US President and Vice-President

Here is the 2012 General Election Crib Sheet, in many pages. I went to the trouble of researching all the presidential/vice presidential candidates, and found some very interesting information along the way. Have fun with those.

As you know, I'm not telling anyone how to vote. I'm merely telling you how I intend to vote and why. You get to take it from there. And in response to critique from the peanut gallery, I'm adding a check beside my choices, to make sure no one is confused by the use of red to indicate my favorites.

I started out trying to keep the snark factor under control. "Just the facts, ma'am." And then I dropped the inner censor a notch or two.  Have fun.

√  Barack Obama,  D, incumbent

√  Joe Biden, D, incumbent

            Don’t know what I can or need to say about these two. They’re not my first choice, but they’re many orders of magnitude better than the only realistic competition. Yeah, Obama is  not a very good debater. On the other hand, its awfully hard to get a word in edgewise when your opponent is so busy spouting bilgewater and bullfrogs. I'll vote for Obama because I want to know that Social Security and Medicare will continue, and not be turned into voluntary programs to enrich private insurance companies and Wall Street. I wish we'd heard at least a word from Obama about the environment and global climate change. The impression is that he is lukewarm, but at least leaning in a positive direction. 

Mitt Romney, R

Paul Ryan, R

            If you are a masochist, go ahead, vote for these guys. They happen to disregard half the population, writing them off as freeloaders, and of course they think women should be kept in their place - barefoot and pregnant. As for global warming, that’s a joke and we really need to burn more fossil fuel. And of course we 47% are merely baggage in Romney's country, who don't need to be considered. We’re still wondering, if he loves this country so much, why does he send his money to the Caymen Islands and Switzerland.  He likes coal and will shut down NPR. The latest news is that Big Bird will be leading a 'million bird march' in Washington. He's good on a stage when he's been coached. Not so good in the real world where the rest of us live. No thanks.

Gary Johnson, Libertarian, former New Mexico governor

James Gray, Libertarian

             Johnson says he’s more liberal than Obama, more conservative than Romney, doesn’t want to bomb Iran, wants out of Afghanistan, supports marriage equality, wants to end the war on drugs, repeal the Patriot Act, abolish IRS, eliminate income tax and corporate tax and replace them with a consumption tax.

            The party platform includes repealing Obamacare, supports gun-owning rights, and fewer immigration restrictions. they’re all over the map, which makes them both confused and confusing.

Virgil Goode, Constitution Party

James N Clymer, Constitution Party

            Goode is the ultra conservative former 6 term Virginia congressman who is pulling a Nader. Virginia Rs are worried. A former D, he voted to impeach Clinton in 1998 and left the party. Wants to reduce the federal debt, rein in PACs, institute a moratorium on issuing green cards to immigrants until unemployment drops below 5%. Wants to stop outsourcing jobs & concentrate on Americans.

            Clymer is an attorney from PA, with a hybrid platform of traditional conservatism and libertarianism. Objects to the Patriot Act, TARP, bailouts of private industries. Considers the R and D agendas as too similar to differentiate.

            The Constitution party platform is very similar to the Libertarian platform. Both propose to abolish IRS and income tax, most executive departments except those relating to the military, both want repeal of the Patriot Act.  “A fundamental difference between the parties is that the Constitution Party believes that the foundation of our law, our jurisprudence, and our legal system is rooted in the Judeo-Christian bible. The Libertarian Party has a more secular viewpoint.” Can’t accept Libertarian tolerance for homosexual marriage or abortion. They want a constitutional amendment to ban abortion and declare fetal personhood, and an amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. They want sealed borders, but agree with Libertarians on ending the war on drugs.

Jill Stein, Green party, MD from Massachusetts

Cheri Honkala, Green party, anti-poverty activist, Pennsylvania

            This is a ticket I would be proud to vote for. Their platform reflects all the things I’ve been saying for years. How very refreshing. Check out their issues at:

http://www.jillstein.org/issues

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/7/13/green_party_nominee_jill_stein_running

Watch the interview on Democracy Now to get a good sense of these two strong women.  I know several people who feel that Washington is “safe” for Obama without their vote so they’re going to vote Green, where their hearts are. I have to say, I’m very tempted.

Peta Lindsay, Socialism and Liberation Party, anti-war activist, Pennsylvania

Yari Osorio, Socialism & Liberation Party

            They’re only on the ballot in 13 states. Theirs is a typical old-line socialist agenda, dethroning capitalism and the corporations which feed and are fed by it. They want to bring down the banks which brought down the economy, cancel student debt and institute free education, end ‘imperialist’ wars and shut down all US military bases outside the US, protect the environment by ending capitalism, support abortion rights, LGBT equality, an end to mass incarceration, immigrant rights. Certainly better than Republicanism, but a bit off center and incomplete.

James Harris, Socialist Workers Party

Alyson Kennedy, Socialist Workers Party

            Their website appears to be out of date and discombobulated.  They can’t seem to settle on their vice presidential candidate. They’re on the ballot in 8 states. Harris has run for president several times before, never gaining more than 8500 votes. The SWP consider themselves the true communists, and theirs is the old workers’ platform: massive public works programs to put people back to work, universal health care which excludes the insurance industry. If they weren’t so disorganized they might have useful contributions to the discussion. 

Ross (Rocky) Anderson, Justice Party

Luis Rodriguez, Justice Party

            On the ballot in 15 states. Anderson is an attorney, former mayor of Salt Lake City. Their website says that Rocky advocates:

•                The promotion of the public interest through the defeat of the systemic corruption that has caused massive failures in public policy

•                An immediate end to the on-going wars

•                Essential health care coverage for all citizens

•                Urgent international leadership by the U.S. to prevent against the most catastrophic consequences of climate disruption

•                Adequate revenues to balance the budget through fair taxation

•                Treatment of substance abuse as a public health, rather than criminal justice, issue

•                Control of the Federal Reserve by the Treasury Department and Congress

•                A balanced budget (or a surplus) except in times of war or major recession

•                An end to the legal concept of corporate “personhood”

•                A constitutional amendment to overrule Citizens United and to allow limits or prohibitions on the corrosive impact of money in our electoral system

•                An end to the stranglehold on our government by the military-industrial complex                       

•                http://www.democracynow.org/2012/8/29/presidential_hopeful_rocky_anderson_dems_gop

                        They say all the right things, including debates on Progressive Radio with people like Dennis Kucinich and Ralph Nader. So why am I still nervous?