(First diary – please be kind)
There’s been a lot of talk about the undecided, "white," "middle ("working) class," "registered" Democrat voter. My sister happens to be one of them, and I decided to interview her. The following are her responses, along with my thoughts and conclusions. The responses to my questions follow the order in which she stated them, to the greatest degree possible. I have used her exact words as often as possible. I didn’t try to influence her one way or the other. I hope you find it interesting and are not offended by the contents.
(More below the fold)
Background
My sister is a registered Democrat who lives in the Bronx. She has never voted Republican. She is "definitely voting, "and will be voting Democrat in all other races.
My sister’s family income is under $50,000. She has worked mainly as a housewife.She came to the U.S. when she was 13, when my mother married an American.
My sister married when she was 18 and immediately started having children. She is now 61 years old and is still married to the same man. She has 3 sons and 3 grandchildren. Her husband is a very conservative Italian immigrant, who presently works as a barber. He, her children and their wives are all Republican or lean Republican. My sister and I have no other siblings. Our mother and I are liberal democrats. My sister’s friends are a mix of republicans and democrats.
Information Sources
She reads the New York Daily News and the New York Post every day. She watches TV news broadcasts on local stations. Press coverage fair? Yes.
My sister didn’t watch the Democratic convention. She saw part of the Republican convention and was irritated by all of the emphasis placed on McCain’s military service. She also saw the last debate. She saw the last debate. (She thinks Obama won. Why? "He told us a lot about what he is going to do. He wants to help with health insurance wants to take money from rich people. He wants to cut taxes for people who make less than $200,000.")
McCain
She "can’t stand" McCain. She doesn’t like anything about him. Why not? He physically looks like a robot, is too rich, isn’t going to think about poor people and he left his wife for another woman (and her money). Plus she thinks he talks too much about both his military service and being a prisoner of war, because she doesn’t think such experiences are qualifications for being President. McCain’s health and age are significant factors for her, particularly in view of his pick of Palin, who she believes is "OK... but a little strange" But, if Palin were to become President, "we would be in trouble."
My sister said that had McCain picked Clinton, my sister probably would have voted for McCain. She was very definite about this. She prefers McCain on military and security issues, but she also believes that McCain will continue Bush’s policies.
Obama
She is leaning toward Obama. She likes him. She believes he is more honest and has more integrity than McCain. She prefers Obama on the economy and likes that he will cut taxes on people making under $200,000 per year.
She doesn’t like that Obama is black, because she believes he’ll be "more for black people than ‘us." (She also noted that she "can’t stand" either Jessie Jackson, or Al Sharpton.) She doesn’t care that Obama is half-white. Does she care that he’s black? Yes. Why? She believes he "will care more for black people, who will then take over." If he was exactly the same person only white, she would definitely be voting for him. And all the talk about not being able to find Obama’s birth certificate bothers her− about which I properly reassured her, which she was relieved to hear.
She thinks Obama is going to win.
The V.P.s
She doesn’t like Joe Biden. Biden gives her a "funny impression." It bothers her that she hasn’t heard too much about Biden and that "he’s never with Obama," and because, Biden should be with him but "he’s never around." She worries because she believes Obama is going to be assassinated if he becomes president, and she doesn’t like Biden.
As I stated above, she thinks Palin is a little strange and it would not be good if she became President. However, she likes that Palin is a wife and a mother, and that she has a career.
The Wives
She likes Michele Obama. She can’t stand Cindy McCain. She thinks Cindy McCain is "too much of a show-off."
Issues
She told me that she’s not worried about her family’s financial future. The most important issues for my sister are healthcare and national security. She pays $350 per month for healthcare, for herself. Her husband is covered by Medicare. He can’t retire because of healthcare costs. She also believes that too many people don’t have healthcare.
She believes we should drill so we’re no longer dependant on oil from South America and the Middle East. She believes the U.S. should invest heavily in solar and other alternative energy sources. She believes the government should provide subsidies, so equipment will be less expensive, allowing more of those who use the equipment to also own it. She doesn’t know if either McCain or Obama are stronger on this issue.
She doesn’t like his talking about taking the soldiers out of Iraq because, "we’ll be attacked here if the soldiers aren’t there." She believes that if the soldiers are "there," other countries in the Middle East will be afraid to attack us "here." She doesn’t want her children to fight in the war.
She hates the bailout. She believes we should buy all of the troubled mortgages and renegotiate the terms with individual homeowners, instead.
She believes that all illegal immigrants should be "sent back to where they came from because they’re taking jobs away from Americans."
My Conclusions
My sister is going hold her nose and vote for Obama. Which I believe means that a lot of those undecided voters (that we have been so worried about) are also going to vote for Obama? This, if true, means Obama is going to win.