Talk Elections

Inspired by: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=130909 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=130909).  Also, if you're a Democrat, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts too...

The two candidates for President are:

Gov. Juan Gomez (D-NM): A self-described "fiscal conservative," Gov. Gomez has balanced each of his 6 budgets in his state while following through on his campaign promise to enact generous income tax cuts (if in the form of larger standard deductions rather than rate cuts).  Gomez has also won the ire of state public employee unions (who openly backed a 2010 primary challenger) through his successful campaign to introduce a school voucher program and expand the number of charter schools, while also requiring that public employees contribute more to their pension funds.  Gomez is also a self-described environmentalist who has introduced solar energy tax credits for individuals and businesses in his well-lit state, and who says he would sign a cap-and-trade bill provided it were balanced by a reduction in individual or corporate taxes.  Both of Gomez's parents were migrant farm workers, and he supports full amnesty for illegal immigrants and having "two equally open borders."  Gov. Gomez is strongly pro-choice (vetoing a parental notification law), believes in gay marriage and marijuana decriminalization, and opposes "three strikes" laws and the death penalty.  Citing the example of his parents, who he says worked assiduously throughout their entire lives, without accepting charity or government welfare, to create a better life for their son, he says he's "not afraid of a little capitalism."  Gomez supports a simplification of the tax code, a reduction in corporate taxes (including an end to the tax on overseas earnings), a Balanced Budget Amendment, and even has entertained the idea for private accounts in social security and means-testing Medicare.  He says he would have signed the health care bill, but vetoed TARP and the stimulus.  Gomez has recently been critical of US foreign policy, saying that "all those billions they're spending in Afghanistan could be a great help here in New Mexico."

Sen. Richard Freeman (D-ME): A self-described "FDR Democrat," Sen. Freeman has been one of congress's strongest advocates of what he considers to be the traditional "New Deal" Democratic consensus.  Having voted against both the Reagan (while he was in the House) and Bush tax cuts, cosponsored a "single-payer" health care law every year he's been in Congress, and long been known as one of its most labor-friendly members (advocating for the repeal of Taft-Hartley, prohibition of state-level "right-to-work" laws, and for "card check"), he believes he is the true representative of the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party."  Striking a populist tone, he has strongly opposed amnesty for illegal immigrants, whom he believes depresses wages for the middle-class and are often hired for union-busting purposes, and is a global warming skeptic who opposes carbon taxes and "all this 'green jobs' hootenanny."  As a "compassionate Democrat," he supports banning partial-birth abortions and instituting a strong parental notification law, while he believes that gay marriage and civil unions are a state matter (he favors civil unions at the state level).  He opposed repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell until the military review was complete, before voting for repeal.  He is vigilant about "any attempt by Republicans and Republican-lites to gut the New Deal and Great Society" and voted against the recent tax cut compromise.  He voted for the health care bill, and the stimulus, but against TARP.  Saying "I believe what every Democratic president believed from Wilson to Johnson - that the US should be a force for good," he has been hawkish on foreign policy, voting for the Gulf War, both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and the surges in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

At first glance I was about to check Gomez, but after thinking about it some more I would, barely, go with Freeman if forced to make such a choice.

Honestly I don't like either too much. I think Gomez is far too much of a libertarian, and not so much a New Democrat. Freeman is too much of a statist for me, but I would probably select him due to his views on abortion (when there's a tossup I often vote on that issue).

I might go Freeman in this case, but I would be strongly repulsed  by his economic views.

Neither is pro-life therefore I'd oppose both and advocate for a pro-life Democrat.

A gun is being held to your head; you must choose one of these two options.

I hate those scenarios...

Alas, I'm not a Republican, but assuming I was, Gomez appeals to me, especially with his little Green streak regarding solar energy and his social policies,

Gomez, maybewe don't agree on everything, but its more than Freeman(for bvious reasons).

Since that's obviously the most important issue in the history of mankind!

...Wait...

Not a republican, but I must say it would be a pretty difficult choice for me. Both individuals have interesting views as well as pretty repulsive other views. My choice would probably depends on which issues are the most debated at the time. I'd probably go with Freeman eventually, because economic and fiscal issues are more important nowadays.

There's always a suicide, my friend :)

I'd probably end with Freeman due to economic issues, although Gomez seems closer when it comes to foreign policy.

This.