SHMIV wrote:I voted McCain in '08. Not my favorite by a long shot, but more qualified for the office of President than Barry Soetoro. I'm not suggesting that he would be better, just better qualified. McCain has, at least, done something productive in his lifetime. I'll be making no apologies for that vote.
I voted Romney last year. Also, not my favorite. I was quite comfortable with his Mormon faith, as I was not casting a vote for a pastor or spiritual guide. And, as with McCain, I believed him to be better qualified than Soetoro. Still do. No apologies there, either.
As for Ron Paul, I just can't take him seriously.
All that said, though, I am glad that the D's get to own this whole mess. I just hope that enough folks are paying attention, otherwise it won't matter.
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Rand != Ron; Kentucky Senator vs. Texas Congressman. Yes, Ron is Rands father, but they do differ.
Are you saying you'll vote for 'R' regardless of who they run in 2016? Also, better qualified sure, but better qualified to execute 90+% of the same policies...why bother?
If the economy is important to you, what would have McCain or Romney done differently? The Fed would be doing exactly what it did under Obama. No one except the fringes of the Republican party proposed any budget deficit and national debt solution which cut anything. All they did is cut the proposed increase and even then it wasn't much. The budget was to be balanced in a decade on the assumption that eventually taxes would rise and that Congress would not further increase spending...both bad assumptions.
Firearms are a difference, but much less than many assume. McCain and Romney are both supporters of "common sense" gun restrictions. Being familiar with the existing laws and "common sense" proposals we all know that means primarily mandatory registration through whatever mechanism (e.g. Universal Background Checks), bans on evil looking firearms (aka anything not already an old design when your father/grandfather were kids), and limitations on magazine capacity which inhibit SD/etc. Sure, neither would likely be out stumping for it like Obama, but both would have signed it had it gotten past Congress.
Obama's merely continued and expanded Bush's national security programs. In some ways he's done exactly what any other president would have (e.g. drones). We're still in Afghanistan. I'll give you that McCain/Romney probably would have done better with Benghazi, but that's a guess. All of them would have continued to sell weapons to all sides in the Middle East (e.g. Egypt's jets, Syrian Rebel weapons, etc.). That's nothing new or surprising; both parties do it extensively. While it's fun to blame Obama for the world being a mess, the reality is it wouldn't be much different under McCain or Romney. The US foreign policies have been around for a long time and really don't change much between administrations. Same score, different game.
Really nothing would have changed with jobs either. Yes, the rhetoric is vastly different, but the reality is government doesn't create jobs. Lowering taxes (which is dubious if the R's would actually lower taxes rather than just talk about it) doesn't really create jobs either, but it often creates a short term demand spike. I'm not saying lower taxes wouldn't improve the general situation but they don't directly create jobs...the net impact of the producers having more money depends on a lot of other factors. Generally, the R's are not in favor of fixing the other factors (based on their actual actions). Undue regulation is a serious problem. R's really only talk about removing regulation that will make them and their cronies money. The real story is that government doesn't create jobs, but it can destroy them through inefficiencies, undue restrictions and regulations. In general, the R's propose as many undue restrictions as the D's, just different. While it's popular to claim the R's are the big business party, the reality is both parties are for big business...it's just what kind of business and the details. Just look at the donations.
I could go on, I could also serious expand on any of the above topics. However, chose one and ask yourself what really would have changed if McCain or Romney had won? 90% the same in almost every case when you compare actual actions rather than rhetoric.
