captain craig wrote:I hear people say they want to vote Obama or Hillary and you ask why? The simple unintelligent response I've heard is "Its time for a black man to be President" or "Cause she is a woman". What?

Just any woman or black man will do? Neither of these two has done anything, ANYTHING, or national importance to qualify them for the job.
I'm voting for Obama. I'm trying to decide if I want to reregister as a republican, however, so I can vote against Romney in the primaries, but if I stay a democrat, I'll be voting for Obama in the primaries.
Reasons:
First off, the "because he's black" arguement is not unintelligent. It is a huge milestone to have a black person running the country because race still matters in this country or else this thread would not have been started. Unless I'm mistaken, I believe the starter of this thread is a black guy. That means that at least one black person is thinking about the significance in society a black president would have. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that means that the black community as a whole is thinking about it. Race still matters, because humans are instinctively social in such a way to stick with similar people to themselves in some way. Thus races develope their own cultures. Race matters in America.
The same goes for the "because she's a woman" arguement. It's the milestone aspect. It opens the door for more in the future. Thurgood Marshall was the first black person to serve on the Supreme Court. That was big as well because it was a step away from the potential for racism against black people in the government at a time when black people were fighting for civil rights.
But you have a great point, however, in saying, "that doesn't mean they're qualified for the job". Exactly. I actually hate affirmative action, and that's basically what this election will come down to. So why was I defending it above? I wasn't. I was just explaining the reasoning.
That brings me to:
Secondly, my
good reasons.
I'm voting for Obama because he is a liberal cantidate who shares my views. He stands a chance against Hilary, who so many people hate, and John Edwards who quite frankly isn't popular enough. Therefore, Obama is the best cantidate because he has the most chance to bring things I care about into government.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htmPROS:
Stem cells hold promise to cure 70 major diseases. (Aug 2007)Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006) Some parents are abusive, and would abuse or beat their daughters horribly for having sex to early.Voted YES on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005)
Strengthen the Americans with Disabilities Act. (Aug 2007) My father has one leg. He needs good representation to fall back on if he's screwed over.Legal rights for gays are conferred by state, not by church. (Aug 2007)
Put the Confederate flag in a museum, not the state house. (Apr 2007)
Voted NO on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration. (Jun 2006) Because we have freedom of speech, burning the flag, if done explicitly as a statement of such, is actually patriotic. A ban is unconstitutional. Otherwise, I agree it's a horrible thing to do.Voted NO on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006) End tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas. (Aug 2007)Tax incentives for corporate responsibility. (Jun 2004)
Close tax loopholes for US companies relocating abroad. (Jun 2004)
REAL USA Plan: Reward companies that create domestic jobs. (Jun 2004) Less Indian tech support means more American tech support, which means more jobs in America, which means less of a class gap.Some heinous crimes justify the ultimate punishment. (Oct 2006)
Videotape all capital punishment interrogations. (Oct 2006)
Deal with street-level drug dealing as minimum-wage affair. (Oct 2006)
We left the money behind for No Child Left Behind. (Aug 2007)
Incentives to hire a million teachers over next decade. (Jun 2007)
Pay teachers more money & treat them like professionals. (Jun 2007) Both parents were teachers. Worked hard to make a difference, and loved shaping kid's lives. And they deserved more.More teacher pay in exchange for more teacher accountability. (Oct 2006) Explore nuclear power as part of alternative energy mix. (Jul 2007) It's clean. It makes a damn energy surplus that we could sell. And it's safe, with proper security and engineering.Stop sending $800M a day to Mideast dictators for oil. (Mar 2007) Wants Detroit to build more hybrids & use more ethanol. (Oct 2006)
Give Katrina contracts to locals, not to Halliburton. (Jun 2007) All kids should learn about sexual abuse. (Jul 2007)Strengthen NATO to face 21st-century threats. (Aug 2007)
China is a competitor, but not an enemy. (Aug 2007)
US policy should promote democracy and human rights. (Jul 2004) Insist on labor and human rights standards for China trade. (Jul 2004) YES. Exactly. Will he actually work towards this? He is so getting my vote.Half of us don't vote; time for taking it back. (Jun 2007) Keep guns out of inner cities--but also problem of morality. (Oct 2006) Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
We need condom distribution to deal with the scourge of AIDS. (Aug 2007)
Homophobia prevents talking about HIV/AIDS. (Jun 2007)
Believes health care is a right, not a privilege for the few. (Sep 2004) Support veterans via the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act. (Aug 2007)
Give our soldiers the best equipment and training available. (Jul 2004)Voted YES on preserving habeus corpus for Guantanamo detainees. (Sep 2006) They are not all terrorists. It is not soft to give them a chance. Once they are deemed terrorists, then punish them.Voted YES on requiring CIA reports on detainees & interrogation methods. (Sep 2006)
Voted YES on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act. (Mar 2006)
Close Guantanamo and restore the right of habeas corpus. (Jun 2007)Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program. (May 2006)
Pres. candidates can afford minimum wage; most folks can't. (Jul 2007)
Make the minimum wage a living wage. (Jun 2007) Voted YES on increasing minimum wage to $7.25. (Feb 2007)
Greatness based on Declaration of Independence, not military. (Jul 2004) I'm a big believer in the separation of church and state. (Apr 2004)
CONS:
Supports affirmative action in colleges and government. (Jul 1998)
Wrong answer McFly. Having dark skin or a vagina or both does not automatically make you qualified.Battles legislatively against the death penalty. (Jul 2004)
We need the death penalty for child serial rapists who bury 9 year old girls alive. Sends kids to private school; but wants good schools for all. (Jul 2007)
His kids should see reality by going to public school.Free public college for any student with B-average. (Jul 1998)
A pipe dream.Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions. (Jul 1998)
In some places maybe, but certainly not for the whole country.Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
Ugh. No f'ing way. That's really bad, actually, but it still isn't enough to overturn the good stuff.So in short, Obama is more than qualified for the job. America needs someone like him in office. This is not just affirmative action. He's actually good for the job. And if that means a milestone in racial issues, all the better.