Why I Am Voting For Obama Again

There seems to be some conservatives who think Americans who are voting for Obama again are not as politically aware or informed as they might be, so this is my opinion piece to refute this assertion.  I am not saying all conservatives think this, but whenever someone says we follow Obama without opinions of our own, I wonder, do they ever talk to real liberals on the street?  Do they ever watch shows with true liberal that criticize the president on his policies?  Do they ever realize some of us liberals think that President Obama has kept a bit of the status quo, and tries to find common ground with Republicans too often, especially when a Republican president would not do the same for the liberal in this country.

Some of us liberals get called disparaging names every day about how we are not real Americans, but actually many liberals are very patriotic, and even war veterans.  Just to be clear on the record, no one gets to tell you if you are a patriotic American, and you should straightway flout their comments if someone implies you are not because you might support health care reform, or are left of center.

My grandpas both fought in World War II and were very liberal in their viewpoints.  My one grandpa enlisted in World War II when he was in his thirties, and would not have been the first to be called up.  However he did it and he served his country proud.  He was always very patriotic, but he was always in support of Civil Rights legislation in the 1960′s, and health care reform back in the 1990′s when it was being voted on in those days.  My dad enlisted to serve during the Vietnam War, and he worked on planes in Thailand.  This experience made him become a pacifist, and many who have served in combat do.  My dad has often voted Democrat and supports liberal policies, and even disagrees with Obama sometimes in wanting us not involved in foreign conflicts to the extent that we are.  But then again, I guess us liberals are all lock stop, even though we never have been.  The reality is many of us are voting for Obama again because in a race that looks like it will be against Romney and Obama, well the latter is the choice that most reflects our viewpoints and worldviews.

Some conservatives think we are lock step in line with Obama, nodding in acquiesce to every little comment he makes, as if we are automatons without minds.  I have even read conservative blogs they imply we say “yes master” to Obama, and I wonder, does anyone ever wonder how disparaging that comes across?  Clinton was never subjected to the scrutiny that Obama is, and there are some conservative have commented that he loves his country, but Obama does not.  I guess you can get inside someone’s head and determine what they are thinking?  Honestly I will always disagree when they say our president does not love and support his country, because the evidence is he does.  Their evidence is usually Obama and liberals do things differently that conservatives, but since the inception of this country there have been a range of opinions.  Actually, Obama has donated a lot of his money to charities for wounded veterans.

I tend to go a bit quiet on my Western front when it came to political discussion on the Hubpages forums when I had liberals always trying to imply I was not intelligent, which I find amusing since they always claim it is liberals who do that to conservatives.  Actually, yeah I was never part of the camp of liberals who poked fun at George Bush’s speech gaffes, I simply did not like the man’s policies.  However, I have seen just as many conservatives make disparaging comments about liberals and progressives, and calling us names like lebtards, which is the height of junior high antics.

Discussing politics feels like it will take away from artwork, but sometimes I feel like I must discuss.  So many use words like horrifying and dangerous path to describe Obama or those who vote for him, but not even Bush or Clinton were spoken about in such terms.  So when it comes down to it I am disappointed Obama did not create a public option for health care reform, and yes this is important when you have known people whose families have suffered from mountains of medical debt.  College tuition is sky high, and the prices and the loans need to be brought down.  Up until the 1960′s you heard many stories about how a man or woman off the boat could start a business from nothing, but today those stories are fewer and farther between.

Both corporatist Republican and Democratic politicians have profitted from a system where tarriffs have been lowered, and trade agreements have been created where multinational corporations get more favoritism than a toy maker who creates a product in the US.  The US toy maker will have to subject their product to safety regulations that are costly, whereas a multinational corporation can import toys that will not be subjected to such scrutiny at customs, and might later be recalled for lead.  If we could make things more equitable for all business and stop giving tax breaks to corporations outsourcing, and force them to pass the same inspections when it came to their products, we might level the playing field.  There was a time there were tariffs on foreign built cars, clothes, and toys and no one complained those hurt free enterprise.

So actually I think Obama has gone along with the status quo a bit too much, and I do not even believe he will be harder on bankers or multinational corporations in his second term.  However, Mitt Romney would be even more cozy and buddy, buddy, and I am definitely not voting for a candidate that wants to start more wars overseas.  When we have two choices and Obama is the best choice for my world views, that is definitely not being lock step with anyone.  So the liberal who goes a bit too quiet at times had to say something on this one.