Although the home building industry tends to be somewhat fiscally conservative -- especially in the executive ranks -- this year it's become much more complex, with some builders actually admitting to voting for -- drum roll, please -- a Democrat (The Housing Chronicles Blog is remaining apolitical in this particular race.) From a BuilderOnline story:
Builders tend to be a fairly reliably Republican crowd, but the factors influencing the 2008 election seem to have pushed them into new political territory, based on interviews BUILDER did this week with a dozen builders around the country...
Not surprisingly, builders cited the state of the housing market and global economy as a significant factor in their voting plans for president. But many also expressed frustration at the lack of real solutions to the housing crisis being offered by either Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama...
Several builders said that extremism was not what they wanted in their next president. "I will support whichever candidate is less likely to be swayed by the extreme factions in their party. I'm equally leery of ultra-left Democrats and ultra-right Republicans, and I don't want anyone in the White House who will put social issues ahead of stewardship of the economy," said McGuiness, who said he plans to vote for Obama. "McCain seems to be courting the extreme elements in his own party more so than Obama is in his; McCain, once in, may very well return to being as independent-minded as he once was, but we have to accept the possibility of [Sarah] Palin ending up president, and I think she is part of the extreme element I don't want in charge."
The pick of Palin as vice president also dismayed John Gavenas. An independent voter, he serves as vice president of land planning and development at Avatar Properties in Florida, and like the other builders interviewed for this story, stresses that his political opinions are his own and do not reflect the views of his company or colleagues. "The possibility of Palin leading this country is an unthinkable option, and McCain's choice of her as his vice president seriously undermines his credibility. Less than two years' experience as governor of the least populous state in the union; 700,000 people; and zero foreign policy experience (got her passport last year?); not to mention a lackluster education and a far-right religious agenda," Gavenas told BUILDER via e-mail. "How could this be a serious choice for any other than the rock-bottom base of the Republican Party?"
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