Jarom Chung- On Politics

Warning!!! This is highly politically charged!! Don’t let my small sense of politics influence your thoughts. Also, we are friends regardless if you agree :D.

For some time now, I’ve known which candidate I support, but due to the “anti” sentiment in Utah I’ve never openly endorsed a candidate neither have I commented upon which party lines I fall. Well, I’ve decided to stir things up and endorse Hillary Clinton as the best candidate for president.Why I’m a Democrat: My views on most controversial topics is the same; it is that each person should research the pros and cons of each side and decide independently on which side they fall. Everyone should have a definitive opinion that has been research and sought after. Without research, an undecided opinion is better than faking one or even going with what everyone else thinks- that is the worse you can do! I am a Democrat based on principles especially regarding economics (this ultimately made me decide that I was a Democrat). I researched the two parties a few years ago and decided that there were more pros to the Democratic Party than the Republican in my opinion. In particular, I believe that the government involvement in economics is crucial to the US economy especially in an ever-growing world market.

Why I’m a Moderate Democrat in practice but am liberal minded: I’m not a liberal Democrat nor am I a conservative Democrat. I am liberal minded in that I try not to immediately judge a certain group. I believe in a non-agitated, free exchange of ideas and that everyone has a voice/perspective that should be expressed. I enjoy talking to people of a different religious tradition, different racial or cultural background, or controversial life styles. My thoughts on McCain: I like how he is nonpartisan in his politics. He is more of a moderate Republican that doesn’t care about party lines but believes in the best for the country. However, I do not side with McCain on his lack of knowledge/plan for the country’s economy. To me, he seems like a continuation of Bush policy which really has created more problems. The government really needs to do more regarding prices of gas and food, searching for an alternative fuel that is not ethanol, world economy with the dollar lowering in price, outsourcing jobs, and the recession in general. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Well, it’s broke let’s fix it by changing it.

Thoughts on Obama: First off, he is a great candidate and if the nomination (which he probably will be) I will support him full-heartedly. But I need to express my thoughts on something… One thing that bugs me is that all “young” people support Obama without really knowing much about him. All they really know is the phrase “Change” which sounds hopeful but really is quite ambiguous. They just know that he is young and black- isn’t that cool? He’s a “breath of fresh air that really represents the younger population.” Unless they are true liberals, I don’t know why they support him. Do they know that he strongly supports abortion even in the third trimester when the baby is practically born? Don’t the people who say “if you’re in America, you should speak English” know that he strongly opposes English as the official national language? Don’t they know he has an alternative plan to universal health care? All the “young” voters see is that he young, hip and can connect with them on a more “down to earth basis.” All I see is a lack of experience. They hear “change” and know that it sounds good so it must be good. This “ambiguous” change simply represents their ambiguous, conscious stream of reality. They must be too drunk to actually research about the issues. Oh wait, even LDS people throw themselves over Obama… what does it say about them?

Thoughts on Hillary: I really like her platform all around. There are some points with which I disagree with. But overall, I like her as a candidate. She basically has the same platform as Obama aside from universal health care.

Who would be the best candidate: Well, I want a Democrat in White House primarily for economic policy. I don’t think Obama can do it. If he is the Democratic nomination, I will support him full heartedly. I believe he will do well in uniting the country and in healing the country after the Bush administration. I don’t believe he will do much as far as policy, but he will be a good president to follow. The president after him will also do much for the country. However, his inexperienced scares me a little. He can do it, but Hillary has more of a foot in the door. She has a lot of “baggage” from Bill, but she also has many ties that Obama does not even compare. Her policy would be more in effect than Obama’s would (granted they are basically about the same platform more or less). I believe that Hillary would do better matched up with McCain than Obama would. She is more experienced as I said. Also she is more electable. Bush won the nomination based on two big swing areas in the last two elections: the mid-west (OH, KY, WV, PN) and Florida. Especially in the first area, no president has ever been elected without that area. Hillary won in all those states. She appeals to the Red Democrats/the Reagan Democrats/ the blue collar whites. That is why she has done well in those states. Obama comes across as elitist and well… is black. In a poll, 22% of West Virginians said that they wouldn’t vote for Obama based on race. That is 22% that admit it!! That means it’s more like 44% of the population! That is a lot. He cannot appeal to that class which is needed to win. When Bill won his election, he also won OH, KY, WV, PN. I just don’t see how Obama could win those votes. Also there is a poll that shows Hillary as more electable over McCain; when asked who would they vote for between Obama and McCain it was a tougher battle. Lastly Florida should be seated- it is a swing state and between the two states that were not counted- there was a record amount of voters (2.3 Million!). They need to be heard- disenfranchisement is denial of human rights. You can change rules; you can’t change the constitution!

Solutions?: who knows… I believe that Hillary would be the most electable. An Obama Clinton ticket doesn’t make sense and goes against everything that Obama stands for. However, a Clinton Obama ticket does make sense. Hillary’s platform is better, and she has more ties. Then after Clinton’s terms, Obama could run with his experience and his good standing with the public. This makes the most sense. However, it won’t happen. Someone told me about a governor in KS that’s a woman and how she has the same strengths as Clinton but she is not Clinton. It could work… I just hope Obama can get Clinton’s supporters…. So Leave your thoughts… I’m totally nonaggressive when talking politics (I like to talk/discuss about them but never argue). So if you have any new thoughts let me know… and if you’re not registered, I can help you with that :D.