There’s a lot at stake in this election. The two candidates represent very different worldviews that will have a lot of consequences for the way our country is run. In terms of economics it’s really about a candidate’s stance on business. Romney firmly stands in the camp of pro-corporation, and then we have a candidate who firmly stands behind workers, and that’s Obama.
This election is really important in terms of women. Obama is about supporting women’s health care and women’s health issues. He has firmly put birth control as a part of women’s health care, and that’s extremely important. That’s where we should be at right now. Part of what I showed on my record [the Corin Tucker Band’s Kill My Blues] is a little bit of frustration that our country is still struggling with that issue. Having it be a lot to ask that birth control is covered by an insurance policy — that’s unacceptable. And Obama is firmly behind having real covered healthcare for women that includes reproductive health care and provides for sexuality as a normal and healthy part of a woman’s life. That stance is clearly where our country needs to go and clearly what needs to be provided for all women no matter what economic strata they’re in. Planned Parenthood is the organization that provides a lot of different services to lower-income clients and it’s crucial that we keep its funding alive. That’s something that Romney is very obviously not supportive of. Voters really need to think about what kind of consequences [not funding Planned Parenthood] could have for their lifetime and their children’s lives.
Another thing that’s really important in this election is to think of where people stand in terms of tolerance. Obama has clearly come out in support of gay rights and gay marriage. He’s been super clear on what his administration stands for. It was frustrating for people when he was just skirting around the issue in the last election. It’s great that he came out in full support of equality this time around.
The one other thing to mention is immigration. This law that’s been passed in Arizona, where they can demand people’s papers, is really unacceptable to be happening in America right now. It seems very un-American to me that we should pull people over and ask for their papers. How could racial profiling not happen under those circumstances? I can see the Obama administration moving in the right direction with the legislation they just passed where young people can get visas to work here. There’s a lot of work to be done to have a better immigration policy that works for everyone, but it’s clear that Obama is going to be more supportive of people gaining a real path to citizenship here, and allowing people a path to working rights and to becoming contributing members of our society. Immigration is a huge issue for our country to sort out. One of many. But Obama is doing it.
As told to David Marchese
