Saturday, September 27, 2008

The First 2008 Presidential Debate

Hello all, glad you chose to read what I have to say.
I think that this was a good debate, though I was rather disappointed on both sides to hear much of the same slogans stories and slander that we have been hearing for 9 months. Unfortunately for those of you who know my political bias, this might come off as aggressive, but really the one of those stories that stuck out like a sore thumb as a repeat was McCain's story about Eisenhower and the Normandy invasion. I seem to have heard this one before, could it have been at the RNC?
I did think that McCain seemed a bit tense, perhaps he was nervous. He seemed rather rigid to me.
I also did notice that Obama seemed to stutter a bit on some of his answers.
I was disappointed with both candidates on their answer to the question about what they would cut to provide for this Bail Out. I thought that the second time around, Obama did seem to revise his answer a bit, he mentioned that he would have to cut some aspects of his alternative energy projects, though he did neglect to mention which ones.
McCain seemed to stick to this "I've got a pen, and I'm going to veto every single spending bill that comes across my desk. I will make them famous. You will know their names." popular phrase. That, personally, scares me. I think that if what he means is that he will veto excessive or unreasonable spending bills, great, but he should be more clear on that because quite frankly, we do need to spend some money. If we aren't going to spend any of it, why are we giving it to the government in the first place, and what are we not getting in return?
As a side note, I could only find one source that clearly sorted McCains suggested Citizens Against Government Waste website, as the site itself is rather confusing. This Blogger took it upon (his/her)self to summarize the earmarks supposedly requested by Senator Obama. Various other websites have suggested that McCain is fudging numbers, including the $100Million he could supposedly save us "tomorrow."
But enough of that. Both of the candidates concern me with their energy plans.
I think that Obama wants to spread himself too thin, sending money to various different projects, which in a healthy economy, would be a great idea. I think that with the way things are right now, we should really be focusing on one or two very promising technologies, and we should be working on those areas where the greatest environmental impact could be affected to the greatest degree. Namely, vehicular and electric power alternatives. The technology exists to have electric cars, and quite frankly, I think they would be safer. Bio-diesel seems to be driving up the price of food, and I don't really know that it is all that sustainable, renewable though it is.
McCain also worries me, because I would not be surprised to see oil supplies dwindle if not end in my lifetime, and I do think that we should focus more on alternative energy and getting ourselves off of our oil dependency altogether. Neither candidate really gave me confidence that they have what it takes to accomplish that, but Obama seems a bit more in touch with alternative energy projects and their necessity.
On foreign policy, I am not really all that confident in either candidate. I think that they are both passive-aggressive. However, I have a bit more confidence in Biden in this area than in Palin, so, there it is.
I did think it was a healthy debate, I thought that both candidates made some great points, and I have especially enjoyed reading the banter online critiquing that debate, which is what has led me to this.
Here is one to ponder, and this will be my final statement.
On several occasions, Obama began sentences with, "When I am President..."
In similar situations, McCain chose less difinitive wording.
I don't have time to run through the transcripts right now to pull out the quotes, but I hope to find time after I finish my homework, and I will then update this blog.
Thank you for taking time to read my drivel, and I look forward to your comments.
Your compatriot,
Katie May

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree that McCain seemed stiff. I think that over all, Obama won this debate. Not necessarily for his views, but definately for his demeanor and projection. He seemed confident, poised and decisive. If only I could believe him....
I don't think the bailout question was fair to either candidate. First of all, they haven't seen a proposal, so how can they form an opinion of it and second, asking them what they would cut is simply ridiculous. You are asking them to make hypothetical cuts to hypothetical budgets. Let's hear what their beliefs are about the economy, foreign policy and the domestic infrastructure. Let's hear ideas about HOW we can put this country back to work. Unemployment is on the rise all over. In Vermont, almost 5%, in Rhode Island 8%. And let's talk about our military. I think Obama was right on with his comment that you have to use your military WISELY. We have to think about ALL of the ramifications of policy before we send in our soldiers. We have to get out of Iraq, there is no question about that. While I understand McCain's frustration with seeming like losers, we cannot "win" in the traditional sense. We need to find the political solution that allows us to utilize our military more efficiently, elsewhere. I'll be interested in watching the vice presidential debates next week.