For the First Time in My Life, I Might Not Vote

I was sad that my big "debut" interview with Good Morning, America didn't run (breaking news over the course of several days bumped it and made it "old" news).

The topic was whether Hillary Clinton supporters would really cross-over and vote for John McCain. The reporter asked me, "So do you think all the talk on the Internet about Clinton supporters refusing to vote for Obama and joining the McCain camp is just urban myth?"

I gave her a resounding and forceful, "Yes." A few weeks ago I really believed that as those of us who supported one or more of the other Democratic candidates got past the grieving process, we would come together in Democratic party unity to work to defeat the GOP in the fall.

I think I may have been wrong.

I've gotten many comments and emails from women I know and respect saying they either will not vote at all in November or will vote for McCain because they are unhappy with Barack Obama.

I was still surprised and thought it was just a matter of time, especially with the alternative. Then, I started reading reports while I was enjoying the wines of Tuscany about some things that I hoped had been said by Obama's secret evil twin, and not by Obama himself.

For a while, I've had a bad feeling in my gut that a President Barack Obama would not be a friend on women's issues. Yes, he has a nice page up on his website about lofty proposals he says he will work toward to benefit women, but his remarks about women's emotions and abortion have RED ALERT written all over them:

"I have repeatedly said that I think it's entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don't think that 'mental distress' qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions."

After the shape-shifting that Obama has been doing over the last few weeks on FISA, government funds for faith-based community efforts and his recent comments on late-term abortions, my firm response on the urban myth question is on shaky ground.

As a woman and a mother, the thought of anyone having to consider the necessity of a late-term abortion is hard to fathom, but there are circumstances where it could be necessary. For any male political candidate to be so blatantly dismissive of a woman's state of mind -- especially someone with daughters -- is callously ignoring reality. Mental health is already an established criterion under the law and Supreme Court precedent when it comes to late-term abortions.

And that's when the thought came into my head as I was reading the article about Obama's comments in the International Herald Tribune, poolside in Florence:

I can't vote for Obama.

This is a serious thing for me.

I'm the geek who couldn't wait to vote, who embraced the mock political conventions, who stayed in to watch the Watergate hearings instead of going to the pool. Voting is sacrosanct for me. I have not missed voting in an election in more years than I care to count. But I can't remember the last time I saw a Democrat list so far to the right that their actions made them look like a Republican in Democratic-sheep's clothing.

It's become clear that there will be no wooing going on by the Obama campaign. And unless something changes, it feels like Obama is actually thumbing his political nose at his supporters, early adopters or not.

So, can I really in good conscience cast a vote for someone who, for all appearances, seems to be turning his back on important issues? Can I trust that the former constitutional law teacher isn't really abandoning what he claimed to stand for and that he will come around after the swearing in ceremony in January?

I want a Democrat to appoint the next Supreme Court justices. But Obama is walking a dangerous road -- especially with women Democratic voters -- by saying things that make him look more Republican than John McCain.

Obama has made a dangerous calculation. I hope he can live with the consequences.

While she's trying to make sense of Obama's political about-faces, you can also find PunditMom at MOMocrats and BlogHer, where she is a Contributing Editor for Politics and News.

Comments

[dtd]

Here we go again with the Liberal and Feminists histrionics! You make blanket statement that Senator Obama sounds like more a Republican than John McCain but offer no specific statements to back it up. There is a hell of a lot of difference between opposing late term abortion for anything other than the physical health of the mother and opposing uniformly a woman's right to choose. That's a stark difference and you know it. I'm getting sick of white female Democrats distorting Senator Obama's statemetns to cover up your racism. You dont' want to vote for the arrogant, uppity black man who got in the way of the white woman. Just say it!

[several]

So, a question for pumapac.org members lining up in this thread as you were told to do:

If you help McCain win and the first of his Supreme Court Justice appointments tips the scale and they overturn Roe v. Wade (which they will do, make no mistake) are you going to be proud that you helped overturn Roe v. Wade?

(Please don't respond with your fantasies about Hillary ending up as the nominee. She's campaigning for Obama, regardless of your wanton denials of reality.)

I really wish whois data was still public. I'd love to know which republican operative group owns the pumapac.org domain name.

[mindlessmissy]

I thought i was the only one who caught that order to flood this post with Feline invitations ...

I just love browsing their sites to read all their wishful thoughts ... They are like kids ...

Anyway, about the abortion thing. Unless the mentally impaired person was forcibly impregnated against her will I do NOT see a reason why she should wait till her fetus is full blown before claiming Mental Instability as a reason to warrant a call for abortion. Everyone looking to abort a late term pregnancy can feign mental stress as a reason even if they are not that much mentally impaired. The baby can still be born and adopted in such a case so i will stand with Obama on this very fact ....

[DaddysDarlin]

Kudos Joanne! It is a hard road sometimes when we realize that someone we once believed in, has changed so drastically that we no longer recognize them. You must be prepared for the fallout, and there will be fallout. Obama supporters will call you racist, or worse, they will tell you you are a closet republican, if they haven't already. His supporters will go so far as to threaten you, but do not be afraid, they are all bark.
He will send his thugs after you, the Internet kind anyway, so just don't bother even reading their posts, they are only doing what they are hired to do, threaten and try to overpower you. They don't use logic or facts, they are afraid of the facts, so for you to print them is sacrilege.
I will vote for Hillary, she will be giving her acceptance speech in the stadium Obama rented. He is not the nominee, and he better stop acting like he is. His arrogance has cost him millions of votes, and their just aren't enough pets, dead people or jailbirds for him to register to vote.
The American people are wise to Chicago style politicians, and we certainly know that voter fraud is on the top of their list of things to do.
We are watching you Obama, we just wont vote for you.
Puma Democrat
blog.pumapac.org

[jayelo]

Obama has stabbed just about every demographic that ever supported him right in the back.
Mr. honest, honorable candidate my foot.

[mpdamon]

Better a candidate with whom you disagree but feel you can trust than a candidate who will say or do anything to get elected. Two reasonable people can discuss their differences but it is next to impossible to get a word in with a self-ordained messiah.

[Bridgeport]

What a sad moment for the Democratic party when it threw away the candidate who won the popular vote and put up an empty suit as a candidate. I am no fan of the Republicans, but come November, I will be voting. It's either Hillary or McCain. I have come to deeply respect an individuals right to vote and to choose whoever they feel is the better candidate. Obama is not that for me. A sad for the Democrats.

[DancesWithPumas]

I don't understand the reason so many of Senator Obama's supporters are campaigning for him on the blogs.
Early on it was clearly stated that he didn't need the votes of several demographics, that he would win without us. So why expend so much time and energy trying to convince us to vote for Senator Obama?

I also noticed that the reproductive rights issue seems to be a common talking point. This surprises me since Senator Obama wasn't very respectful toward women during his primary campaign, and his supporters (mis)characterized women in the most obscene and vile ways. I'm confused as to why, all of a sudden, they seem overly concerned about women and women's rights.

There's also the argument that Senator Obama's positions are almost, or exactly the same of Senator Clinton's positions, and for that reason we should vote for him. I didn't see that as being true then, and I don't see it as true now. I guess it depends on which day, at what time, in which state, and which group Senator Obama is addressing ,as to what his positions are. I see Senator Obama as Senator OMcBush, but give him 15 minutes and he'll be someone else.

All disappointed Obama supporters are more than welcome to join us at our puma pac organization.

[Tutite]

Being from Michigan, I was told my vote didn"t matter to the DNC and Obama. Now they"re complaining because people have left their silly party and are taking their votes elsewhere. Obama doesn"t have the necessary experience, judgment or character to be President. I"m wouldn't vote for him because Hillary tells me I should. I admired Hillary, I have absolutely no admiration for this 58 state believing candidate. I belong to Puma " anyone who wishes to not be intimidated by the DNC, Obama or his supporters and believe in real democracy instead of a shell of party who wishes to pick and choose which states get to have a voice in their election can join us at:
http://blog.pumapac.org/
StarDust (formerly known as Tutite)

[puakev]

Well, here's what Obama said later to reporters on his plane:

Obama spoke to reporters on his campaign plane and gave a definition of a mental health exception that goes like this: "It can be defined by serious, clinical mental health diseases. It is not just a matter of feeling blue." He noted that neither abortion-rights supporters nor the courts have ever interpreted a mental health exception that way.

So Obama does believe that mental illness is an exception to the ban on late-term abortions. He just doesn't believe that "feeling blue" qualifies as a mental illness. Obama is pro-choice, but since he's not 100% in line with your views of abortion, you can't vote for him? Hillary Clinton supports parental notification for minors seeking an abortion (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/nyregion/13hillary.ready.html?pagewanted=2). So if she was the nominee, would that mean that you would not be able to vote for her either?

Just be honest. You don't want to vote for Obama because he beat Hillary Clinton.

[Antifish]

He beat Hillary Clinton? Really? That's not what I witnessed. I saw the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee give him pledged delegates which he did not earn and actually take four from Clinton and also give those to him. I saw Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid strong-arm superdelegates into endorsing Obama even thought the momentum and the will of the people were clearly in Clinton's corner. You can delude yourself and inject koolaid directly into your brain matter, but many of us know that Obama's "selection" by party insiders makes him a completely illegitimate nominee. That's why we exist.
www.blog.pumapac.org

[LeeScho]

Forget late-term abortions; under a John McCain Supreme Court your daughters will not even get a first-term abortion.

There is a distinction between mental distress and mental heath. Obama did not make that distinction in his remarks, but the law does. Mental health issues were and remain a justification for late-term abortions. So your issue against Obama is contrived as merely a reason to not vote for him - which you were not going to do anyway. Only now you have a reason - however false - to tell you friends.

So stay home. Perhaps you will have the time then to visit some of the millions of women who will be forced to stay home as well because they could not abort unwanted pregnancies. So they sacrificed their futures not only to their mistake in birth control, but to the pettiness of you and others like you in allowing the election of a candidate adamantly declaring himself against choice of any kind and in any term of pregnancy.

As for your allusions to other issues where Obama allegedly shows weakness, educate yourself. He has not substantially changed on a single issue from the time he announced his candidacy.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Why does she need to educate herself about whether he has substantially changed on a single issue?
She doesn't like Obama's positions.
It is unsurprising that people are only recently aware of those positions since he only recently became the "presumed" nominee.

[bmora]

This is illogical, nonsensical dribble. If McCain wins, you are guaranteed to lose more reproductive and civil rights. If Obama wins, there is a good chance that you may have some if not all of those rights restored vis-à-vis the Supreme Court. This bodes ill for the sorry, lazy mental state of the American public. If this is not a joke, we are doomed to another 8 years of Bush. The author has all but guaranteed that are our ignorance dooms this country and all that we once stand for. We are all doomed even more so if the author has a shred of higher education. I might as well resign myself and my prospective children to living in a perpetual state of fear, governed by tyrants and profiteers.

[Jax6655]

Obama was endorsed by both Planned Parenthood and NARAL. Why isn't this good enough for you? And why would it be better to abstain and allow the possibility of McCain overturning Roe v. Wade altogether???

Obama didn't say he was against late-term abortions, nor did he say he would eliminate them. He was clarifying the fact that they shouldn't be undertaken without medical/psychological cause. Which is a "duh" statement in my opinion. The sad, very personal reasons for a woman to undergo such a dangerous procedure preclude any whisper of irresponsibility. I do not believe Obama would ever interfere with this very personal decision. Obviously NARAL and PP don't think so either.

I'm so tired of the manufactured excuses not to vote for Obama by self-described Democrats. Are you really one?

We're down to two choices, Barack Obama or John McCain. That's it. These are the choices this time. Pick. One. And. Vote.

BTW: I believe it's one's [mate's] responsibility to "woo." Obama's responsibility is to get elected!

[lpeggy]

Yours is a very sad post. You can stay home if you want to, but I have a 22 year old daughter, and I want her to have the right to choose, and also the right not to be drafted as a result of John McCain's fascination with wars.

It is too important this year for anyone to sit out.

As someone said before, A WOMAN VOTING FOR MCCAIN IS LIKE A CHICKEN VOTING FOR COLONEL SANDERS.

[LeaveArtieAlone]

Joanne

Those issues are important; however, with all due respect, it just seems as if you were looking for a reason not to vote for BO. I say this because whether you do or do not vote, those issues will not magically disappear. Inaction does not an excuse make. Are you going to help organize to try to change FISA and/or late term abortion rights; petitions, community activism, etc¦ ? If just not voting is good enough for you, then do not complain about the candidates or the government! Do something to try and change it! How is not voting helping the situation? If you aren"t willing to fight for your beliefs you have no right bemoaning the results.

In my opinion, McCain is SO wrong there is no getting around his basic anti-women politics. Obama (in your opinion) is just not good enough on these issues. So your solution is to not vote? Doing nothing says only that you are willing to sit on your arse. Get involved! Organize for change on these issues!

Those who want a Democrat in the White House but not actively organizing to get their voices heard on their issues need to realize that with inaction you loose no matter what your cause.

You MUST work hard for what you want, THAT is reality! If you aren"t willing to do this and just sit on your bum and complain...this illogical stance is something I shall never understand!

[Jude2004]

I don't care about the abortion issue. I know I'm supposed to, but I don't. I think both sides are wrong because there is no right when it comes to abortion--just pain. I'm not voting for Obama (or anyone for president) because I need an environmentalist in office and he isn't one. I have a gut feeling that he can't be trusted on any issue I care about. In this case, both candidates are equally horrible to me. But it would have been worse if Hillary had been the nominee. The primary process is screwed up because we never get candidates we can vote *for*--only candidates who are the lesser of two evils. I'm not voting against anyone--I'm just not voting (except in local and state elections where I *do* feel I have a clear choice).

[JohnFromCensornati]

Good god, Jude!
Vote for Nader or the Green Party nominee.
He/she won't be president, but maybe you'll help a third party get going.
They need to get 5%.