Pro-Obama or Anti-Romney?

I had been waiting for a week to get my dishwasher fixed, and believe me I was most excited to find the repairman at the door this afternoon, but did not know that I was in for a political "treat". As I talked with him about the summertime, and the fact that you have to force children out of the house nowadays, unlike when I or him were little and were out by 9:00 A.M and not back home until dinner was on the table our conversation took a turn to politics. I asked if he was Democrat or Republican, and his answer was delightful. He said, "While I do not mind Obama I cannot say I am pro-Obama, but I am definitely a Democrat, and very much anti-Romney." The comment seemed to make perfect sense to me, a lesser of two evils scenario I guess. He then went on to point out that he felt like Romney had ostracized women and "every minority possible". So, I began to think.... What else does a president need to know? The answer came to me through an article by The Houston Chronicle. Amy Tiebel wrote, "Romney Angers Palestinians with Pro-Israel Comment". In Romney's latest political campaign trip to Israel he made comments that have started quite a stir. He states, "You notice a stark difference in economic vitality...And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things." These statements left Palestinian leaders outraged. The Palestinian Labor Minister felt that Romney's statements were a clear sign of "a true racist spirit". As I continued to look for more evidence on Romney's "racist spirit" I came across yet another article in The Washington Post . In the article written by Phillip Rucker and Joel Greenberg, "Romney faces Palestinian criticism for Jerusalem remarks as he heads to Poland" they really highlighted Romney's lack of cultural intelligence. He stated that he had pondered the Israeli's obvious advantage over surrounding countries, but how can he ponder such things and not know the true facts. Saeb Erekat, a top aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said in an interview, “All I can say is that this man needs a lot of education. He doesn’t know the region, he doesn’t know Israelis, he doesn’t know Palestinians, and to talk about the Palestinians as an inferior culture is really a racist statement.” I cannot speak for everyone in this nation of ours, but I know that I want a strong, honest, compassionate, and knowledgeable leader. From what I have seen so far Romney just is not that. Actually, according to Newsweek's Michael Tomasky, "He’s kind of lame, and he’s really ... annoying. He keeps saying these ... things, these incredibly off-key things. Then he apologizes immediately—with all the sincerity of a hostage. Or maybe he doesn’t: sometimes he whines about the subsequent attacks on him. But the one thing he never does? Man up, double down, take his lumps.” In an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll released last week, 45 percent of respondents said President Obama would make the better commander in chief, while 35 percent said Romney would. Forty-eight percent said Obama was “knowledgeable and experienced enough to handle the presidency,” while 32 percent said that phrase better described Romney. The race is just beginning and over the next couple of months we all need to decide what we want in a President before we hit the voting polls. Don't ask yourself, "Am I Republican or Democrat?" Instead ask, "Who better represents America as a whole, and am I willing to overlook party stigmas?" I came to the conclusion that President's should not only be educated on world news, but on the values and culture in our surrounding countries. Our President should be a clear reflection of the multi-cultural and diverse country the United States is. While we need someone who is strong and willing to stand for our values, we also need someone willing to educate themselves on other cultures and countries as well. Afterall, he is our "spokesperson".