NYT: "Like the Dwights and Lyndons of Old, Baby Baracks All Over"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/us/politics/10babies.html

Is Obama the answer?

This election will stand out in history not only because of Barack Obama's race but because of the allegiance of his adherents. A Presidential Candidate has never ignited such passion and involvement in the citizens of the United States. Watching the reactions of the crowd in Chicago as Obama gave his acceptance speech left me with no doubt that the next four years will work because of the intimate relationship forming between the people and their new leader. This relationship is vital for the United States to progress as a nation. For the past four years, the divide between the people and the government has continued to grow. This gap is a clear representation of the internal conflict that has been mustering within the U.S. This conflict has diverted the masses away from progressive thought to a state of constant bickering. 

Obama's presidency marks the beginning of a new era in America that began with the voice of its people.   

A New Day

 

America has spoken, that it is time for a Change. Barack Obama became the first black man to ever become president of these United States of America.

 I am so excited.

 This was the first presidential election that I have ever gotten to vote in. Therefore, it’s pretty important to me. But, on top of the fact that it was my first, it was also a historic election that I got to be part of. I helped make history. To me that is very exciting.

 A few days before the election I sent in my ballot that had a small black bubble next to the name of a man who promised change, next to the name of a man who told us “yes we can”, next to the name of a man who made history. Yes, I voted for Barack Obama, and can’t fully explain the feeling that I felt when he won. A warm sensation ran all over me. With my help, he made history. When I saw the state of Ohio go blue on the oddly colored map of the U.S, I couldn’t help but beam with pride. My vote, and my state that gave Obama 20 electoral votes, finally went blue.

 Ohio is a key state to win. No republican candidate has ever won the election without winning Ohio. And I was part of that change.

 I have stood with the numbers of Americans who have stood up and chanted “Yes we can”. I have casted my voice asking for change.

 For the first time in my life, when it counted most, I became part of history.

McCain's Ambition Advertisement

The Mudslinging Begins...

New York Times Article

Gather 'round my fellow Americans, with three weeks remaining before the presidential election, you are about to witness the campaign cock-fights of John McCain and Barack Obama. This inevitable precursor to the election officially began with a McCain campaign commercial that links Obama to Bill Ayers, leader of the 1960's Weather Underground terrorist group. Earlier this week, Vice President Nominee Sarah Palin made a reference to the relationship between these two men deeming it one example of Obama's bad judgment. Contrary to the McCain campaign claims, numerous articles from reputable news sources such as The New York Times and The Washington Post provide evidence which belabor the point that the two men are nothing more than acquaintances whose paths happened to cross on occasion. 

Furthermore, if Obama's relationship with Ayers is questionable, has anyone ever considered the adage “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?” 

So, if the McCain campaign is exaggerating Obama's connection to Ayers on a false basis, what is the significance of the commercial? One Washington Post author, Chris Cillizza, suggests that McCain has opened “Pandora's Box” of slander, lying, vanity, and greed. This strategy is often reserved for times of desperation in one's campaign. With McCain lagging behind in the recent Gallup Polls, his campaign felt the need to start the mudslinging.  Many perceive the commercial as an dishonorable effort by McCain to gain support. Rather than attract prospective voters, McCain's juvenile act will cost him in the upcoming election.   

     

   Leave it up to America to transform the process electing its future leader into a Hollywood soap opera. You know it is getting close to election time in the United States when the public veers away from the petty issues of our crashing economy and the endless War On Terror to focus on more important matters- each presidential candidate's personal life. Newspaper headlines are filled with gossip, television commercials reveal past discrepancies, and debates degenerate into bickering fests. Will this soap opera continue? I guess we will see in the upcoming weeks whether or not Obama will take the opportunity to restore some dignity to the name of politics.  

No Passport Stamps= No Knowledge?!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/25/eveningnews/main4479062.shtml

Conversely, in her interview with Katie Couric, Palin was questioned about the fact that she did not file for a passport until this passed year. Katie Couric expressed some hesitation in trusting a Vice President with little knowledge of other countries. Palin replied:
I'm not one of those who maybe came from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduate college and their parents give them a passport and give them a backpack and say go off and travel the world.

No, I've worked all my life. In fact, I usually had two jobs all my life until I had kids. I was not a part of, I guess, that culture. The way that I have understood the world is through education, through books, through mediums that have provided me a lot of perspective on the world.

Palin never claimed to be anything other that a “Hockey Mom” turned politician with a strong drive to achieve change. Palin never claimed to be a “Jackie-of-all-trades” or world traveler. Her ability to learn and to solve conflict is what makes her invaluable.
Before becoming governor of Alaska, Palin did not know much about oil policies. However, throughout the duration of her term, Palin was able to successfully improve the state’s policies involving Alaska’s corrupted oil companies. Palin continuously challenges herself, and in turn, overcomes every obstacle set before her. It is this quality that would make for an incredible Vice President.
Americans need to give Palin a chance. Everyone should be able to see a little bit of himself or herself within her. Palin may not have sailed the ocean blue, but she and Columbus have something in common, bravery, which is something Americans have not seen in years. George W. Bush’s passport is filled with stamps but he did not take our country anywhere.

Also check out: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/09/03/palin_not_well_traveled_outside_us/

Presence for President!

It is about time that people pull themselves away from reality shows and watch something of significance on TV. The Vice Presidential debate received more viewers than American Idol? …Finally! Good for Sarah Palin! She has captured the attention and interest of Americans and even caused them to detach themselves from their obsession with entertainment shows. Sarah Palin has a remarkably firm and confident presence. These are characteristics Washington longs for and has not seen long time. These characteristics will improve Americans’ pride in the country, relations with foreign nations and overall trust and assurance in the government.

Many criticize the fact that her rise to Vice Presidency seems like a Lifetime or Disney channel movie: “Hockey Mom turned Vice President.” However, one should value this situation’s significance. Only in America can someone like Sarah Palin, fulfill her call to responsibility first with her children’s school PTA, and then run for city council, then mayor, then governor, then Vice President of the country. This is the American Dream. Americans have not seen it embodied so intensely in decades. We as young Americans should admire this situation as a reminder of the opportunity for advancement that is extended to all of us through Sarah Palin’s Vice Presidency.

A wise man once said, “You can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.” The combination of Palin’s presence, constant hunger for knowledge, and ability to overcome challenge will afford her much longer than just her “fifteen minutes.”

Also check out: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/president/28118284.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUnciatkEP7DhUsX