As Election Day draws nearer–indeed, some people are already out there voting–I asked the staff and some past contributors of Heretical Ideas to offer up their selections for this years election in the hopes of swaying your vote. Or, perhaps, drive you screaming in the direction of the other candidate. In addition, I’ve also asked who they voted for last time around, and who their favorite fictional President is (because who wants to think about the real ones?). Here are their responses:
Jon Stonger
Jon Stonger is a regular columnist at Heretical Ideas.
Who are you voting for this election and why?
I am stepping momentarily away from my libertarian leanings to vote (absentee) for Obama. I have 5 principal reasons for my choice.
1. Foreign policy
Obama favors meeting with leaders and a multilateral approach to solving world problems. He will also help restore American standing in the world.
2. Energy
We need to get off of oil for economic, environmental and natl security reasons. Obama has consistently supported alt energy, while McCain leads chants of ‘drill, baby, drill’ at rallies.
3. Public Speaking
I love listening to Obama give speeches. I look forward to 8 years of hearing the English language used elegantly, as opposed to the mangling it has received by our leader in the last 8.
4. Symbolism
Obama does not come from a rich, powerful family. He shows that the American ideal of being able to rise as far as your talent can take you mite actually be true. Not only that, but I think it is a powerful positive comment on our country to go from the end of segregation to the first black president in one generation.
5. Bush and the Republicans
If the Democrats had done as badly for 8 years, you can be sure I wouldn’t be voting for them either.
Who did you vote for in 2004?
In 2004, I voted for Tom Osbourne, former football coach on the University of Nebraska and Representative of that state. I honestly believed (and still do) that he would be a better leader than either of the two candidates that year. In 2000 I voted for Harry Browne, Libertarian.
Who is your favorite fictional American President?
My favorite fictional president is George Washington. I love that our country was founded by a man who refused to be king. I don’t know much about his actual deeds in office, but his legend has provided a powerful mythos thru our entire history.
Dave Schuler
Dave Schuler blogs about politics at Outside the Beltway and at his personal site, The Glittering Eye.
2008 Vote: Beats me. Maybe Obama.
Past Votes: Bush. I voted for Gore in 2000.
Favorite Fictional President: Don’t have one.
Brian Knapp
Brian Knapp is Heretical Ideas’ resident Film Critic.
2008 Vote: Barack Obama. I think that it is crucial in this election to have a leader embrace and usher in a brand new type of global society. Diplomacy will never be more important as we slip from the ranks as the world’s lone superpower in years to come and I believe its imperative we go with the flow on this rather than resist. In short, it is important what the world thinks about us, to some extent anyway, and our president. My only pause in this is Obama’s troubling stance on free trade, where McCain trumps him, but I’m confident his good sense will prevail on this issue.
2004 Vote: George Bush. I thought he was the better of Bush/Kerry. More importantly, I voted for the Bush team, which of course, disbanded, much to my chagrin. I think we were better off with Bush than Kerry. I would have been more apt to consider Kerry had “The Smiler” John Edwards not been on the Kerry ticket.
Favorite Fictional President: Zaphod Beeblebrox. Not really American, but a President nonetheless.
Kathleen Hendrickson
Kathleen Hendrickson blogs about politics and living abroad at At Home and A Broad.
2008 Vote:: I have serious reservations about McCain, so I wouldn’t say that I’m voting for him, but I am voting against Obama, and since Virginia is in play, that means I’ll pick McCain. When Obama comes off of the teleprompter, he sounds every bit a committed socialist, and I’m unwilling to risk electing one when the Democrats may well obtain a filibuster-proof majority. What’s more, I’ve seen first-hand what government-mediated health care, squishy trade, and redistributive fiscal policy have wrought in Europe, and that’s no way to live.
2004 Vote:: Bush. I liked the turd sandwich more than the giant douche.
Favorite Fictional President: Jack Ryan
Paul Muller
Paul Muller is a former blogger for Heretical Ideas.
2008 Vote: Undecided. Here’s why - I’m not confident that Obama can make the significant changes he continuously talks about, or that he has realistic expectations on what he can do. Also, despite the condition of the financial markets, he has the typical march towards socialism that every Democrat spouts. However, McCain’s choice of Palin didn’t really win my confidence over either, so it’s a toss-up right now.
2004 Vote: George W. Bush. Kerry was much too smug.
Favorite Fictional President: I think the coolest “idea” of a President was in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Strikes Again where the people uncover the fact that the President is really just a computer-generated recording that “they” can program to say anything “they” want. Really, that’s pretty much how it works today except for they must use some sort of mental puppeteering instead of technology.
Katherine Coolon
Katherine Coolon is the fiction editor for Heretical Ideas.
2008 Vote: Barack Obama- I believe that healthcare is one of the most important issues on our plate. John McCains’ plan for healthcare will worsen an already bad situation. It will be a detriment to employers and workers.
2004 Vote: John Kerry
Favorite Fictional President: Josiah Edward “Jed” Bartlet
Michele Catalano
Michele Catalano is a regular contributor to Pajamas Media and blogs regularly on her personal site A Big Victory.
2008 Vote: Obama. The reason is too lengthy to go into right now, but I will say that it was not an easy decision and I am completely disappointed and saddened by the choices I was given this election.
2004 Vote: Bush.
Favorite Fictional President: David Palmer of 24 or Jack Nicholson’s President Dale in Mars Attacks.
Alex Knapp
Alex Knapp is the editor-in-chief of Heretical Ideas.
2008 Vote: Obama. At first, this was merely for the pleasure of voting against Hilary Clinton. It was then for the pleasure of voting against McCain, a politician that I’ve disliked for a decade while wandering around wondering if the rest of the world had been eating crazy pills. I have since come to appreciate Obama for his own strengths, even as I disagree with many of his policies.
Past Votes: In 2004, I wrote in “None of the Above.” In 2000, I voted for Harry Browne.
Favorite Fictional President: President Thomas J. Whitmore in Independence Day.
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