With 3 Months to Go: Reluctantly Leaning Toward Obama

With three months to go before the election, Yahoo! News asked a handful of undecided voters how they're leaning in the presidential race. Here's a perspective from one voter.

COMMENTARY | A new Gallup Poll indicates more Americans who voted for Barack Obama in 2008 are switching parties this year, compared to those who voted for John McCain. I guess I must be in the minority then -- because I voted for McCain last time around and now I'm leaning toward Obama.

Don't get me wrong: Obama certainly can't count me as his biggest fan. If it weren't for the ridiculousness of the Republican Party of late and the serious questions that I and other voters have about Mitt Romney's ability to be honest with people, including being honest with his taxes, I wouldn't be leaning this way. And this isn't even to say that Obama -- with his promises to close Gitmo and his promises about how well the stimulus would work and the problems of his administration on everything from the economy to Fast & Furious -- is exactly the pillar of honesty.

I feel like it's coming down to voting for a promise-breaker with four years of on-the-job training who has proven he is able to do some things right, or voting for a file-hider who is desperately trying to find the right words to impress a Republican base that is more conservative than he is.

And although I am not convinced Obama's stance on issues that concern women, such as the wage gap and health care, is much more than campaign rhetoric, I find myself agreeing with the women in battleground states. While Romney's campaign was busy in July pointing out that Obama's economic policies have been unsuccessful in putting women back to work, it is the public-sector job cuts on the state and local level that are causing a slower recovery for women in the job market. And though Obama's equal-pay laws have made little difference in what women earn, at least the president is attempting to work on such things. At least he is talking about such things, rather than merely pushing female VP potentials out there and largely leaving the issue of equal pay not discussed and the issue of health care as nothing more than a vow to repeal Obama's health care law.

I certainly remain undecided on whom I will vote for, and -- as you can tell -- I'm not happy with the choices this time around. But, if the election were held today, based on his experience and his awareness of the issues that concern me, I would vote for Obama.

Susan Graybeal is a 40-year-old single mother in Northern California.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/3-months-reluctantly-leaning-toward-obama-211800779.html

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