I won't be sad if he wins. I noticed 4 years ago that we were ending 8 years of the worst president in history who happened to be a white republican and that a black democrat who's slogan was change you can believe in was probably the most popular president in several decades. I also notice how biased most of his opposition is. There are two key things to look at IMO. 1) Beware the sound of one hand clapping, if there is no voice of dissent, you are being slapped. 2) Don't expect too much, it is just asking for disappointment. You have to grade them with a curve and put them in order from best to worst.
You are saying because they are all awful, Obama is slightly less awful and therefore he's good.
Obama has attacked civil liberties far more vigorously than Bush did. He's made ridiculous claims of authority that should scare the shit out of every reasonable person who knows about them (hence you're either ignorant, stupid or an authoritarian).
He's also initiated actions in other countries and kept US troops plenty busy, despite the slow draw down in Iraq. He's got his sights set on bigger things (Iran). You're still in Afghanistan protecting and growing poppies for import into the United States too. Right on!
Should we mention how he's quite significantly increased enforcement efforts against drug users, in particular marijuana users, over Bush as well?
You claim he did well economically. I assure you, you have no basis for this claim at all. I have managed to nearly get a degree in the subject. He has drastically increased debt levels for minimal to no gain, production jobs are not exactly a booming part of the economy (despite how vital they are), real inflation is extremely high and wages are very stagnant and the unemployment numbers utterly and totally absurdly out of wack and wrong.
Economically things are complete shit and Europe is on the verge of collapse. So what's happened? The Federal Reserve offered US dollars in exchange for Euros (the failing collapsing thing) to prop them up artificially while also expanding taxpayer debt significantly on the VERY GIGANTIC risk that the Eurozone will come out on top.
Where was Obama when they started doing that? Of course he can't really control what they do, because they dictate to the President more than the other way around. Which is exactly why any candidate not talking about the Reserve, drug war (which is used for so many abuses on so many levels, bribery, slave labour etc) and massive erosion of civil liberties is a truly awful one unworthy of support. Meanwhile all this happens, and we're fighting about how stupid conservatives that come from some less wealthy areas (not just because they're conservative or stupid either, unless you want to go down the black people are stupid road) where it is well known and understood that wealth translates quite directly to levels of education (children don't have to help in the fields etc.).
