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By sarandipity79 Community Blogger Author bio | report All blog entries by sarandipity79

Published Jan. 20, 2009 at 5:35 p.m.
Category: Politics
Tags: Obama, Bush, Conservative, Election

On the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, I’m still in disbelief.  A huge part of me wants to feel optimistic & happy & all swept up in this whirlwind of “hope” & “change”. 

But I just can’t get there fully.  

It’s no secret I’m a conservative & I voted for McCain.  It’s no secret I’m a small business owner who is anti-war, pro-choice, & an atheist.  I don’t fit the over hyped, under researched stigma of a conservative.  However, I am NOT a liberal.  And I’m NOT an independent.

I am worried about the country I love so much.  I’m worried about taking the easy way out.  A parent who is eternally bailing their child out of self-imposed messes is not teaching them any lessons.  Bailing out every business’ & citizen’s poor judgment and decisions with tax payer dollars is not responsible.  It’s not what our government was created for.  It’s not why we pay taxes.  Utilizing federal dollars to attempt to fix a problem that is not federal is not right.

I’m no dummy when it comes to the economic crisis.  I serve foreclosures (hundreds a month) and my gift shop is closing next month.  I didn’t ask for the government to bail us out.  No, we should have been better prepared.  We should have realized the markets would eventually turn on us & we should have managed cash flow a bit better in anticipation.  Barack Obama isn’t responsible for swooping in like some sort of super-hero (or god) and saving my business, or restructuring mortgages which should never have been issued in the first place. 

It’s frightening as hell out there.  However, one man will not make the world right and it’s not fair to expect that from him.  Especially one man with the minimal amount of experience he brings.  The fanfare & glitter of this inauguration and this man, this one single man, is clouding the facts.  It’s like a woman who shows off the brightest, most beautiful diamond wedding ring & everyone is blinded by it’s beauty…but behind that ring lies a relationship falling apart, a home life that doesn’t sparkle nor shine.  Or a holiday celebration where the presents stacked under the tree are piled high & filled with the most exquisite selection of gifts…that were all purchased on a credit card which will result in a stressful struggle to pay off.  Smoke and mirrors is no way to run a country.  Eventually the bad will catch up with us.

Being a conservative is not an evil thing.  Being a liberal is not an evil thing.  I do feel it’s important for people to know that there are people out there like myself…young, ambitious, successful, responsible & independent who support the GOP and not Obama.   Contrary to popular belief (and the national news) there is a huge portion of the country that is not jumping up and down about the change in policy that will take place tomorrow.  I’m grateful the country seems to be thinking positive, but remember to also think responsibly and look beyond that sparkling ring.  There’s a lot that lies beneath it.

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7 comments about this blog. Post your comment/review now

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by Sofine57 on Jan. 21, 2009 at 4:25 p.m. (report)

Very well said, I'm impressed. I am very much like you, socially moderate (even a bit liberal) and otherwise rather conservative.

I completely agree with you that one of the scariest things about this whole Obamania is the massive blinders that libs have when they look at him and everything he does. Normally very smart people throwing rationallity out the window because they got themselves caught up in this emotional whirlwind.

I wish Obama the best because I want our country to prosper but I am not encouraged by 95% of what he says he wants to do. My only hope is that he changes his tune or does not accomplish much of his wish list.

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Posted by ChateauDweller on Jan. 21, 2009 at 8:53 a.m. (report)

You miss the point. Bush, Regan, JFK....all paired charisma with experience and were vetted by the media--Obama has not. While the media focused on Rev. Wright and Ayers for a bit, his policy positions were never discussed.

Your immediate dismissal of my argument is exactly what I am talking about. When it comes to Obama, most of his supporters defend him w/o objectivity. I'm not scared of Obama, I'm scared of those who unconditionally follow him.

As a liberal, I'm sure you are turned off by some evangelicals and how they blindly follow the words of the bible. When I see smart and reasoned people lose their focus and objectivity, I feel the same way.

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Posted by sandstorm on Jan. 21, 2009 at 8:53 a.m. (report)

"However, it is very scary to believe that it is possible in America to elect a person only based on charisma."

again. very narrow-minded and insulting to anyone who listened to either candidates during the debates or read up on the issues.

hell, Diamond David Lee Roth has buttloads of charisma and no one in their right mind would elect him to office so it's got to be something else that got Obama elected, right?

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Posted by Milw Luvva on Jan. 21, 2009 at 8:36 a.m. (report)

Well, Chateau, it worked for Reagan, too. He was much better known as an actor than as a governor. And God only knows what got the younger Bush elected. He certainly had no glimmering resume.

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Posted by ChateauDweller on Jan. 21, 2009 at 8:10 a.m. (report)

For myself, what is most troublesome about Obama is not the man himself; rather, its the unconditional idoltry. Very inteligent and objective friends of mine have thrown away reason and believe can and will fix anything. They believe what they want to believe about him and ignore anything negative.

I do not believe he is a bad person, in fact, I feel that he may be a fine president. However, it is very scary to believe that it is possible in America to elect a person only based on charisma.

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