My political views

I'm not a Republican, and I'm not a Democrat, but I'm definitely more conservative than not, though sometimes I am a little more moderate. 

My voting history?  In a grade school mock election I voted for Ross Perot. :)

Though, I am definitely more conservative, maybe just not conservative enough for my husband...  Sometimes, I (sarcastically) apologize to him that he didn't marry a more conservative wife, to which he always tells me he's glad I have my own opinions.

To be honest, in 2008 I really didn't want to vote.  I felt so sick to my stomach while standing in line, voting, and then leaving the church where I voted.  (which I've never really understood, everyone wants separation of church and state, but then we vote in churches?)  I wasn't impressed with either choice. 

Though I didn't vote for Obama, I feel like I gave him a fair chance.  Even with my husband going off about Obama on a regular basis.  If he started on a rant, I'd tell him to show me the proof, show me the numbers, or prove what he was talking about.  I was anxious to see what hope and change our president was going to generate. 

I know I say this all the time, but my mom taught me, "Never believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see."  This statement can be applied in many aspects of life, but basically she wanted us to find the answers ourselves, and applied to politics not to believe what we hear in a newscast, or what one party says about the other party. 

My mom's family were mostly Democrats.  Her dad ran the ABC store, and only had that job when the Democrats were in office.  My dad's family is definitely more Republican, and I grew up in a non-political household.  I don't remember debates or discussions about politics, except at my mother's family reunions. 

I knew my parents voted, but they didn't preach or try to brainwash us to believe a certain way when it came to politics.  I remember feeling tortured when they watched the debates.  I also remember watching my mom during election times pour over the newspaper inserts that come out on the candidates, she studied and considered the candidates, but she never told us for whom she voted.  In one way, I have always thought that is kind of weird.  In another way, I love that she did that, she wanted us to form our own opinions, and choose for ourselves.  Sometimes I think that maybe she did that because in her family it was decided who you vote for and she didn't like that?  But, she's not around to ask, so I'm just assuming that could be one reason she didn't tell us. 

For me, I'm going to tell my kids who I vote for, but encourage them to form their own opinion.  When they tell me who they would/will vote for, I will ask them to tell me why.  I think my children will know they can have their own opinions as they watch their parents, who very often have different opinions, debate about different political issues. 

No one would have ever categorized me as being a political person, or even remotely interested in politics - until now. 

Close to the beginning of this election when I started hearing Obama's campaign ads, which let's be honest wasn't a campaign for president, but a campaign against Romney, I was just getting confused.  My neighbors lived in Massachusetts while Romney was Governor and they only had good things to say about him, but Obama's campaign was contradicting that, so I thought I would do some investigating myself. 

Even though I didn't vote for Obama the first time, I hadn't really decided for sure who I would vote for this time.  But, heavens knows I was not going to be wrongly accused of voting for Romney just because he was a Mormon.  Cue my political research...

I started learning Obama was running completely false ads, that eventually were taken off of circulation.  As I started learning more about Mitt Romney's record in Mass., I started to become more impressed with him. 

Something else I learned, the two things that Obama touts as being two great things he did as president - get Bin Laden, and the auto bailout - were both started by George Bush before he left office.  So, the two things he spouts as his big accomplishments were just finishing what Bush had already put into place. 

One of the big reasons I didn't vote for Obama is that I thought he didn't have enough experience (or any, really).  Mitt Romney has experience, and honestly, experience we should be impressed with.  He didn't even take a salary as a Governor, which I don't think he gets enough credit for. 

I was impressed with learning that after he was elected he sat down with his cabinet and made a list of all the promises he made during his campaign and had regular progress meetings discussing the progress of those promises.  How cool is it that, that he kept his campaign promises?  How can someone not be impressed with that?  He worked with and hired people from both parties.  That is important information, and we need a president that can do that.  It is very telling of a leader, our president, when members of his own party won't support budgets he has presented before them.  I don't know how people can ignore that. 

I think one of the things that bothers me the most is that the President is waging a war on the classes.  He wants us to think less of someone that has been really successful.  I was at family reunion this summer, and was proud of myself for walking by a political discussion and not stopping to correct the old timers...  They were talking about Romney having too much money to make a good president...  Really?????  Don't we want someone that has been able to balance a budget in all of his personal business ventures?  Not just personal, but for the Olympics and for a state?  We want someone that knows how to take a struggling anything (business, Olympics, state budget) and fix it, right???  We should applaud someone who has led a successful business career, and applaud them even louder when no one can come out and say bad things about him personally with how he led that career.

I have to have major self control to keep me reading through and commenting on all the comments on political articles or blogs.  I can not even believe the degrading things I have read about Mitt Romney because he has money.  Obama has been successful in making people hate people like Mitt Romney that have been successful and have money, and it really, really bugs me.  Romney has donated 30% of his money to charity.  30% of a lot of money is a lot of money people. 

Let's see, what else bothers me....  It bothers me that there are people that didn't vote for Obama because he is black, and it bothers me that people wouldn't vote for Romney because he's a Mormon.  That is called ignorance on both accounts.  On the same hand, it bothers me that people voted for Obama because he is black, and that people would vote for Romney because he's Mormon.  Still ignorance. 

I saw this billboard that showed a mock high school year book, and had Obama's picture, and Romney's picture, and under Obama's picture it said, "Most Popular," and under Romney's picture it said, "Most likely to succeed."  I loved it.  Because, yes, Romney is kind of awkward, and Obama is clearly "cooler," but he is not succeeding, and we need someone that can. 

I loved one of the speeches during the Republican Convention that called Obama our "tattoo president."  Being that, it was "cool" to vote for him then, and like a lot of young teenagers when they get older regret their decision of getting that tattoo.  Just like there are people who regret voting for Obama.  I thought that was pretty funny - a "tattoo president."  It really was the hip thing to do in 2008, let's be honest.  In 2008, there were Obama signs, and bumper stickers EVERYWHERE, this year, there are barely any.  I know that may depend on where you live, but even here they were everywhere last election, now not so much AT ALL. 

Unfortunately, as one of the LIBERAL announcers stated during the Republican National Convention, Mitt's campaign can be accused of Campaign Malpractice.  I was so impressed by the Convention and the speeches that show a different side to him, that America needed to see.  But, at the same time, I am impressed that he didn't want to flaunt his goodness. I like that he has a TON to brag about, but is very humble.  During the convention, I was thinking about how when Obama was elected he had a major emphasis on serving, yet Romney has been living example of living a life of service. 

If you didn't see these speeches, this article hits a few of the highlights.  See HERE. 

A few of my favorites:

The older couple – so cute – so sweet.  Can you picture Mitt Romney sitting by this 14 year old boys hospital bed and writing down his "will" because the boy wanted to make sure his skateboard was given to who he wanted to have it. 

The laundry story? – Hilarious.  Can you even imagine?  Mitt came to welcome the new family that moved in to their congregation, and she mentioned how they didn't have a drier yet and had laundry hanging everywhere, and Mitt started helping her take it down and fold it? Too funny.   – this woman gave such a great speech

I love that they had a liberal democratic woman come speak about how great Mitt was when working with him in Massachusetts. 

Clint Eastwood – Completely WEIRD, but he made at least one good point:   We own America – politicians are our employees – if someone isn’t doing their job, we have to let them go. 

Marco Rubio –  Stole John’s line he has been using for years that Obama’s campaign was change and hope, but really it should have been, divide and conquer.   

So, after the first debate, There were a bazillion articles out there saying how Romney clearly did a better job, but yet in this article which agreed with the previous statement, the writer makes this comment:

"There was barely a moment when Obama offered any sense that he was prepared to challenge Romney on his weakest point: who does the Republican presidential nominee speak for? How much (or little) does he understand where the country is, how it got here?" Taken from this article.

Really? Is that his weakest point? Because, during that debate he was speaking for me and my husband. I think Mitt mentioned that people make about $4,000 dollars less this year or something? (FYI- Fact check says that number is a bit lower) Nail on the head.

Not only do we make less due to a struggling economy, gas prices are crazy, food is more expensive, health insurance, I could go on but you get my drift.  During the debate our President kept talking about doing the math, and simple arithmetic, poking fun at Romney's math, but let's see about that arithmetic Mr. President, let's add this up... We make less money (with my husband and I in the same job we were doing 4 years ago) and the cost of living and everything has gone up: simple math = NOT GOOD.

I have had two stores that carry my products close in the past few years.  John makes less in commissions because in a recession people want to hold on to their money, not invest it.  He has thankfully survived multiple rounds of layoffs at his company.  Thankfully. 

There are so many businesses that have had to close it's doors.  You probably heard about the CEO that sent out a letter to his employees saying that if Obama wins he'll be forced to close his business.  Well, my friend just told me the other day, that her mom's boss did the same thing recently.  Here, locally.  If you notice most small businesses have Romney signs in front of their businesses.  Should we teach our children to work hard, start their own business just to have 50% of it taken from you???  I wouldn't want to go to work and neither would you. 

So, who was Mitt Romney speaking for?  ME. He was the only one on the stage of the debate that night who understands where this country is and how it got there.

He is also the only one in this race that I think knows how to and has the experience to fix it and move us forward.

So, I casted my vote accordingly.