While you may have noticed that I have been starting to focus on the state of Ohio more and more in posts recently (seeing as I live here, I know far more about it and will be moving onto it as the majority of my topics soon), I am going to be hitting the national news again briefly. Today, Obama and McCain had dueling speeches about Obama's position on Iraq and McCain's ability to reason militarily. One might notice that Obama made the mistake of saying that the surge will not work (it did) and that in 2004 he had the same position as Bush on the war. McCain made the mistake of even voting to invade Iraq in the first place. Neither of them win on Iraq in my mind; McCain went in, Obama wants out.
Obama has been trying to keep the race about change and Iraq (leaving) and the economy. McCain has been trying to keep it about experience and Iraq (staying/surge) and the environment. Both have been flirting with race but pretending not to. Basically, both were playing their strong points. However, in todays speech McCain decided to change the focus of the election. McCain decided that it was high time to evoke President Kennedy's famous lines: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. McCain has changed this race into being not experience vs change, not Iraq vs Iraq, but on who has the best service record. He obviously thinks that he can win in this issue, and he also thinks that Americans seem to care.
Am I the only one who sees a very large problem with this idea? Lets not pick the person who is best for the job, no, lets pick the better volunteer. So, any formal Boy Scout is a great president. Hell, I have been volunteering sense 8 (more than half my life), would I be a great president. McCain has fallen into the same trap that Kennedy hit; that is, he is assuming that all service is good service. My work at the library is good, my work for the court (ordered) is not. Yet, according to McCain, it is the same. This is a very dangerous precedent that McCain is setting here, we should find those who are good at volunteering, not those who are good leaders. Next cycle CNN will read: Hot Issues of 2012 Election: Clinton was never an Eagle Scout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Robert M. Barga,
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barga.24@osu.edu
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11 comments:
I think McCain is slowly trying to turn the focus to Obama himself. State polls tend to lag behind national polls, so we will see in the next wave of state polls if Obama has cut into it all.
I mean if McCain has cut into the state leads.
I think that McCain is catching up wasily in national polls but not in EC polls. The problem is, he is gaining votes in strong dem. areas but not gaining many in places like Ohio and VA. We can see what happens when the newest ohio come out
I think they will show better results for him.
the sister thing is just way too much of a coincidence in name and everything... but, alas
I hope he does a better showing, but I can not see him doing much better in Ohio yet. Remember, kerry was winning in ohio by 3points the day before the election
Notice the newest poll (nationally) out has a tie, again
When a generic republican loses by 15 points, how can Obama be barely squaking by?
Dude, appreciate the post, but think you've got to watch your own broad brush, with statements like: "Obama has been trying to keep the race about change and Iraq (leaving) and the economy. McCain has been trying to keep it about experience and Iraq (staying/surge) and the environment. Both have been flirting with race but pretending not to." I'd say it's partly true, but partly true is not true--Obama has talked plenty about the environment, so why is he not trying to make it about that? What about nuclear, biological and cyber terrorism? Obama had a big, in-depth panel discussion about that yesterday, and followed it with a TV ad.
And it really comes across as nothing short of naive to hear you say that Obama is "flirting with race"--did you watch his speech on it? That's confronting, not flirting. See this here if you haven't watched the speech (if you have, please kindly tell me what more you'd want from him on race): http://election2008options.blogspot.com/2008/03/value-and-values-of-obama-part-1-racial.html
-------Dude, appreciate the post,-----
Thanks, need i read the rest of your responce??? :)
----- but think you've got to watch your own broad brush, with statements like: "Obama has been trying to keep the race about change and Iraq (leaving) and the economy. McCain has been trying to keep it about experience and Iraq (staying/surge) and the environment. Both have been flirting with race but pretending not to." I'd say it's partly true, but partly true is not true--Obama has talked plenty about the environment, so why is he not trying to make it about that? What about nuclear, biological and cyber terrorism? Obama had a big, in-depth panel discussion about that yesterday, and followed it with a TV ad. --------------
I am not saying they are not talking about other points, i am saying that the main arguments of both right now are on those issues, not on other areas. It is simply their current setup, and Obama may be trying to change that (or undermine the setup McCain is creating)
------And it really comes across as nothing short of naive to hear you say that Obama is "flirting with race"--did you watch his speech on it? That's confronting, not flirting. See this here if you haven't watched the speech (if you have, please kindly tell me what more you'd want from him on race): http://election2008options.blogspot.com/2008/03/value-and-values-of-obama-part-1-racial.html------
He keeps saying that his race should not matter and then talks about his race. That is my problem, they both keep saying race is nothing in this race (pun unavoidable) and yet keep bringing it up. Either make it front and center or STFU about it already
Okay, fair enough on the idea that those areas you listed are some of the most prominent, but i just think the way the media reports the candidates' "focuses" really can cheapen dialogue by oversimplifying it
With race, i still disagree. I'm not sure where McCain falls with it, but i think this needs a more nuanced look then you're giving it here too--you set it up as an either/or proposition: either he says it's not important and doesn't talk about it, or he doesn't say anything about it. Obama is saying he should not be voted in or out based on race, that does not mean he cannot talk about the larger problems related to race--have you listened to his speech? I really do not think it's fair to 1) say that he's talkign about it in unncessary ways without first listening to it; or 2) to say, in essence, that he's saying things about race that don't need saying without dealing with the specifics of what he's said.
Obama has a speech where he says race is a problem in this country but that he shouldnt be affected by it. He then throws his grandmother under the bus instead of his preacher
WHO, he contradicts himself and throws him later
Ah, disagree. He said in his speech that both struggled with racial issues, but that he couldn't disown either for those struggles. He then disowned or distanced himself or whatever it was called after the pastor did something else (publically trying to boost his own image, belittling Obama, etc.). I wrote about the issue of distancing himself from his pastor back when it happened and tried to give some weight to the very real complexities of it: http://election2008options.blogspot.com/2008/04/rev-wright-take-two-maybe-what-wright.html
I really think you have to be careful what you say online as it is visible to the world, and therefore brings with it a whole lot of added responsibility in my view.
one thing i find with obama's speeches (i agree that he was all about unity and the like, i just think he was all rhetoric) is it is better to read them than to listen to them. That way, you get an unbiased look at it
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