Still Undecided...

Updated on November 06, 2012
M.B. asks from Romeoville, IL
24 answers

So time to vote is just about here and I am still undecided!! Any other undecided voters out there? What are you planning on doing to make your decision? What information should I be looking at that is factual not opinion? Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone for the responses. I am sure you will be happy to hear I am not in a coma nor have been at any point in my life. I also have not left the country during the past 4 years. As an independent I try to pick candidates, not parties, which may be cynical of me but it works. My issue or dilemma with the presidential election is, yes, I agree Obama has not done the job to say the least. But to just blindly vote against him no matter what, as some of you have suggested, would to me be ignorant and uneducated. Is Romney a better choice for any other reasons besides, "he's not Obama!" That I am not sure about. Thanks everyone, would love to hear more responses.

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S.K.

answers from Houston on

Obamas record speaks for itself. The excuses are plentiful. His followers can't boast about his great record so they bash Romney instead.

We have $6,000,000,000,000,000 more debt and we have NOTHING to show for it. Obama failed. Plain and simple.

I am not a Romney fan but we can't continue down Obama's path of fundamentally transforming America. When he told the Russians he would have more flexibility after the election, it gave me chiils.

OMG

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R.M.

answers from San Francisco on

The top .01% has become wealthier than ever and the divide is growing. This is because of a number of factors that were in place long before Obama.

5 moms found this helpful

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

What have you been doing the past 4 years?
I don't understand people that say that they are undecided until the very last minute. You didn't know there was an election coming up?

4 moms found this helpful

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D..

answers from Charlotte on

Well, MB, here's a short reason for you. We had an economic melt-down that could have been as terrible as the Great Depression caused partially by changes in the laws that made it so that banks could gamble with OUR money. And they did. They lost billions upon billions of dollars. President Obama took over a huge mess (an understatement, that's for sure) and why people think that it's possible to fix that mess in 4 short years when the republicans say no to everything he tries to do, is absolutely astonishing to me. Do you know how long it took us to pull out of the Great Depression? We're lucky that unemployment isn't what it was back in the 1930's - 25% and worse in some sectors.

President Obama is trying to prevent the banks from doing the same thing again by strengthening the laws that keep the banks from leveraging themselves so badly. The republicans want to do away with these regulations, saying that they hurt business. I think that people forget that REGULAR FOLKS are the ones who were hurt the most here. Why they would want to vote for Romney so that this can more easily happen all over again just floors me.

Think about that before you cast your vote.

Dawn

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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

If you really haven't done the research needed to make an informed decision, then don't vote.

I vote for all candidates from the party that values women's right to make her own reproductive choices, equal pay for women, equal rights for LGBT people, support for education, support for the advancement of alternative energy, support for our environment, support for scientific advances, and so on. If you aren't sure, I'm talking about the Democratic party.

17 moms found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Argh, do you really want me to bore you with facts.

The biggest facts I think are important is real GDP has continued to contract even after stimulus. Labor participation is at the lowest in 40 years unemployment just went under 8%.

The thing that makes labor participation so important is that if those that have given up were added to the unemployment numbers it would be around 25%.

Sorry but Obama is taking this country in the wrong direction and not to be dramatic but we can't survive another four years!

What has been weighing on my mind at the moment is quantitative easing. Pretty much the Fed is buying government bonds. It is creating a false market. What happened last time this happened was the housing bubble, we all know how that ended. If a money bubble bursts we are talking triple digit inflation. Like suddenly a can of soda costs ten dollars! We can't survive that, we can't have a president who is either ignoring this or doesn't understand it.

I am voting for Romney.
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Wow! I am amazed at the Illinois is going to Obama so don't bother comments. My husband is from Illinois and his family still lives there in Pontiac, they are voting for Romney! That comment is as uneducated as someone saying don't bother to vote for Obama in Missouri.
_______________________________________________________
Okay on women's rights, I can with a few keystrokes have anything I can afford delivered on my doorstep in two days, from Europe in a week. I am pretty sure I could if needed get birth control pills from Canada, unless I lose my job and can't pay for them. Sorry but Obama is the only one waging a war on women. Google the unemployment rate for women, the only demographic in worse shape is the black man!

10 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

I am sorry - I don't know how any could STILL be undecided.

You need to find out what it is you are looking for in a candidate. Look at their platforms and policies. Their voting record. Does it coincide with YOUR values, way of life?

Forget people who tell you to stay home. That is a desperate plea for those that are scared Obama will lose, even if they are saying it with a LOL/jokingly.

There is a website that you can go to - http://www.isidewith.com/ and answer the questions - you CAN get more answers than just the "two" main listed - "choose another stance" - it might help you.

If you are wanting the government to take care of you - Obama.
If you are wanting to be a responsible citizen and self-sufficient - Romney.
If you want limited government and the Constitution upheld - Ron Paul.
If you want green energy and clean fuel - Jill Stein.

You can go to Politifact.com - and type in things like Romney abortion
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/n...

Or Medicare for our Seniors
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/jun/1...

there is much to learn there. It can be left leaning - but overall - gives good information for you to read and maybe research on your own deeper.

Again - DO NOT listen to people who tell you stay home and not vote.

9 moms found this helpful

S.L.

answers from Kansas City on

I'll help you. Just vote for Romney.. :-)

8 moms found this helpful

D.K.

answers from Sioux City on

I would look at the past four years. Do you like the direction things are going?

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G.H.

answers from Chicago on

First off Bill Clinton is the person who is the reason for the housing market collapse. He is the one that forced the banks to lower their restrictions so "everyone can have the American dream".

Living in Chicagoland, you know how corrupt our Politicians are, and Obama & his friends are typical Chicago style Politicians.

Then you have Romney. The best way to sum Romney up is "they are trying to find all the skeletons in Romney's closet, problem is, Romeny is so clean, he doesn't even have a closet". This is exactly what I want in a president.

Romney has always been an upstanding citizen. He loves America and what the Constitution stands for. He was very like as a Governor in MA, even by the 87% democratic party. He isn't an ultra conservative and changed the health care system in MA, so he has proven he believes that healthcare is very important.

As far as this fantasy of a war on woman. I really wish the Democratic Politicians wouldn't use our woman parts in their hate speech, it's a farce. Just because a person is asked how they feel about abortions doesn't mean they plan on implementing them or shoving them down peoples throats like Obama did with Universal healthcare were the disapproval rate is 54%.

The woman in the obama admin get paid 18% less than their male counterparts. This was an ongoing problem within Obamas staff.

Do you realize for Obamacare that all Americans will have to give very personal medical, health info to the Government. It will be kept in a database and tens of thousands of government employees will have access to it. So if you have a nosy neighbor or someone that dislikes you, watch out, they will have easy access to your very personal info that should only be kept between patient and doctor.

I will stick with Romney, even tho Chicagoland is full of sneaky dishonest politicians, kind of like the campaign that Obama has been a part of.

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R.P.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Obama said that he would fix things in 4 years and if he didn't he deserved to be a one term president.Obama did inherite a mess, but if he gets back in, can you imagine the "mess he will inherite this time" hahaha Aside from Obamacare(which has already doubled my insurance premium already and I am scared to death about what this is going to do to my parents), Obama has not done anything he set out to do. Thank goodness for those that saw how bad his plans were and "shot them down" First time since the great depression that unemployment has been over 8 percent for most of any presidents term. His stimulas plan only increased our deficit. Our children are going to be paying for this their entire lives. He killed many jobs in my state because he stopped so many energy plans and cancelled drilling permits here.
Romney is not controlled by his church, religion. If you knew anything about him, you would know that. His campaign has more women employed than Obama does in his cabinet. I am part of that religion as well and you bet your booty I do what I want with my body. And comparing the LDS religion to Iran is irresponsible and shows your ignorance of the religion.
As far as Romney wanting 8-10 years to fix things-at least he understands what is going on and how long it is actually going to take. He is a businessman. He wants to help businesses grow so we can all get jobs again. That's how he will create jobs. The government will not create them, but will make it easier for others to hire and create more jobs.
As for gays in the military-sexual orientation has no place, gay or heterosexual. I don't care. I just want people, men, women, gray, green or purple, that love our country as much as I do and want to help defend it.

Updated

Obama said that he would fix things in 4 years and if he didn't he deserved to be a one term president.Obama did inherite a mess, but if he gets back in, can you imagine the "mess he will inherite this time" hahaha Aside from Obamacare(which has already doubled my insurance premium already and I am scared to death about what this is going to do to my parents), Obama has not done anything he set out to do. Thank goodness for those that saw how bad his plans were and "shot them down" First time since the great depression that unemployment has been over 8 percent for most of any presidents term. His stimulas plan only increased our deficit. Our children are going to be paying for this their entire lives. He killed many jobs in my state because he stopped so many energy plans and cancelled drilling permits here.
Romney is not controlled by his church, religion. If you knew anything about him, you would know that. His campaign has more women employed than Obama does in his cabinet. I am part of that religion as well and you bet your booty I do what I want with my body. And comparing the LDS religion to Iran is irresponsible and shows your ignorance of the religion.
As far as Romney wanting 8-10 years to fix things-at least he understands what is going on and how long it is actually going to take. He is a businessman. He wants to help businesses grow so we can all get jobs again. That's how he will create jobs. The government will not create them, but will make it easier for others to hire and create more jobs.
As for gays in the military-sexual orientation has no place, gay or heterosexual. I don't care. I just want people, men, women, gray, green or purple, that love our country as much as I do and want to help defend it.

7 moms found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

In my heart of hearts, it came down to me feeling like I could not vote for a candidate that didn't believe in equality for everyone (meaning gay rights.) I'm not gay myself, but this just feels like bigotry to me. I also don't like the fact that Romney's religion informs what he does politically. I think there should be room for all religions in this country, and you can certainly have very high standards and morals even without never stepping into church.

Romney is a CEO. This bothers me a lot. I don't like that his past includes shutting down and buying out small businesses so that he can ship them overseas or make money off of them. I don't like someone who thinks about money before they think about humanity. This translates into caring about the environment, etc.

I have a hard time with the abortion thing- I don't think abortion is the right thing to do for myself, personally, but I don't think I would feel comfortable ever telling someone else what to do- it is DEEPLY personal, and sometimes medical. What I do care about is what happens to that kiddo after it is born- will it be able to be educated and paid a fair wage(Romney is anti-teacher/union worker), will it have health care, etc. Pro-life doesn't mean the government has concerns with taking care of you after you are born.

I think Obama has done what he could within the constraints of working with a government that is largely Republican, so I don't fault him on what he hasn't done, in that aspect. There's proof that the economy is looking up, and I definitely worry about what will happen with these crazy storms if the government won't step in to help in the future (as Romney doesn't want to.) The part about military and how Romney wants to give them that money- the military has said it does not want that much money, nor need it. I'm afraid we would be going to war again.

I'm not a person who dives headfirst into politics, and I did consider third-party candidates, because I think there is a LOT of good in stepping outside of the 2-party system (it's broken, let's face it.) But, when it came down to it, I had to go with my heart and just look at who I thought really cared about the individuals more - gay, straight, black, white, uneducated, rich, poor... and my choice was Obama in the end.

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X.O.

answers from Chicago on

If it helps you feel better, IL is pretty certain to go for Obama, so your 1 vote won't make or break our electoral votes. You can even vote for a 3rd party. Here in IL the other parties on the ballot are:

Libertarian: Gary Johnson & James P. Gray
Green: Jill Stein & Howie Hawkins

I will be voting for Romney/Ryan, not just because I am opposed to virtually everything President Obama has done domestically, but also because I believe that Paul Ryan's budget is the only thoughtful one that can help us get out of our fiscal disaster, and he is willing to roll his sleeves up and get to work on entitlement reform.

These days it is hard to say what is factual--EVERYTHING has a spin on it, and the numbers are so complex and manipulated. Ultimately, for me, it comes down to what my deep-seeded beliefs are about the relationship between the individual and government, and government and the masses. For me, I can only vote for 1 candidate and still stay true to my core beliefs.

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K.S.

answers from Denver on

I'm an independent, too, and it sometimes feels like a push and pull between the two parties. I generally lean more liberal on social issues, but with the country the way it is, I didn't feel right voting based on social issues. The bigger issues- namely the economy- had to be my priority. For that reason, I voted for Romney. Good luck with your decision!

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M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

You need to look at the issues that are important to you and vote that way. DO NOT SIT HOME AND NOT VOTE. That's ignorant and I'm shocked people are suggesting that.

Look at more issues than just one. Also, look at the people who are supporting the current president and what information they are giving you here...it's still the "blame Bush" story because they can't show that he has done any good in the last four years. And to say he has fought a Republican Congress for his term? Um, no, that happened half way through. He had two years to get a lot done and all he did was screw us with a health care bill that people are already seeing the huge dent in their pockets.

I'm sure you can tell who I voted for, but please, research. And don't vote for someone who you can't stand behind. Blaming the last guy doesn't cut it anymore. God forbid the man gets four more years, he will still blame his ignorance on Bush.

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S.R.

answers from El Paso on

I don't have any advice other than that I hope you figure it out by tomorrow! :)

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B.K.

answers from Chicago on

Well, seriously, if you live in Illinois, our electoral votes will be going to Obama, so it doesn't matter how you vote in the presidential race.

But state races are very important if you want to rid the state of the corrupt tyrant Madigan. You have to vote republican for state house reps in order to get rid of him.

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K.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I'm not sure why you have waited until the night prior to elections to do research but here I go...

In the mail you received a voter's guide-read it. It gives a synopsis of all four candidates platform. In reading that you should be able to eliminate 1 or 2 candidates right away. There is a link under each one where you can read a more in-depth account of their platforms. Follow those links.

Research each candidates previous political doings, whether good or bad, to see how they really feel, changes they have made in other political capacities. Review speeches they have made, not only during this election but at other times in their careers.

That's a lot to do in one night, but that's the best way to make an informed, intelligent decision.

No, Obama has not done everything he set out to do, know WHY he did not. Know that just about everything the man has tried to do has been shot down.

This country was in a financial crisis prior to Obama taking office. He inherited a mess, no candidate, republican or democrat could have turned it around in just four years. It took more than four to cause the mess and it will take more than four to correct it.

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☼.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

It's so funny, just as I saw your post, I was also skimming Yahoo and this article immeidately caught my eye: :)

http://news.yahoo.com/my-plea-to-the-undecideds--stay-hom...

Kinda funny. Divine intervention? Hmmm....

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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

In the last four years, do you like what you've seen and or experienced? In my case, I do not... I tend to vote for that which works best for my own household and my son's future.. Vote for what is right for you and your family.. but definitely go out and vote..even if people say IL will go democrat, don't let that stop you.. NEVER assume anyone has the vote in the bag...

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P.H.

answers from Chicago on

Have you considered how different the platforms are? Obama sees the government as highly involved in solving problems while Romney wants to give more power to the individual. I think if I hadn't made up my mind yet, I'd look at the constitution again and see if I agree with our fore fathers. I'm so glad you are taking the time to look at these things and actually vote. Voting is a privilege, an honor and a responsibility.

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C.V.

answers from Columbia on

Try this quiz. It allows you to choose where you are on the issues, and then shows you the candidate that best fits your views.

http://www.isidewith.com/

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

Try isidewith.com for help in determining who you most agree with, at least for President and Congress. Get informed and vote.

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J.H.

answers from San Antonio on

I apologize for people assuming you've been in a coma, or you've been out of the country.

I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, or who I'm voting for, I will tell you though that like you, I choose a candidate based on their stance on the issues, not based on their party.

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