Are you still an undecided voter in this presidential election? If so, Why? (1 Viewer)

[coldseat]

We're about a month out from the election, and still we hear about undecided voters and how they will decide the election. I don't know if this is true of if it is just typical media coverage, but I thought I'd ask here.

If you are undecided, why? What are you waiting on to decide? Do you not feel you know who both of the candidates are by this point? Are you a traditional republican who's having a difficult time with the idea of Trump as president? Are you a traditional democrat who's having trouble with a Clinton as president? Are you trying to decide if you'll vote third party? Is it something else? And what are you waiting for that will help you make your final decision?

There are many of us who have already decided, myself included. So while participation by all is encouraged, let's not turn this into a propaganda thread for one candidate or the other. There are plenty of threads for that already. Let the undecided voters have a chance to share their thoughts. I'm very curious.

 

[Sandgrunt]

Well, when the candidates were first announced I thought I would like to see Trump in office. if for nothing else than to see things get shaken up a little bit. I'm convinced our government needs an enema. I'm in the military so I see financial corruption on a daily basis. You'd be shocked if saw what some of your tax money gets spent on. Look up Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) if you get a chance. As time went on though Trump's ignorance just wore me out.

On the flip side of that coin Clinton is just as bad. I understand how important military and government classified materials are and she just doesn't get it. If I had done what she did I would be in the brig and that's no joke. We have guys rotting in jail for doing a fraction of what she did.

I've been in the military for 21 years now and politics is not something I know a lot about. I do know that I can't stand negative campaigns. Tell me what you can do for the country, not what the other candidate can't do or screwed up. It's childish. I don't classify myself as a republican or democrat though I tend to lean the republican way more often than not. I'm for the candidate that will provide the best way to get the country back on track. This is one of those elections where I don't see a viable candidate. There isn't even a decent choice offered. It's dumb or dumber. I wasn't even going to respond to this but those two idiots are not the answer.

 

[efil4stnias]

Well, when the candidates were first announced I thought I would like to see Trump in office. if for nothing else than to see things get shaken up a little bit. I'm convinced our government needs an enema. I'm in the military so I see financial corruption on a daily basis. You'd be shocked if saw what some of your tax money gets spent on. Look up Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) if you get a chance. As time went on though Trump's ignorance just wore me out.

On the flip side of that coin Clinton is just as bad. I understand how important military and government classified materials are and she just doesn't get it. If I had done what she did I would be in the brig and that's no joke. We have guys rotting in jail for doing a fraction of what she did.

I've been in the military for 21 years now and politics is not something I know a lot about. I do know that I can't stand negative campaigns. Tell me what you can do for the country, not what the other candidate can't do or screwed up. It's childish. I don't classify myself as a republican or democrat though I tend to lean the republican way more often than not. I'm for the candidate that will provide the best way to get the country back on track. This is one of those elections where I don't see a viable candidate. There isn't even a decent choice offered. It's dumb or dumber. I wasn't even going to respond to this but those two idiots are not the answer.

I did.

here is what i just found:

According to Lieutenant General George J. Flynn of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, the USMC will use funding from the cancelled EFV for other tactical ground vehicles over the next five years.[26] The EFV program was cut from a 2012 proposed budget by the White House

So it was Obama that pulled the plug on waste.

Congress attempts to pass this pork- not the President. Dont confuse the powers of Congress vs President.

Not the same.

 

[Devildog]

I served under 3 different presidents during my time in the Marine Corps. DO you know which President resided over the Marines getting a lot of brand new stuff for field use? William Jefferson Clinton.

This election to me is not about how I think Hillary would be the best President in the history of the world, but she would be a damn sight better than the carny handed cheeto.

In other words, I am not undecided anymore.

 

[Sandgrunt]

Green thumb for getting my thoughts on track.

I guess I just want to see someone, anyone, who will take the government by the reigns and put it on the right track. Gender, race, political affiliation, it doesn't matter. It would be nice to see someone with a pure agenda for a change.

 

[Tapxe]

I'm 99% certain of my vote.

For me, it boils down to one thing which isn't even being mentioned this election cycle. Every time you hand the reigns over to the R's, the economy suffers. I'll need to see that party completely reworked before I trust them again.

I've determined that Johnson really isn't a viable answer even if I wanted to throw a protest vote his way. Which leaves me with Stein and Clinton. Either way, I'll vote for who I think is the best candidate and not a protest vote.

 

[Devildog]

Green thumb for getting my thoughts on track.

I guess I just want to see someone, anyone, who will take the government by the reigns and put it on the right track. Gender, race, political affiliation, it doesn't matter. It would be nice to see someone with a pure agenda for a change.

IMO, the biggest change that you would see in how government is run is to stop electing the same people to congress every time. Elect people who are principled but knowing that they have a job to do to work WITH the President to get things accomplished. There is a middle ground to be had.

 

[LSSpam]

I'm undecided between Gary Johnson and Hillary Clinton.

I really dislike Hillary Clinton. I think she is nakedly and soullessly ambitious. I think she is, by nature, suspicious, defensive, and secretive. I actually feel comfortable with much of her policy positions, especially the "private" ones. I mean she's arguably right of center on a lot of the economy issues. But she deeply strikes me as another Nixon.

But we had a Nixon before. And we survived him. And we'll survive Hillary. Because while she may be many of the worst parts of a "politician" that we all hate, she is still fundamentally just a politician.

So I don't want to vote Hillary. But Donald Trump may force me to. He is a danger to democracy and our form of government.

I'm an adult. I've come to terms with the fact that I live in a democracy and that I will not always agree with my government. That existing in our civil society requires compromise on my part, an acceptance of priorities, methods, and points of view I may strongly object to.

So more important then me "getting my way" is that our government continue to function. Gore must concede in 2000 even if in his heart of hearts he feels he won. McCain must concede in 2008 and return to the senate to do business with Obama even if his supporters wanted him to cling to birthirism and Obama being a Muslim. Bush must coordinate with president-elect Obama on the housing market crash even after Obama spent 10 months campaigning directly against Bush.

Democracy requires grown ups to at the end of the day put it all behind us and get to the business of governance.

Donald Trump is mounting a direct assault on 240 years of this. He is a mortal danger to the Republic, and threatens everything about our way of life. I am not one for hyperbole, I usually **** all over it and tell everyone else to calm down. I am not joking now, Dinald Trump threatens democracy itself.

No other threat that was less so clear and present could ever make me consider for even one second to vote for Hillary. But Trump is.

 

[Goatman Saint]

Let me start with saying I don't get really excited over either of these two. However, Trump's taxation plan and how he generally treats people make me vomit, so I guess it's Hillary. She can at minimum be an effective leader and not screw things up, which at this point I think is all we can hope for


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LSSpam]

By the way, the only things anyone should be discussing today and for the next month are Trumps threat to put Hillary in jail and his threats to expose scandals of Republican defectors. This man is a nihilist authoritian and an attack on democracy itself. Everything, and I mean everything including his racism and misogyny, is completely secondary.

 

[Sandgrunt]

I served under 3 different presidents during my time in the Marine Corps. DO you know which President resided over the Marines getting a lot of brand new stuff for field use? William Jefferson Clinton.

This election to me is not about how I think Hillary would be the best President in the history of the world, but she would be a damn sight better than the carny handed cheeto.

In other words, I am not undecided anymore.

Semper Fi. We actually have a chronic injury in the Corps named after him. "Clinton Shoulder" happens when your rotator cuff gets shredded due to the poorly designed 70 lb flak jackets he approved for us. His heart may been in the right place but most of that gear that came to the infantry was poorly designed and has become a burden on modern day troops. Not really a shot at him or you by any means because he wasn't in charge of any of the designs but it just shows that the gov bidding process needs to be reset. In fact, I would definitely vote for someone who had that on their agenda. Some kind of rebuild on how gov contracts are awarded.

 

[Juicy Fruit]

Nope! Trump all the way!

 

[SaintJ]

Semper Fi. We actually have a chronic injury in the Corps named after him. "Clinton Shoulder" happens when your rotator cuff gets shredded due to the poorly designed 70 lb flak jackets he approved for us. His heart may been in the right place but most of that gear that came to the infantry was poorly designed and has become a burden on modern day troops. Not really a shot at him or you by any means because he wasn't in charge of any of the designs but it just shows that the gov bidding process needs to be reset. In fact, I would definitely vote for someone who had that on their agenda. Some kind of rebuild on how gov contracts are awarded.

Then by all means, consider carefully for whom you vote for your senators and your Congressman, and your governor and state legislatures (who will control who congressional districts are drawn).

THAT is where you'll get the bang for your buck, you can affect any number of positions rather than just one.

We don't need a "strong leader", we just need to hold about 5-10 elected officials per person accountable (two senate, one congress, your governor, your mayor and your state house and senate seats, maybe a city councilman or some such).

If everybody paid decent attention to those 5-10 elections every time they came up, picking a president would be a fulfilling exercise instead of a Hobson's choice.

 

[coldseat]

Green thumb for getting my thoughts on track.

I guess I just want to see someone, anyone, who will take the government by the reigns and put it on the right track. Gender, race, political affiliation, it doesn't matter. It would be nice to see someone with a pure agenda for a change.

Thanks for all of your comments. They're very much appreciated. I hope we get more from others.

I share some of your reservations about Hillary and wanting somebody who will rid the government of a lot of the influence and special interest that have taken hold of it. I can also understand your frustration about the email scandal. I don't know the ins and outs of handling classified documents, but it's obvious something inappropriate happened. I don't know that it was criminal and don't believe there was ever any criminal intent on her part, but I can understand why somebody would be skeptical. I can also see how if somebody without Clinton's clout would have done that, there would have been more serious consequences. Those are valid points on your part.

 

[Devildog]

Semper Fi. We actually have a chronic injury in the Corps named after him. "Clinton Shoulder" happens when your rotator cuff gets shredded due to the poorly designed 70 lb flak jackets he approved for us. His heart may been in the right place but most of that gear that came to the infantry was poorly designed and has become a burden on modern day troops. Not really a shot at him or you by any means because he wasn't in charge of any of the designs but it just shows that the gov bidding process needs to be reset. In fact, I would definitely vote for someone who had that on their agenda. Some kind of rebuild on how gov contracts are awarded.

Semper Fi to you, too. Yeah, I'm not saying all of it was good and some of the designs left a lot to be desired, but I was so happy just to get a new type of flight helmet that I was ecstatic.

 

[superchuck500]

I'm undecided between Gary Johnson and Hillary Clinton.

I really dislike Hillary Clinton. I think she is nakedly and soullessly ambitious. I think she is, by nature, suspicious, defensive, and secretive. I actually feel comfortable with much of her policy positions, especially the "private" ones. I mean she's arguably right of center on a lot of the economy issues. But she deeply strikes me as another Nixon.

But we had a Nixon before. And we survived him. And we'll survive Hillary. Because while she may be many of the worst parts of a "politician" that we all hate, she is still fundamentally just a politician.

So I don't want to vote Hillary. But Donald Trump may force me to. He is a danger to democracy and our form of government.

I'm an adult. I've come to terms with the fact that I live in a democracy and that I will not always agree with my government. That existing in our civil society requires compromise on my part, an acceptance of priorities, methods, and points of view I may strongly object to.

So more important then me "getting my way" is that our government continue to function. Gore must concede in 2000 even if in his heart of hearts he feels he won. McCain must concede in 2008 and return to the senate to do business with Obama even if his supporters wanted him to cling to birthirism and Obama being a Muslim. Bush must coordinate with president-elect Obama on the housing market crash even after Obama spent 10 months campaigning directly against Bush.

Democracy requires grown ups to at the end of the day put it all behind us and get to the business of governance.

Donald Trump is mounting a direct assault on 240 years of this. He is a mortal danger to the Republic, and threatens everything about our way of life. I am not one for hyperbole, I usually **** all over it and tell everyone else to calm down. I am not joking now, Dinald Trump threatens democracy itself.

No other threat that was less so clear and present could ever make me consider for even one second to vote for Hillary. But Trump is.

This is exactly where I am (except for the Gary Johnson part, he's not a serious candidate). I think that Donald Trump's obvious disregard for constitutional balance of power is not something to take lightly or dismiss as "jokes". It is so ironic that the "protect the Constitution" crowd so freely supports this candidate who's respect for the Constitution ranks lower than his knowledge of it - both of which are scant.

I dislike Hillary Clinton and I don't trust what she says. But I think she is capable of handling of running a presidential administration and delegating to capable people who have experience in government management. It isn't easy - and I know people want to just bring in a bunch of pure outsiders, but we need a mix. Fresh ideas and disconnection from the system are valuable, but experience is critical.

I wish I didn't have to vote for her. I wish there was a pro-business, social moderate with a real plan to reform the tax code and make sensible changes to the efficiency in the federal government, with an honest and informed view on America's international entanglements. I would vote third-party but there's no one to vote for. I like the idea of Gary Johnson, but he's not capable - let's be honest. I like the idea of protesting with a vote for a third-party but I'm not going to risk the chance of diluting support for the one candidate that is likely to beat Trump.