Obamanomics

An undecided friend sent me an email with this NY Times article detailing Obama's economic policies. As someone who knows nothing beyond minor basics when it comes to the economy and economic policy I found it really interesting and informative.  It also shed light, for me, on why I feel the presidential decision is so black and white and why I have trouble wrapping my head around those who say they are undecided. After reading his email and the ensuing eight page article it really hit me: I am the equivalent of an economic dummy and by default social issue has always taken precedence over economic policy when it comes to choosing party lines. I vote with my heart first... although that doesn't mean my mind disagrees.

In my friend's email he writes: "I'm a die-hard fiscal conservative who is also socially liberal. For me, this makes elections a bit like choosing a punch in the gut or a slap in the face..." 

This is a statement that I could never make simply because social policy will always outweigh economics in my mind, that's just how I think. Don't get me wrong of course I understand that the two are not separate of one another, both policies come hand in hand, but for me the choice will always be based on one hand more than other. Maybe that's a simple, naive way of looking at the world, I don't know. What I do know is, in this instance, regardless of the basis, the choice is clear to me.