The other night the phone rang and my husband answered it on the speaker phone (because our handsets are always missing). It was a political call. (I sure wish I could be on a "Do Not Call" registry for political calls because they are so annoying). The man on the phone wanted to know if we'd like to donate $75 to Mitt Romney's campaign. My husband politely said no and the caller insisted we donate something else. My husband still said no. The caller wanted to know why we wouldn't donate. My husband replied that we don't support Romney. The caller went on to argue with my husband insisting that Romney is the only candidate.
Really? What did he hope to gain? Did he think we'd change our minds if he got all argumentative?
My husband told the caller that he didn't like Romney's voting record and that he did not represent us especially when it comes to abortion. The caller said that Romney is against abortion but wants to leave it up to the states to determine their own laws about abortion.
If that isn't the least courageous way to face a highly emotional issue, I don't know what is. What a pansy position to take. Abortion is a hot issue for me because I believe every child has a right to life. Nine out of ten women would've chosen to end my son's life simply because he has an extra chromosome. I believe abortion takes the life of an innocent child. Romney obviously doesn't feel that way or else he's trying to pander to both sides of this issue. Either way, color me unimpressed.
I also do not favor socialized medicine. I believe it will destroy our medical care system. I do believe we have problems with our current health care system and that we need to solve the problems, but I don't want to turn over my health care, nor that of my family's, to the government. I have never seen the government run a program efficiently and I certainly don't want my health or my family's health to be dependent on politicians. Romney instituted socialized medicine in Massachusetts. He doesn't have a problem with the government running health care. He and I sharply disagree on this and I can't support someone who believes that the government is better at determining who should receive health care than a doctor or the patient.
Romney is not the candidate I want to represent me. And that's disappointing. I thought he would be. I favored him in the last primaries but as I've learned more about his voting record and his stand on issues that are important to me, I've realized he is not the candidate for me. If he is the republican candidate I will have to abstain from voting in the 2012 presidential election.
And if anyone knows how to stop those annoying political calls, please tell me.
9 comments:
My thoughts exactly! I feel like half of the people who like him are stammaring, b-b-but he's a Republican Mormon!
I was annoyed when he side-stepped the health care issue, by saying he didn't agree with nationalizing it, but that the States had the perogative to do it. Excuse me? When does any level of government have the right to mandate that the citizens purchase a commodity?
If you lived in Arizona, you would have my husband to than (curse!) for all the political cards. The company he works for does all the database work and call/mail lists for the Republican Party in Arizona. and Dave is their only database guy. He totally hates political season!
I'll disagree about a few of your points, BUT that is the awesome thing about our system, you get to pick what you feel is the best.
I'd love to hear what you think, Kelli.
I think Romney is a very moderate conservative and I'm just not sure he'd fight for the things that are important to me like abortion and health care. I'm hoping there will be other options.
I hate getting political calls, even if it's a candidate I support. Our solution has always been to simply hang up.
I totally see your points. I haven't looked a whole lot into Mitt yet, but I plan to. May I suggest though, look into other parties candidates if it comes down to Mitt as the republican. Don't not vote just because you don't like Mitt. Find the candidate that best represents you and still vote.
It is a trying situation. I didn't like McCain but he was the least liberal.
If Romney becomes the candidate and we abstain, the abortion moral issue is served; but does that not help the liberal opponent whom we may abhor? Conservatives may have better ideas but articulation is another story. Somewhere in the field there must be a decent candidate, let's hope he/she emerges.
I had problems with Romney for precisely the two reasons you list. And a couple more. Until last weekend when I saw an interview between Mitt and Sean Hannity. It was low key. Long. They discussed the issues in depth. And I liked what I heard. I don’t like any sort of socialized anything. I despise government intervention. I don't like the FED. I disagree with every tax every invented, the personal income tax of the last fifty years being the most abhorrent. I believe we've set up an entitlement mentality in America that is a replacement for the place of religion and faith in our lives. I could go on.
When I listened carefully to Mitt, I understood where he was coming from. He was governor of a state that demanded some sort of health care law. He wanted private insurance. The democratic legislature wanted government care. They were losing hundreds of millions of dollars to people who could buy insurance, but were taking advantage of a system that was intended to help people who couldn’t help themselves. They lied about their income status to get emergency room medical care. The problem was growing by millions every month. So Mitt engineered a mandate. I think that's what has got you upset.
The mandate is one of the difference between federal and state governance. The feds CAN NOT, constitutionally, place a mandate on Americans. Obamacare does exactly that. States, on the other hand, can mandate education for kids, driver's licenses, car insurance, and fishing permits. Its part of their state constitution. So Mitt designed something that mandated insurance to require personal responsibility of the dead beat insurance freeloaders.
I'm still uncomfortable with mandates and I probably wouldn't live in a state that was prone to those sorts of laws. But Mitt was doing the Massachusetts thing that people in that state wanted done. I REALLY DO LIKE his position about leaving MOST if NOT ALL decisions to individual states. I think that will solve ALL our deficit problems. The FEDERAL GOVERNMENT should turn over Medicare to the states and let them decide the fate of that program. They should do the same with social security. With food stamps. With every entitlement program the FEDS currently operate. That would make Washington an honest place by removing all the money. The states know how to take care of these issues. The FEDS haven't a clue. So I like Romney MOSTLY for the very reason you don't like him. He's a States Rights guy. That doesn't mean I'm going to fork over real live money if they call for a donation. I'm cheap. But I'd vote for him against Obama in a heartbeat.
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