2012 US General Election Discussions: Start to Finish

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Originally Posted by PumaJ

I voted for Clinton twice for Pres., though he wasn't my favorite candidate in the Dem primaries. Clinton signed some things into law that I think have resulted in negative effects on our economy. One example was the signing of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act which served to repeal parts of the Glass–Steagall Act. This allowed the consolidation of commercial banks, investment banks, securities firms, and insurance companies. However, the investment banks, securities firms, and insurance companies (the financial industry) did not operate under the same regulations as the banking industry. big problem there. BTW, the Right had been trying to get the GSA repealed pretty much since it was passed in 1933.

Obama is in favor of regulatory reform & on July 21, 2010, he signed into law the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This is also covered on this page, Wall Street Reform. Whether or not this legislation has been or can be as much as we need, I can't say for sure. What I'm most disappointed about is the paltry "health care" reform. For the past 20+ yrs. I've held nursing positions that have put me in the position to work with kids & families who are grossly underserved in the matter of healthcare due to the lack of insurance. I can't describe what effect that has on me, but what I can say is that I & most of the other nurses, NPs & MDs that I know were & are in favor of universal health coverage. We are not very happy with the reform that has happened & believe that Obama did a major cave-in on the issue. However, the small changes that will happen are better than none. So much more is needed.

Overall, I firmly believe that as a nation we will be in even deeper shit if any of the Repub candidates were elected to the Presidency. Obama for all of his warts is so much better. Just my opinion & sorry I've gone on a bit of a rant.

I think it all went to shit during the Reagan years and kept on with a downward spiral for us and a constant climbing for the wealthy, now the country is a barely recognizable shadow of its former self. No jobs, nothing made here, no infrastructure, encouragement and incentives galore for corporations to offshore where its easier to pollute with impunity, the resources are cheap, and the workers cheaper. Not to mention no import taxes. I am sure politicians have things they would like to accomplish during their terms however, the financial elite have such a hold that it is impossible to expect that candidates in national elections will be able to stay viable without Wall Street money. And you can’t expect the financial sector to just give money for nothing. We can all connect the dots from there.

That said, I agree not all candidates are created exactly equal in ALL issues. I think there are issues outside of economic ones where we can find wiggle room. Unfortunately right now economics is killing us.