What Influences Your Vote?
 

Discussions in a couple of these threads as well as a discussion I had with my kids' babysitter have made me ponder.. What influences your vote?

The babysitter discussion was essentially this: She is against school vouchers, is against the Iraq war, is against the death penalty, thinks there should be more gun control, is upset about the state of the economy (which is still far worse in Michigan than in most states), and is upset about cuts in social programs. However, she said she is voting for Bush because she is Pro Life and anti-gay marriage. From the discussion, it seemed as though these were the only two issues in which she was in agreement with Bush, but those two issues are so significant to her, that he will get her vote because of them.

So, what issues lead you to vote the way you do? (This isn't a thread for debating the issues, just for discussing how you make your choice.)

My main issues are health care, economy, and education.

Dee

Re: What Influences Your Vote?
 

It's sad that Bush inherited this economy but the numbers are much member than they were earlier, thank goodness.

For me it's the economy and Israel. I know how Bush would affect my stocks and bonds and my job. I slightly have a clue how Kerry would - my stocks would drop and my fixed income bonds should increase in value but I doubt it will be enough to compensate for the drop. In terms of Israel I know that Bush has helped out Israel along with congress. I have confusion about how Kerry would help our ally out and don't know where he stands one bit. If either of these 2 things changes before the election, my vote would move rapidly to the other.

-Rudey

For me...

I'm voting for Bush because (and pretty much in this order):

-he's lowered my taxes (percentage wise.. I've paid more because I've made more, but I paid a smaller %), and I want them to stay lower
-Most people I know have benefitted (is that a word?) economically in the past few years
-I am in favor of school vouchers
-I want stronger Homeland security
-I am in favor of the war
-I support the death penalty
-I am against gay marriage


Don't get me wrong... there actually are things I like about Kerry. I think he's a good guy and I think he's got some good (if maybe a little utopic) ideas. But, Bush aligns a lot closer with my beliefs all-around, so he gets my vote.

I could probably make a really long list but here are some of the reasons I'm voting for Kerry (in no particular order):

- I want to see more money invested in education, after-school programs and tuition assistance for higher education
- I oppose school vouchers and believe public funds should be used for public schools
- I really like Kerry's health care plan to cut health insurance premiums and expand coverage
- I support repealing Bush's tax cuts for families making over $200,000 a year
- I support PAYGO, creating a Corporate Welfare Commission and cutting the deficit
- I'm pro-choice
- I care about the environment
- I care about my civil liberties
- I oppose a constitutional ban on gay marriage
- I support moderate gun control including the reauthorization of the assault weapons ban
- I support federally funded stem cell research

(Edited to fix the funky formatting)

Experience

The issues that matter most to me are the environment, civil liberties and individual rights, health care and education.

I'll throw it out there that I'm against the death penalty, but I don't think there's been a presidential candidate who shares my view, although I consider that more of a state issue.

I don't think anybody has spoken out against tank tops.

LOL!!!

What influences my vote?

I'm anti-death penalty.

I'm pro-choice. I don't know that I could have an abortion, but until we expand on our contraceptive freedoms, I don't feel comfortable taking that right away from others.

I support comprehensive sex education. Abstinence-only has not ever worked and America has an embarassingly high teen pregnancy rate given our status in the world.

I believe in tighter gun control. I don't want to take away the right to bear arms. I want to take away the right to bear Uzis. I firmly believe that the less of these guns that are out there, the fewer miscreants that will have them.

I'm in support of more funding for education - but funding that pays for teachers and raw capital, not administrators. I think school vouchers are a great theory but don't work in practice.

I oppose privatization of Social Security. For every person it would benefit, there would be more who lost money and were destitute and elderly.

I'm not a hippie liberal like everybody thinks - but I vote Democrat because I don't see the Republican party truly caring about the less fortunate.

\

Does this mean an incumbant would always be considered more seriously than a non-incumbant? Or, are you referring to life experience vs. direct political experience?

I'm a one issue voter. If Kerry was pro-life, I'd vote for Kerry. Since Bush is the pro-life candidate, I'm voting for Bush.

No other policies matter to me if our basic right to life is not guaranteed.

Does it bother you at all that Bush supports the death penalty? I'm not asking this to be snippy, I'm geniunely curious.

I am voting for Kerry/Edwards, based on this:

* I am for gay marriage.
* I am for cutting taxes for the middle class and raising them for those who make over $200,000.
* I am pro-choice.
* I am against school vouchers and think the education money should be used for public schools.
* I believe our economy is in the toilet and isn't going to get any better if we have Bush in office for another 4 years.
* I believe we shouldn't spend at a deficit and only spend within our means. We wouldn't run a family on a major deficit so why run a country that way?
* I am against the war.
* I am against the Patriot Act and for civil liberties.
* I am for the environment and against gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks.
* I like Kerry's wife. She has spunk.

Right on (as a hippie would say)!!!! That is so true-- and in my line of work I spend time with the less fortunate daily-- some people have no idea what it's like to help the less fortunate-- they only know how to continually push them back down!

On the right to life issue-- I am pro-life....but am pro-choice for others. If someone else wants to make that decision-- let them deal with the outcome and consequences-- it is their choice and I feel it has nothing to do with me.