Voting Decisions

Dear Buckeye Voters, I absolutely loved Ohio State while attending there some 15 years ago. The spirit of Ohio lies within me as a Buckeye and thus my decision to vote has been a critical one. I do not recall a more diversified array of candidates nor any upfront discusses of the pros and cons of all party candidates since JFK. Thus I have researched all party candidates voting records and/or employment history, public records and watched debates until they began to run downhill like a locomotive snowball. As an independent voter I take pride in learning and observing as much as I can about how candidates so that I am an informed confident voter when I go to the voting booth and vote my conscience. I learned critical thinking and logical reasoning in my Master level studies at Ohio State and learned vary quickly that I must ask alot of cognitive provoking questions to even begin to comprehend why I must remain neutral and avoid emotional opinions in critical decision making. For me at least,  voting is a foremost duty I have as a citizen of this great United States of which I take great pride as a lifelong resident of Ohio and educator. Throughout all of the campaigning I match affect with body language, words with context and seek content that is consistent and upfront without hidden agendas. Initially, I chose 9 candidates of varying party affilations based on my first impressions of their presentations and focus, their voting records, their political career path and who their backers were as citizens.

I was leaning toward Biden, Dodd, Edwards and Romney at first and when they dropped out or suspended their campaigns I began looking for other candidates who match my independent thinking whose voting records, political careers, and words of promises were consistent with our democratic way of life. I have great respect for McCain's military experience and heartfelt desire to protect our rights as citizens of the United States of America but do not see him as bypartisan nor uniftying thus I will not vote for him. I admire Nader for his gut level life experience and his dedication to setting the record straight inspite of opposition he faces publicly but can not vote for him because I see him as not a team player but an instructor who informs about current events. Thompson has enormous political sense and I appreciate his forthrightness and his to the point focus but he appears to be happy being a family man and not ready to focus on critical issues therefore I could not vote for him. Well then that leaves me with Barrack Hussein Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Initally, I was in awe of Obama with his motivational pep rallies that promoted change however I realized after the 3rd repeative speech that he reminded me of many fundamental preachers who have the right answer for the road to paradise and that his job title was not just Junior Senator, which I am sure he did an effective job for Illinois, but a job title also as a lecturer. My career is as a lecturer educating people of all walks of life and yet there was a difference in the way in which Obama lecturers as he is campaigning; he does not appear to me to have a course description nor learning objectives or outcomes that are measurable. I had to ask myself just what direction is he motivating Americans toward; is it for democracy, social justice, pursuit of happiness, and civil liberties. My answer was no, at least he is not motivating me to vote for him; I think he is a brillant lawyer who is motivating all of us because his speeches are based in his fundementalism of his Church of Christ, in fact I am concerned that he is trying to lead this nation to get,"born again or saved as they promote their believes from the pulpit; I believe in free speech and in free will but for me I can not vote for a Christian minister, pastor, lecturer who appears to me to have a hidden agenda as just why he is attempting to motivate voters to vote for him for a change; a change to what and why I kept asking himself. As a Unitarian/Universalist I do not want a President, A Commander and Chief to lead all of us down the path to be members of a Christian faith called Church of Christ. What will happen to all those nonfundementalist who are faithful to their own independent right to believe what they choose, maybe they are not Christians at all but Jewish, Agnostics, Undecided, or Native Americans. Just maybe the voters who get caught up in Obama's motivating expertise are Atheists, or Bahi's, or Muslims or Evolutionist, or believe in nothing at all; is it not our alienable right to have the right to vote our conscience without being manipulated by a professional lawyer who motivates, and he is so excelled in public speaking, us not to think about who or what we vote for but to follow his lead right to the pulpit if he is elected. I was deeply concerned that his community grassroots efforts were directly tied to his ministering from his Church of Christ because he does not state he is pastoring his way to our white house. I have not doubt that he firmly believes he is the right candidate for various reasons but isn't our democracy secured by the fact that religion is separate from political power. Perhaps he is the right person for many to vote for but I just do not trust in his presentation because of his communication tone and noted changes may cause problems related to separation of state and religion. I think he is a very intelligent young man and that he truly believes that he will be the next president. But if he is and then what happens to our freedom of choice; in the political and relgious arenas. I just can not vote for him because there does not appear to me to be much substanital evidence behind his motivating agenda/ lectures that convinces me that our democratic country based rights will be honored. This country, that was orginally The First Nation of Native Americans, all emigrants, immigrants, and international allies have fought for the freedom of choice for all of history and their purpose was not to lead followers down a motivating path to hidden agendas but to stand together with our votes and remain a democratic free country with the rights of being informed voters. When will OBama inform us of his concerns of separation of political and religious powers. I will absolutely vote for Hillary Rodham Clinto because she is the right person to be our next Commander in Chief because she does stand for the right to choose and has no pretense; her voting record is strongly focused on critical thinking and logic that is reasonable; she is willing to change her mind if new evidence if brought forth in voting issues, she is experienced not only as a junior senator but has alliances throughout the world as a former first lady, she is an independent thinker that knows the political arena and the conflicts and struggles of remaining a deomocracy, she does not pull any punches and says it like it is in our government. But its just my one voter perspective and you know my conscience is clear and calm now that I understand why I was so uncomforable voting for Obama because he was an effective lecturer; I want my next President to be bypartisan and be a leader who looks at all citizens rights. thanks, amjbuckeye