of misogynistic terms, gender based insults absolutely abhorrent. If this election brought out hidden racism, it also brought out the misogyny from the shadows. These are many of the people who are beating the drum for change, people whose undeserved stature in the media are making this acceptable. I don’t spend all day beating a feminist drum, but I want no part of these coronaters and I want no part of this coronation if those are the tools they chose to use. Strong women aren’t wanted if they don’t go along with the plan. That is the message I took away. From my party. That’s the message I don’t forgive.
There was no entitlement for Hillary to become President. But I would expect when the press comes down on her, it comes down on her with the same criteria you would come down on any other political candidate. She was entitled to that. So were we. My vote will reflect that.