Comments from an Obama voter (not trolling ) You've had your fun, ZOT!

Hi there. I voted for Obama, but have been reading a lot of Freerepublic lately to see how the other side is reacting. I'm not trying to troll here - honestly - but if you feel I am, that's understandable. I just wanted to offer a perspective on this that I think may be interesting to some of you. Oh, and this is much longer than I intended. And I'm fairly certain I'm not posting this the right way...for which I apologize.

When Bush was elected in 2000, I was upset. And yes, I whined about him "stealing" the election. I don't really think that's true anymore - it was just a painful way to lose. Sure, we can whine about the popular vote vs. the electoral vote, but you can't change the rules in the middle of the game. Then I watched the movie Recount and realized just how awful the democrats were at trying to win the damn thing. Gore seemed like he didn't really want it.

When Bush won in 2004, I was absolutely devastated. I thought the world was going to end. I didn't think we should be in Iraq, I agreed with Kerry that we had to finish the fight in Afganistan. I was worried about the courts. And frankly - I just didn't like Bush. I didn't like the way he governed, the way he spoke, and the way he talked as if we on the left were less American.

On 9/11 I happened to be in Toronto on business. When the towers fell, I knew I had to get home. A colleague and I wanted to go to New York, to help in some way. But we were told nobody was getting anywhere close. Our next instinct was to get home - to California. We didn't just want to be with our families, we desperately wanted to be in our country. That day was rough because my colleague thought his wife might have been on one of the planes - her travel plans were very similar. It took hours of agony before we, thank God, found out she was safe.

So we rented a car in Toronto and drove across the country. It took a couple hours to get across the border in the middle of the night. We stopped in Omaha, and then Colorado. I can't even tell you how much I loved my country driving across its beauty in those days after the attacks. And there were no jokes about "we're in enemy territory" because we were in "red states." We were in America. Everywhere we went people said "How are you? Is everyone safe?"

I know everyone has similar stories of those days. And certainly many, many people have stories of real loss - not just "we thought we lost someone, but it was a happy ending." Then, fairly quickly, I felt my patriotism coming under attack because I had a difference of opinion about how to fight back. I didn't think Iraq was the right choice - it made no sense to me, and I certainly wasn't alone. But people questioned my love of my country. And that was very, very hard to forgive.

When 2008 came up, more than anything, I wanted to win the White House back. I wanted to punish the Bush administration for what I felt was not just a failure to be competent, but a failure to keep the country united. I inititally supported Hilary, but I had this feeling in my gut that she was just going to be Bush - but for our side. She'd be a partisan warrior, a polarizing figure (which Bush wasn't when he started, but Hilary already was...). It made me sick to my stomach.

I wanted to go back to feeling like an American in those days after the attack - where our disagreements were things we laughed about over a beer and the real threat was far, far more serious.

I'd written Obama's candidacy off as a dry run for 2016 or later. Or maybe he was running for VP. I thought - hey, dude, at least finish a term in the Senate. Then when he said "we're not a collection of red states and blue states, we're the United States of America" it hit me like lightning. It had nothing to do with him - it had to do with the country, and my love for it and this feeling deep down in my gut that we were fighting over the placement of the deck chairs while the ship was sinking.

Wow, this got really rambly. Sorry about that. Here's why I posted initially. I saw this thing on here about Obama's "national defense force" and some posters commenting about the coming civil war or some such. I'm pretty sure Obama was just talking about funding for police. I mean - are you guys really worried he's going to do this? There was a rumor on the left that Bush was bringing a military brigade trained in "riot control" home from Iraq before the elections. People were convinced Bush was going to take over the country in a military coup. I'm sure you think that's laughable - as do I. Obama is not going to raise a civilian force of brown coats. First of all there's no money for it, nobody would go for it, and he'd be laughed out of the White House.

He's also not a socialist. And he's not coming for your guns. If he did either of this things, he can basically just go home now. Those are not realistic positions for any president to have. He will likely appoint liberals - at least too liberal for you guys - to the courts.

But here's the thing. He's going to try and be a good president. I think they all do. And Obama ran on uniting the country, on being bipartisan. That's sort of ALL he ran on. It's how he won 60% of independent and brought home so many of the Clinton voters. So if he doesn't deliver on this - I imagine he'll be fairly easy to beat in 2012.

So that's my two cents. Obama was always going to get my vote as the nominee because I'm a lifelong democrat and a liberal. But I'm not a socialist or a pacifist. I believe in the 2nd amendment and favor the idea of most issues being decided by the states. I'm not a religious man, but I respect those who are and I think the Dems over reach in pushing religion out of the public square. I believe global warming is a serious problem, but I also think Al Gore enjoys it WAY too much.

And here's another caveat. I know it's easier to be bipartisan and talk about "togetherness" when my guy won. I was where you guys are now in 2000 and 2004. I mean, my party ALMOST ran Howard Dean and then said "No wait! John Kerry is a much better idea!" Or in this election to have a friend say "You've GOT to read Alec Baldwin's latest piece on HuffPo." I mean...really? He doesn't count as an "Obamacon" you know, he only plays a republican on TV...(you guys ever notice that our most annoying Hollywood liberals end up playing republicans? what's with that?)

So yeah - we've all spent some time in the woods. I just hope we can all agree that we're just as American as the other, and we're passionate about what we believe to be the right path to take. There are real problems with the economy, and Islamic Terrorists aren't going to take a vacation for four years.

Travis this is a good try, but you aren't able to see the forest for the trees. Being a liberal is equated with being socialist - this is factual and not subject to opinion. By that I mean that your ilk somehow believe it is your responsibility to make/support government policy that attempts to dictate the behavior of individuals. That's not freedom and that's not liberty Travis. I will not even address the collectivist mentality and group think espoused by liberals. I have a simple question for you and ALL other socialists like yourself out there. By what right does any entity (be it government or an individual) steal an arbitrary portion of my life and distribute it to another through the threat of force? Read that sentence again Travis. By what right? If you go away with just one thing from Free Republic I hope it's the fact that government is not the answer Travis. Government is the problem.

OK, Joe the plumber asks a question and his records in Ohio are gone through with a fine tooth comb, where is the ACLU? Where are all the right to privacy people on the left? Can't we ask the Lord Obama a question? Not a Socialist, I agree he is a Marxist and that is all he has associated with his whole life. He views the constitution as flawed because it doesn't say what government is supposed to do for you and the judges interpret it according to the ideas of it's writers? Cases should be decided on the basis of empathy not law? Bush will seem like the icon of democratic stability after four years of Obama!

You couldn’t possibly be more sorry we lost than we are. :)

Brave of you to enter here, and I heartily approve of calm, respectful discussion of differences.

I have a 20-year-old, agnostic, Starbucks employed cousin who wrote on his myspace after the election that he was so excited about Obama getting elected. Hooray, hooray. And then he said this, “Change is coming! I don’t know if it will be good change or bad change, but I’m excited to see how it goes.”

THOSE are the voters that piss me off! So you voted for the Obama brand without any clear idea of what that means??

For all of the voters who won’t even spend 15 minutes on the internet researching their candidate’s history, positions, etc., stay home next time and let the big kids do the voting.

Right.

I just wanted to get my gun confiscation joke in there :-)

But, the thing is...

I guess decisions about the future, such as choosing a President, always have something illogical and emotional about them.

Even rock solid logic cannot predict what will happen in the years ahead.

Although it certainly helps you stake a reasonable course.

For the record, as a European, I am in the short term worried about the relationship with an aggressive Russia and Iran. For the longer term, about the life and engine of the American republic itself.

I guess the key thing is to ensure that the wheels of democracy keeps functioning, so that if Obama is the failure I fear he might be, that you can throw him out on four years time.

Cheers and have a good weekend!

He's also not a socialist. And he's not coming for your guns. If he did either of this things, he can basically just go home now.

Bozo is worse than a socialist, he is a full blown marxist. He wants to tax the rich and give to the poor, unlike Robin Hood who robbed the tax man and gave it back to those who it was stolen from. He has said time and again what he plans for America, you, and millions of others, haven't listened.

He intends to disarm the American citizen, he has said so, he intends to tax people with incomes down to at least 42,000 a year, he has voted for it while a senator and he has also said so. He has laid out his plans in his speeches, the thing is he lets them out in drips and dribbles and the MSM covers for him and people who don't want to see and hear, fail to grasp what he really is.

The man is evil, he has done his best to stifle free speech and muzzle anyone who points out the truth about him. He used government power and the MSM to try to ruin Joe the Plummer, not to mention a news person and at least two news stations, and did hatchet jobs on Sarah Palin that were truly disgusting and that are still going on.

He threw three news people off his plane because they endorsed McCain and then he lied about why he did it. His speeches are full of lies and backtracks.

Do yourself a favor and get all the youtube videos of him speaking that you can find, get the old and new and see just what a liar this guy really is. Do the research you should have done before voting, late awakening is better than being asleep forever.

For the Republicans to select McCain as the 2008 Republican nominee would be like the Democrats selecting Joe Lieberman.

Disasterous loss.

Yeah, some loyalist Dems would have paid lip service to supporting Joe, but deep down inside they would be aghast at the thought of Joe siding with President Bush on Iraq, and they would have balked and swapped out.

No my liberal friend.

If the GOP had selected a charasmatic candidate who could speak clearly with a well defined patriotic conservative message (yes that’s redundant), Obama would right now be hanging out in the living room of terrorist Weather Underground members where he launched his deceptive quest.

I gotta laugh at all the Obama worshipers who sincerely believe their lives will now be on easy street due to the elevation of their Messiah.

Lastly, I hate to be maccaab, but can’t wait to see Obama’s reaction the first time US forces or territory gets attacked by terrorists, or when some poor American soul is taken hostage.

Why is is always the Republican Party who has the adult job of beating back the forces of evil and tyrrany in this world, and why is it always the Democrat Administrations who sit around and twiddle their thumbs and pretend like a child that all forces in this world are deserving of respect and admiration.

While the vast majority of us will disagree with and not like Obama. Most of us respect the office of the POTUS, even if we don't like the person holding it. We will not try to undermine the presidency like many on your side and the media did for the past 8 years; so it will take us some time to forget that. We will oppose everything we disagree with about the administration, because we want what we think is best for the country too. I guess we can agree that we both want what's best, we just have different ideas of going about doing it. Enjoy your stay on FR, You'll last longer here, then any of us would at DU or KOS, And beware of the Viking Kitties....their nasty.

Travis, what do you stand re: “This simplistic notion that people who have wealth are entitled to keep it...”?

No, President Elect Obama didn’t utter those words. I believe strongly, however, that with enough support by your political party, those who have wealth will no longer be entitled to keep it.

Now, after 50+ responses to your original post, are you the least bit interested in posting a response of your own?

Or are you the “hit & run” type?

“If Americans are better off in four years than they are now, Obama has a shot at being reelected.”

It won't be. No way you can justify the slaughtering of millions of babies with the promise of Hussein to lift the partial birth abortion ban.

We need to fight everything this asshole stands for, every day until he's gone. I will not sleep with the enemy.

Dear Traviswf,

Seeing how you know so much about Obama’s mental processes, motivations
and actual action plans, you MUST call Charlie Rose and Tom Brokaw and
fill them in on Obama’s master plan.

Even last Thursday, less than a week before the election...
these “journalists” didn’t have a clue about what Obama really thought.

Brokaw And Rose: Who Is Obama? (Two MSM Journalists Talk About Obama The Empty Suit Alert)
Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | 10/31/2008 | Rush Limbaugh
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2121217/posts

He wants to make pump action shotguns banned under assault weapons.

Brother...I'd be in bad shape. It takes me at least 3 shots to bring down a single dove. Single shot weapon means no more fried bird for me. Still only takes one shot for a medium size perp tho. (Good thing this would limit the perps select of weapons. /s)

I wanted to punish the Bush administration for what I felt was not just a failure to be competent,

When the Bush tax cuts end and Obama raises taxes on small businesses and unemployment reaches 9% and we get attacked again because, as Joe Biden said, they will test him, you’ll be praying you had someone like Bush in the White House.

BTW, you’re not draft age, are you? Probably a good thing you know your way around Canada, if you are.

We don’t fear Obama here, in his quest to be a good president we want to know how he will stand up to the likes of Reid and Pelosi. They will do the dirty work for him and because of the lack of balance he will have to go along with him. That completes the axis of evil in terms of good government. He will not be able to hide behind the republicans because their numbers are near to few. But the democrats are on the hook now that they can almost roll over the pubs and they will be held to account.

I just hope we can all agree that we're just as American as the other,...

Sorry I don't vote for people in a Party that has more in common with repressive Central American/Fidel's Cuba countries than a Constitutional Republic with democratic practices which this Country was (Before the Courts a ignorant electorate ripped it apart). Yes we were both born in North America (Assuming you were) but you don't have the slightest clue what liberty and limited government, which made this Country great in a very short time (Comparing other advance civilizations), even means you ignoramus (Not an insult, look the word up).

By the way, Bush and his big government ideas are lousy. Having a realization of this fact does not mean one must vote for Obama/collectivist dems who are far worse for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. May you reap what you sow because an oppression will be coming not from Bush but a wanna be totalitarian with a history of controlling speech/behavior. Do some research and wise up because your radical worshiping President has you fooled.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.