What we have this election, as with most years, are two good men that have paid their dues and worked extremely hard to get where they are today. Both are commendable, neither would have won their party’s nomination had they not been. To think otherwise is an enormous misjudgment. Of course who is better suited for the job is a matter of one’s opinion. Opinions are relative and therefore, cannot be disproved. If, in my lifetime, I achieve half of what they’ve already achieved, I’d die an extremely happy woman. It takes tremendous dedication to do what these people do daily.
Anything that is constantly talked about for months is irritating, to say the least. People who love politics are often fed up with the attacks by the first Tuesday in November. It’s easy to forget how frustrating the constant back and forth can be. However, it’s part of American politics and always has been. I love having the right to express freely what we choose without worrying about the repercussions. We watch debates to try and pull from them an idea about where candidates stand and how truthful they’re being. Without debating, we’d have television ads dictating who the next president would be. Debates, mundane or not, are vital, never pointless. Elections aren’t about one person’s beliefs; they’re about America’s beliefs as a whole. If a debate can make one citizen more comfortable casting a vote, it has served its purpose. To think otherwise is completely selfish.
The trial for my Uncle Billy’s murderer was in October of 2004. It was the first year I could legally vote. I remember talking to my dad during recess; he was trying to sway me towards G.W. Bush. I decided that moment that I needed to do the research and figure out which candidate would most benefit the nation not just my personal needs. After looking into it I decided that G.W. Bush was not my candidate. The next time my dad brought it up, I told him I respected his opinion but did not agree with him. I needed to form an opinion of my own. This year, I think this country needs a more modern approach to issues. Times are changing and have been for some time. This president will have soldier’s lives in their hands, if that’s not considered important, I’m not sure what can be. These are Americans, human beings, laying it all on the line for what America believes is right. It is important that our withdrawal begins and that is something Obama supports.
The economy is obviously not working well under the current administration. People are worried and it seems unfair to those looking to retire. Just because I’m young, doesn’t mean this won’t affect those I love. It’s simple to look to oil as the only means to end this crisis. Unfortunately, drilling in America will not keep us from depending on other nations; Alaska only has enough oil to sustain 10% of our needs for 30 years. That of course is best case scenario. There is oil in other U.S. regions but once all of that is gone, we have nothing to fall back on when in need. It is the American way to care about our fellow citizens. There is no reason a single mom making 25,000.00 a year working a full time job should be taxed the same as someone making millions. If I had that much money I’d be grateful and would have no problem helping those who are less fortunate. They certainly don’t deserve the breaks they’re getting. The republican philosophy seems to be if we give breaks to big business, they’ll hire more workers and create jobs. Unfortunately, as with AIG, portions of the money given are used for worthless spending, not helping the common man.
I think this debate was decent, the format was not perfect but it is what it is. I think the two held their own for the most part. McCain did throw the first punch which was expected considering he's down in the polls. I feel Obama was much easier to relate to, he was able to connect a bit better and seemed less nervous.
As I was watching McCain's response to the question about Russia, I really liked his answer. To my surprise, Obama then agreed for the most part as well. I think it's fair to say that fixing social security isn't as easy as McCain stated it was, if it were it would already be done. I would love to give an example of something I didn't agree with Obama on but for the most part, I truly agreed with him. Of course off-shore drilling would relieve our demand for foreign oil. Honestly though, I'd like to keep the small amount of this natural resource in the ground in case we ever really need it. I can deal with gas prices, what I couldn't deal with is if suddenly the U.S. needed oil and for whatever reason we were unable to get it. If that scenario arises, I want to have some left in our country. They say the oil in Alaska could only sustain at best 5-10% of amercans for 30 years. I do think we should start preparing to drill in case we ever need it in a hurry. That would create a bunch of jobs for those building the oil rigs. I believe if Osama Bin Laden is in our cross hairs, we should fire at will.
McCain's campaign laid into Obama for calling him John in the first debate, it's probably not the brightest idea to refer to Obama as "that one" after making such a stink about it. However, I personally don't think McCain intended to do any harm, he was just trying poorly to deliver a blow. I also think someone needs to tell him that the jokes that work with all republicans while you're campaigning do not work when you're debating. The idea is to win over those who aren't already supporting you. So enough with with the Mavericks (which wasn't said once last night), enough with no on-the-job training when your running mate would certainly require some, and certainly enough with Obama as an extremist. A bit of respect is desperately needed because though Obama often criticizes McCain's choices, he never questions his intentions.
