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American Election '08 - Some observations and questions
Anyone who follows American politics knows that this is a landmark election coming up in November. Besides the fact that for the first time, a black candidate may be elected, there is also the question of the American economic crisis (which will be felt by the whole world due to America's world standing), tensions in the Middle East, and America's position in the world as a whole.
But what I find strange is that, considering most voting Americans recognize the significance of this election, many people aren't conducting adequate research (in my opinion). They're voting on a whim or for only one thing, when one would think this would be more important to them than that. Take for example my mother. She's a pretty strong Republican (for reference, I'm left-leaning, about 65/35 Dem/Rep split). She says she's going to vote for John McCain, which is expected since she is a Republican, but the reasoning she gives...I don't quite understand it. She claims that she cannot vote for Barack Obama because of his associates, namely his wife and pastor. According to her, Rev. Wright said that all white people are members of the KKK (which may or may not be true, I'm not sure), and that because Obama associated with him for so many years, he must share Wright's views. As for Obama's wife, my mother keeps harping on her comment, "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud to be an American." She claims that this shows a severe lack of patriotism on the part of Michelle Obama, and that because Barack married her, he must share the same opinion. But that isn't the worst part. I can understand her opinions assuming what she said is true, but she isn't even considering that her sources (or her interpretation of them) might have been incorrect. Considering her sources are Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and CNN, I'm worried. She isn't going out to do research on her own, she isn't trying to find all sides of an argument, she hasn't visited either candidate's website to read their opinions. The reason I don't like her sources isn't because they're Republican; it's that they're part of the popular media. Their purpose is ratings. I don't care whether you're Democrat, Republican, hell even if you're a Green, if you're being put on the radio, it's because the radio company thinks that your views are radical or controversial enough to bring in ratings. CNN is definitely more trustworthy, but still nowhere near the level of going out and doing research from both candidate's websites and a variety of sources. Anyway, enough about that. Another observation I've noted is the fact that a lot of people I've spoken to seem to be voting with only one issue in mind. One of my school teachers says that he has to vote for John McCain, because Barack Obama is for abortion. That's the only thing he's voting for--abortion. He's completely ignoring the war in Iraq, rising tensions elsewhere in the Middle East (especially Iran and Israel, considering Iran's statement today that they will continue their nuclear program because they do not fear an attack from either Israel or the US), and the American economy in favor of ensuring that all conceived babies are born. As I mentioned above, my mother is the same way. Completely ignoring Obama's stance on the issues of the election, she cannot vote for him because of his associates. Next, I noticed something that's actually pretty understandable. My mother's interpretation of things is very very different from my own. For instance, there was an event in Delaware pertaining to Joe Biden (being from Delaware, we naturally have a heightened interest in this). He spoke to a crowd, and said the following (paraphrased): "I never wanted the VP job. But when Barack asked me to take it, I felt obligated to do so, for America." My mother interpreted this to mean that Biden would be resigning the VP post because he didn't want it. I interpreted it to mean that although Biden never aspired to it, he felt it was his duty when he was asked. Obviously, people are going to interpret things in a way that is favorable to them. However, I like to think I'm better than most people at finding other interpretations that may not support my own ideas, and seeing if they are valid or not. I think many people don't realize what other interpretations of what a candidate says may exist, and so call others "liars" when they use a certain speech a certain way. Finally, and this is purely anecdotal, but it seems to me that in general, those who are more well-researched on the election, the candidate's positions, and the state of America tend to be voting for Barack Obama than for John McCain. I can't say whether or not this is an actual trend, or if it's just because of the people I tend to associate with, but it's just something I've noticed. Those who actually know what's going on in the world and have an idea about the troubles here tend to be Obama supporters, whereas the McCain supporters I've seen are typically supporting him for the "patriot" image of a shining America that can't back down from an enemy. It's sad, because McCain definitely has good points and arguments, and yet the McCain supporters I've seen aren't doing him justice. I love to see good, well-thought-out debate, but I'm just not seeing it here. If anyone can direct me to a good, civil debate between Obama and McCain supporters, I'd love to see it (and before someone says it, I'm not talking about the VP debate). So, any thoughts on my observations? Criticism is welcome, of course. |
Re: American Election '08 - Some observations and questions
You can't dig too deep into the mainstream candidates. That's why people don't do it. You try it and all you're going to find is that BOTH candidates would be ****ty presidents. But at the same, you've got to realize that your vote is worthless if you don't put it on someone who might have a chance at winning the election, and the Democrat and the Republican are the only ones who do. So basically, you've got to pick the lesser of two evils or you're not going to have any effect at all. It's because of the way the electoral college works more than anything else.
And as far as people choosing based on one issue: that's what's called a deal breaker. Obama's policies aren't too bad, but his stance on taxes and spending are a major issue for me (that is, he's "lowering" taxes, but in reality he's increasing taxes and shifting the burden to the rich). Not to say that I'm all that fond of McCain's stance either (namely: EVERYONE should get tax cuts, but at least his stance on spending is better than Obama's), but it is preferable, and if I were forced to pick one of the two, it'd be for that. The only other qualm I've got on Obama is his claim that he'll do a full withdrawal from Iraq, but I'm not concerned about that, because I know he can't do it. He's just saying that to get votes; he can't exactly be up there saying "Iraq war is a failure and that's Bush's fault blah blah MORE OF THE SAME" then immediately turn around and admit that it would be a terrible idea to just pull out without cleaning up the mess we'd made. Quote:
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Re: American Election '08 - Some observations and questions
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=vhylAHjqop8
The video title is stupid. The content is interesting to hear, especially because I feel the same way as this guy. As for the financial crisis, Obama's middle class proposal appeals to me a lot. But then again, I'm a Canadian. =/ |
Re: American Election '08 - Some observations and questions
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Here's a little political science for you... those one-issue people... yes they're pretty silly, but the main reason is not because there are other issues per se but because the president barely has any control over anything except foreign policy, foreign relations, and looking good for the public.* That's probably about 4/5s of being President. Most other issues that can be dealt with are left to the states. Associates... well I don't have anything really to say about that. Perhaps a polemic could try to come up with a good reason for abstaining a vote because of that, but I doubt it. That's as far as I can tell, obviously silly. *which is one thing that bugged me about your reasons why this election is important... the economy really has nothing to do with the president, and the president can't and probably won't do much. Or, at least they won't do much different-- they'll be pressured too much by macroeconomic advisers who know far far far more than the candidates themselves. |
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Re: American Election '08 - Some observations and questions
I've been keeping a pretty good eye on the election and I watch the debates as wel.. I'm a libertarian, and I have to say that I'm not really excited about either candidate. They have many similarities and shared viewpoints. As much as I like hearing Obama talk, I feel like his phrase "change" has very little meaning. I don't think his stance on the economic crisis is good, just like McCain's. Both of them voted in favor of the new bailout bill which was passed yesterday in the house of representatives, so again, I feel like they are both just the same kind of candidates that we, the Americans, are always presented with. And yeah, I left out the VPs and stuff, since that's another whole topic right there :/
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