its a bit early but who got ur vote? i say its ganna get down to Obama n McCain. if so then who would u like to sit in the oval office? honestly im not that political..im 23 n i could vote twice already n never did. but i think 2008 is the first time i will actually vote. i hope that Obama takes it. i've been watching alotttt of cnn at work n i gatta say..i like what Obama is saying n Clinton creeps me out for some reason. so who are u voting for??

Neither.

Obama-- a socialist who want's to further expand the role government has on our lives. He's all glib and no substance. Listen to his speeches, he's really not as smart as most think.

McCain-- an old fool who's running on his war service (God bless him for his service but that doesn't make you capable of running a country). He has a history of bad luck and is no conservative by any means. I don't know what he really stands for.

He's the closest the US has had to a socialist candidate that's received such great support. I wouldn't expect many to notice or care though. He's already known as the most liberal person in the senate based on his voting record. I'm against almost all of his policies b/c I don't believe the government needs to take care of as much as it already does (Bush expanded it even more! I want less government control in my life) but I think either person running is a poor choice (sorry Bob Barr and Ralph Nader but your parties have no chance in hell lol). Neither stands for even half of what I believe in and I think they'd sell our country out quickly. Obama stands for maybe 5% of what I'd seek for in a candidate, McCain maybe slightly more but I won't support him.

Hey, vote for who you like. Most young people love Obama b/c he's a great orator (and Bush couldn't speak to save his life so they think this is how a president sounds) but I see past his bs rhetoric and big ears lol. Your naiveté is refreshing b/c I'm very cynical of the current US political situation. I wish I could see things the way most others do. To actually work to support a candidate, that is one thing that I could never do. They aren't worth my time or effort.

And just b/c I talk poorly about Obama doesn't mean I think that much of McCain. I just think he's an old fool. I just pick on Obama b/c the media loves him (yes there is a media bias b/c he gives them so much more to write about than an ordinary candidate and the bored media needs him) and I despise the media.

I just think that the current political scene as a whole is a joke. Republicans are progessive democrats and democrats have teetered on the border of socialism. It's become what can my country do to support me and not what can I do to help the country (both parties are too progressive and JFK, a democrat, would be rolling in his grave if he saw the crap being spewed today). I'm not libertarian, republican, democrat, etc, b/c I don't agree with what their viewpoint is of the country. I'm happily independent and would gladly support my vote for a candidate from any party who stood for what I believe in. Sadly, in my opinion, there is none.

As for my background, I'm a bookworm and I read tons of books about history-- anything to do with world history, US history, other countries history, etc. I want to understand why we are at this point, where we have such terrible candidates for president and I don't think you'll meet many like me. Most just jump on a bandwagon without thinking about the big picture but I question EVERYTHING. It's just my nature. And at this point in my life, I've been through a lot and don't just expect these nimcompoops to understand what's best for the country just b/c they are in that position. Many nations have fallen and just b/c we have some new technologies doesn't mean we know what's best for the survival of a nation, esp. when big business or other special interest rules most decisions.

But like I said before, I wish I could go back in time to when I didn't care and would vote for any popular candidate. But I can't go back in time and just give up what I've learned, though it would make my life easier, lol. I definitely respect your opinion b/c in the end who knows who's right? I just have to go on what I know and I know you'll do the same. That's the great thing about this country. In the end, we can state our viewpoints and still co-exist b/c we both love the country we live in. And I definitely don't know what your viewpoints are either but I would be curious to hear how you've come to the point where you support Obama and would work for his campaign.

Haha, I got what you meant about the libertarian tendencies. Some things, perhaps, but others definitely not, which is why I can't really pigeonhole myself to a particular party. I just think that since the mid 60s (after JFK) the role of government has increased tremendously and it seems like it doesn't matter if the president is democrat or republican b/c the lines between parties are so blurred that it doesn't really matter who is elected. I say that cynically but that's how it seems. It's just too progressive on both sides which leaves people like me, who are conservative by nature, without anything to fall back on, except to hope that people become fed up with the major parties and force change to happen by actually not accepting whoever is running and not voting.

Now, I don't disagree that there haven't been bad presidents from the past--
that's absolutely true, but I think the role of the media has drastically changed the type of people who are getting into power, which isn't necessarily for the better. I think people are losing the ability to think for themselves and analyze issues. They rely on the media to do it for them b/c they'd rather do something else that requires little thought and assume nothing will ever go wrong with the US--that the US will always find a way to fix itself when broken. That can't go on forever. Look at the mess France and the UK are in.

But what they don't get is that the news they are getting is biased b/c it's owned by just a few corporations (this goes for TV and newspaper) which is an absolute travesty. How can people get accurate info about the candidates running or news in general) when the media is owned by companies with their own special interests? Think Foxnews is conservative? More than 10% is own by Sauda Arabian investors and a liberal Rupert Murdoch owns them. That's why I'm so cynical. I don't to lose liberties that we had in the past due to some radical "know-it-all". I'd have to admit, if I was one of these tycoons, I'd probably want Obama to become the next president, wouldn't you? Think of all of the stories to write about! An absolute dream candidate.

You bring up a good point about Obama. I remember watching that same speech you are talking about and thinking, damn, here's a man who can unite us all. But at the time I knew nothing of his policies, his background, etc. That is until I read more into his policies and checked out his voting record. (I even grew up in a pretty liberal state and it still shocked me!) I think most don't realize that these people running for office are being led by people with their own special interests. They control Obama just like they are controlling McCain and any other candidate. It's no different.

I think Obama is much more dangerous b/c not much is known about his past. When his past does come up, it's not all that great. What does he actually stand for (and not the rhetoric of his campaign, he just wants to win so they'll say anything). I think it's fair to say that he's a puppet for his party, just like Bush was a puppet who couldn't back up what he stated to get into office. How is Barack Obama any different? Take away his campaign and the people telling him what to say and what is left? That's what I want to know. But the same is true for McCain. Don't think I left him out, lol. I think McCain will go whichever way the wind blows, but I already know that. Obama, we really don't know much about except for the marketing hype put out by his genius staffers.

If the message of hope is what a person is looking for, wouldn't Joel Osteen make a good president? Get some campaign managers and marketing geniuses to write up their polocies and you'll have a new candidate for hope! I sure feel good when I listen to him, but he wouldn't have the first clue about running a country. Many people can give hope, but we've all been lied to before and led to believe things that were not true but it felt good at the time b/c we had hope. What I want is for someone to give it to me honestly b/c I can take it. Heck, Germany in the last 20s/early 30s needed someone to give them hope and get them out of the mess that WWI caused 'em. That man sure did emerge, but he also fed them a bunch of BS and you know what happened next (not saying that this will happen--just an extreme example). And just b/c Bush was an absolute moron, who I would call one of the worst presidents of our time, doesn't mean I believe that the next person selling me hope is who should be president. I'll get my hope from somewhere else and not someone selling me something I don't need and policies that really aren't answers but rather what people think they need (my opinion).

As a poly sci major, now I can see why you are so into political discussion. Not many that I speak to are able to hold an intelligent conversation without it turning to name calling and other antics when speaking about politics (b/c of lack of general knowledge), so I wasn't shocked when you mentioned it. I'm actually interested in what you have to say.