The important issues for me are, in no particular order:
Abortion. Keep it legal, at least up to the 6th month mark. Especially if the mother is at risk, or in the case of incest and rape.
The end of military action across the globe, and a downsize of the military. We should have enough soldiers and equipment to defend ourselves, and that’s it. We’re not the world police, nor should we be.
The end of Gitmo and the like. It’s beyond disgusting that America has been reduced to this.
Gay marriage. Letting states decide it as things are now isn’t going to work.
Universal health care. From a pessimistic standpoint, we need it. Otherwise, the next pandemic is going to be even more of a problem than it has to be.
Undoing of the laws passed that reduce our freedoms. (Warrantless searching. Warrentless wiretapping. Any of the laws that will label a person a terrorist.)
Disbanding of the TSA, and reasonable security measures being implemented.
Immigration. I don’t care how this one is handled really. Enforce the laws, strike the laws down, make Mexico a part of the U.S. I don’t care, just do something about it already. No, ignoring it isn’t a reliable solution.
Removal of the No Child Left Behind Act. I haven’t seen any good come of it yet, but I’ve seen a lot of excellent teachers lose their jobs due to it.
An end to “the War on Terror.” I want us out of Iraq; I want us to stop torturing people; I want us to stop holding people indefinitely with no charges; I want us to stop encroaching on citizen’s rights in the name of safety.
Health care reform
A president whose intellect and integrity I can respect and who will be respected by other world leaders.
Because we’re the most successful nation in human history. Someone will undoubtably believe they can duplicate that success by controlling the same geographic area. We’re also the wealthiest nation on the planet, abound with natural, manmade, and imported resources.
more SCOTUS judges along the lines of Scalia, Thomas, Alito
1a) further restrictions on abortion / scrapping Roe v. Wade and at least send the issue back to the states
2nd amendment rights and abolishment of most gun control laws
tossing the IRS on the trash-heap of history; totally revamping the tax code
commitment to using the military to get the job done (whatever the particular mission is). None of this half-supported, trying to do it on the quick and cheap.
Commitment to not abandoning the war in Iraq-we started it, we need to have the balls to see it through, even though that is likely to take 20 years or longer.
Constructionist SCOUS justices who will despise the “living document” nonsense and issue rulings that LIMIT the scope and reach of government into our lives instead of expanding it, who will return more decisions to the state level, as the Constitution clearly intends.
It’s a tie: No new taxes OR spending. Fiscal responsibility. Abandoning the poisonous idea that government’s job is to a)take care of us and b) give us stuff that someone else pays for. AND Energy independence based upon using our own resources rather than making us vulnerable to unfriendly foreign governments coupled with expanded alternative energy uses, especially nuclear and a nurturing of traditional American ingenuity to solve this problem. I love McCain’s idea of a $300 million prize.
Immigration would probably be on that list-an expansion of legal immigration and a hard crackdown on illegals-and the businesses that hire them- but neither candidate is right on that issue, so what’s the point.
Russia Putin and his successors are currently trying to reassemble the USSR. This does not thrill me. Actually, it makes me very upset. I think that we need someone who has seen the cold war, remembers it, knows what we did before, and was mentored in a political environment where people from that era played a strong role. We also need someone who comes across as just crazy enough to act with force.
The Middle East If we back out of Iraq now, we will be perceived as weak in the world community, particularly in the Middle East. However, we don’t want to just let folks die in vain. McCain I think will try to strike the right balance. As a former POW who was stuck in the last quagmire, I think that he will be far more judicious in his use of force than all the chicken hawks who got us into this.
I also think he will find ways of dealing with Iran, either diplomatically, or in the worst case scenario, militarily- but i think he would be more likely to play it straight with the American people and with the globe at large. Obama may be a rock star politician, but McCain is one of the best pragmatists we have.
The Economy Obama has the better ideas. No doubt about that. But he lacks the ability to create a coalition of bipartisan voters that is strong enough to override the special interest lobbies. We are hitting a point where we have to do something, even if that something is imperfect. Anything Obama tries is likely to get deadlocked in our current political environment.
The three most important issues facing the United States today:
The massive and ever-increasing national debt
The need for additional sources of energy
The continuing loss of American personal freedoms in the name of increased security
Unfortunately none of the candidates are really talking about any of them. (With all the important problems facing the country, how did the question of abortion become one of the central issues of American politics?)
Increased punishments for child abusers/molesters and a move away from offender treatment/registration programs. Ideally, I’d like to also see increased funding for victim treatment programs, but I don’t actually expect to see that from either side.
Increased firearms rights/reduced control. Neither candidate has a good record here, but McCain’s is better than Obama’s, and should something happen to McCain, Palin’s record is excellent.
Illegal immigration: Despite his earlier, in my view horribly misguided, authorship and lobbying for the McCain-Kennedy Bill, I believe McCain will do a better of job of securing the southern border to at least some degree than would Obama.
An allegiance to free market economics and sensible, rather than punitive, corporate regulation. I think folks will be pleasantly surprised with McCain as he will rein in Bush’s overly lax approach and still try to foster growth.
Firm negotiation with both the U.S.’ friends and enemies. Obama will send everyone a card on their birthday. McCain will negotiate from a position of strength while being more open to actual negotiation and consensus than was Bush.
(and last) No history of socialist leanings. I oppose government welfare for people OR corporations, and do not think the average taxpayer, or even the affluent taxpayer, should shoulder the burden for social programs.
I expect a lot of people’s mileage here will vary, but hey, you asked.
Respect of Constitution and Bill of Rights. This includes the 2nd (I’m looking at you, Democrats), 1st and 4th (I’m looking at you, Republicans), all of them.
I think the most important concern is to get America out of budget deficit spending. Repeal the tax cuts and fund the damned government already! Stop borrowing money from our children, to squander it now!
The second most important is to get out of Iraq. I would love to also see military funding cut drastically, but that’s not going to happen. I do not want a military with enough equipment and manpower to conquer and occupy a foreign nation, let alone two.
The third most important issue is to overhaul health care. Universal health care works! The only legitimate arguments against it are from insurance companies who will lose premium profits. If everyone has access to affordable (or free) health care, emergency room visits drop drastically. Hospitals will actually get paid for every patient they treat. There would be no incentive for hospitals to treat one patient less vigorously than another. I can’t imagine in my wildest dreams why so many people are so strongly opposed to this!
I’m actually with you here. This is one of the things that kept me on the fence for awhile. Another thing was that I don’t like one party controlling congress and the executive branch at the same time - we saw what the Republicans did with that power and I don’t expect the Dems to be a hell of a lot better. I also think McCain and Obama are both fundamentally good people who genuinely want what’s best for this country. But deep down, I just cannot bring myself to vote for someone whom I believe to be a religious zealot (Palin.) I didn’t vote for Gore in 2000 because I didn’t like Lieberman, and I have no problem deciding based on VP choices again. I’m voting for Obama.
3.) Exploring new sources of energy.
I’m not satisfied with with how either candidate has addressed these issues. And voting for either one (for that reason and others), isn’t something I feel good about.
Saving the environment and thus saving our civilization (which includes lessening reliance on fossil fuels). IMNSHO this should be the #1 issue of the election-heck it should have been the #1 issue of the past 2-3 elections; I have some residual faith that, one day, we won’t be worrying about tax cuts and suicide jihadists so much and will focus on the#1 issue of our day. Just because most people don’t realize this truth and prefer to focus on other problems/threats doesn’t make it less true. Nothing else comes close in terms of priorities (tho having an enlightened electorate less susceptible to being swayed by simplistic slogans and more willing to truly explore the important issues of the day is a related concern).
Respect for Civil liberties and the Bill of Rights -
McCain fails in his advocacy of campaign finance reform, which I find to be a blatant abridgment of freedom of speech, and in my fears that he will continue Bush’s invasive policies. Obama clearly wins on this issue.
Respect for the power of free trade and free markets -
I would like to see all subsidies lifted and grossly reduce, to the point of elimination, the governments role in shaping the economy. It especially worries me when people talk about punishing companies for making ‘excess’ profits and ‘taking on’ the oil companies. Neither candidate gets high marks on this, but I am rather on the extreme libertarian end of this issue and I can only shake my head at the lack of most politicians understanding of economic forces.
Curbing Government spending -
Here is where Obama terrifies me and I have some hope for McCain. I would like to see a much smaller government. I think an optional privatization of Social Security is a great idea, I would end the earmark process altogether. I would stop giving the elderly new benefits and start means testing the hell out of Medicare. I don’t think either candidate can make me truly happy, but at least McCain seems to realize that stuff costs money that you and I ultimately pay for.
Immigration -
Immigrants are a tremendous asset to this country. Using them as a scapegoat is cowardly and despicable. They succeed here because they are productive and work hard. Acting like this is a pressing problem is absurd.