An Honest Question

"The American Promise" (Obama campaign ad)

"Ayers" (McCain campaign ad)

Tomorrow evening Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain will debate for the third and final time this election season. For most, this will be the final time these candidates have an opportunity to discuss the issues. The posted videos are the latest ads to be posted on the YouTube pages of Obama and McCain. Neither ad actually expresses a key issue in this election. According to the CNN Issues page with data conducted by PollingReport.com, 58% of Americans top issue is the economy. The next largest issue: healthcare at a whopping 13%. Tomorrow night truly is the final time these men have an opportunity to discuss issues that truly matter to Americans. 

Let's start with Obama's ad, "The American Promise". It's a great online advertisement coming in at a long 2 minutes and 43 seconds it shows clips of Barack Obama speaking, crowds cheering, and talking about Americans rising up and "changing". It's a well made ad with catchy music, good editing, but doesn't discuss one single issue facing Americans this election season other than Obama's buzzword, "change." Upon watching this ad, it is very easy to figure out what exactly the Obama campaign is trying to do: motivate. With three weeks to the day left until election day, Obama wants as many supporters as he can muster out there creating "change" and beginning to fulfill his "American Promise" by knocking on doors, phone banking, emailing, whatever it takes to bring home "change" next month. It is not trying to convey a specific policy position Senator Obama has, or attempting to contrast his candidacy with that of John McCain's. Therefore, it succeeds and fails. It addresses but doesn't. It is in less than three minutes a fantastic look at the Obama campaign. A promising politician, fired up audiences responding to Obama's call for change, and may in fact create the motivation in supporters that have yet to join the campaign to do so now in the final stretch. 

With that being said, the ad fails. Now more than ever, Americans want answers about how these candidates are going to tackle the serious issues we are now facing. The economy, despite the massive increase in the stock market yesterday, is still incredibly fragile. Many more Americans are facing job losses and foreclosure, yet none of this was uttered in the Obama ad. It paints a pretty picture of what the United States can be under an Obama Presidency. At this point, a lot of people are willing to take hope and are simply assuming everything will be fine under with Obama as President. At this point, it's going to take more than hope to fix our problems and those campaigning for Obama now are going to have continue that support and work through the good and bad that could occur with Obama at the helm.

Now onto McCain. 

We are all now well aware of Bill Ayers. (For those that don't, there is a reason both Wikipedia and hyperlinking were created). I need not explain who he is, because the John McCain ad describes him for you and his relationship with Barack Obama. What I find interesting in McCain's message is there is a complete lack of any issue. While certainly Americans don't want a President who "pals around with terrorists" it may be a far cry to actually say that. It's OK to question one's judgement and you want to win this election, so it is understandable that you would do both. However, it doesn't seem to be working. As daily polls come out, Senator Obama continues to gain in the polls, even in states that seemed so red (North Dakota, West Virgina) just a few weeks ago, it would have been hard to imagine Obama gaining there, but he is. With or without the Bill Ayers ad, many Americans are coming to an agreement. 

"I may not agree with Obama on all the issues, but the Republicans haven't helped much, in fact, I may be worse off with them in charge," are the thoughts of many who have been interviewed and polled. 

McCain's campaign is definitely looking for answers and thought the judgement and associations of Senator Obama would dissuade voters and bring them to or back in the McCain category. Frankly, Americans are getting fed up. It has become same old politics in America. McCain the Maverick has proven to be anything but, even going back on his own promise to shy away from negative campaigning. Even if McCain did want to blast Obama away with the negative ads, let a 527 do it and continue appearing as the Maverick. If Bush had the Swiftboat Veterans, surely McCain could do even better. Instead, McCain is too focused on how to get people to hate Obama rather than explaining why he'd be a better choice for President. With crowds now seeming more angry and rowdy, and not at McCain's proposals, but simply the crowd's disapproval of Obama. It seems almost probable that these two candidates have been turned into two groups. Those who support Senator Obama and those who don't. 

McCain's true support is waning, that much is true. I had a wonderful conversation last week with a student at KSU who is a Republican and was a McCain supporter from the primaries up until three months ago and had previously supported the Senator's candidacy in 2000. His reason for jumping ship: McCain was not the same man and was lacking ideas for the country. That much could be true and from a campaign strategy side, if you knew of the same problems with voters that I heard from this gentleman, then you change your campaign. Make it about NOT supporting the other guy. When stumping, don't bring up anything YOU plan on doing, just how awful the plans of the other guy are. Supporters that were earlier falling asleep at a rally, wake up, and begin screaming and yelling in much of the same fashion that the characters of Orwell's 1984 did. 

With this new found knowledge in mind, the ads begin to make sense. Obama's ads are about supporters doing something (what that is, we still have no idea) and McCain's ads are now about fear, anger, the "Two Minutes Hate" if you will. With the lack of true issue based substance in these candidates, perhaps this is why tomorrow night will be similar to the previous two debates, boring, rambling, and telling me absolutely nothing of the direction either of these two men want to take the United States. That more than Bill Ayers scares me and that more than the "American Promise" makes me want to take action to ensure I still have a country by the time my hair falls out. 

Please Senators, one of you is going to be handed a big pile of garbage from King George II, who promises "plenty more to do in the last 100 days." Get with the program and inform the general public or at least the masses who are too lazy to read up on your policy positions via your websites. Whether you like it or not, in three weeks the American people are going to head to the polls and vote and then, "it's all over now, baby blue." 

Perhaps Bob Dylan had it right when he sang that song 43 years ago. He proclaims in the first verse, "You must leave now, take what you need you think will last. But whatever you wish to keep you must grab it fast." We may need to hit the road and disappear if this doesn't all work out in the end. America could truly be in danger if we don't think this one through before going to the polls in November (or earlier if you're the early voting type). Educate yourself and friends on the positions of these candidates and research them to the fullest. Don't rely on the candidates themselves to explain this to you, they're too busy "campaigning". 

Debating Take Two

The second of three Presidential debates will commence in just a few short hours. The networks are preparing, the pundits are getting ready for some punditry. It shall be glorious...or will it? In the past week we have seen the McCain and Obama campaigns get predictably nasty with each bringing up mundane, irrelevant information from the candidates' pasts. Really folks? With all this going on, neither one can say one word about the issues? 

Just scrolling through the pages of today's New York Times it doesn't take a rocket scientist or even a political scientist to find the issues. They're on the front freaking page. More so than many elections in recent memory, these candidates finally have real issues to discuss and yet they aren't. We saw a pathetic display last week at the Vice Presidential debate in which Joe Biden and Sarah Palin barely touched on the issues. Most pundits claimed that Palin did a good job simply because her expectations were really that low and Biden won because I guess he brought something of relevance up and didn't bite Palin's head off and eat it for dessert. 

When the primaries finally came to a close and we knew who our nominees were, part of me felt confident that Senator Obama and Senator McCain were gentlemen who knew the importance of this election and would attempt to stick to the issues. Although being a person who studies politics this seemed a bit too good to be true and oh was it. With an economy on the verge of collapse (at the time of this writing the Dow has gone from way up this morning to now down approximately 350+ points), two wars that need fixing, a crumbling infrastructure, smaller presence in the world, struggling education system, science that is paling in comparison to the rest of the developed world... The list can go on. Much has happened in this decade, easily the most turbulent since the 1960s, and yet the two men that we much decide on to carry us out of this decade can't find the time to actually discuss these issues. 

The first Presidential debate was boring with McCain too focused on his record from yesteryear, not acknowledging Obama's presence at the debate while Obama looked more like Mr. Spock in his personality and delivery than he has in previous debates and speeches. Is it too much for American citizens to ask these candidates to address the issues? Smear campaigns have worked very well in previous campaigns, as have meaningless debates but too much is at stake here. The next President is going to be handed a mountain of problems, perhaps the largest since World War II or even the Civil War and the mess isn't shrinking. President Bush has packed his bags and all but left the White House. Just by looking into his eyes, you can see the man has been done for a while. Even with a lame duck in the White House, McCain and Obama has resorted to the exact tactics they claimed they wouldn't stoop to, and I feel duped.

Yes, McCain has been struggling as of late on the issues, the economy right now just doesn't help the Republicans, so it makes McCain's tactics look a little more acceptable, but not by much. 

Well similarly to the election, time is running out... I have to go to work. Good luck to the candidates tonight at the debate and here's hoping to a fun and exciting time.

The News vs. Us: How do they win?

Ahoy folks. 

This here blog will focus on the news, mass media, and its effect on the world around us. First thing's first, there is news abound. 

Recently the Barack Obama campaign did something interested, new, fascinating, incredible, unheard of!.... If you submitted your cell phone number or email address the Obama campaign would text or email you Senator Obama's running mate BEFORE the news announced it! 

*GASP*

Upon hearing this Wolf Blitzer promptly turned into the Hulk and destroyed half of the Situation Room set.*

"How can they do this!?" Blitzer screamed as he tore down the desk in front of him.

John King using his fancy touch screen TV gave Blitzer a seemingly intelligent answer. "We can beat them," King promised. 

The Hulk calmed down. 

In all seriousness folks, the Obama campaign wanted to transcend that need for the mass media to report information. With much of Obama's organization started using the internet, this seemed a no brainer. How could we be so naive? To think the news would not get a hold of the information before the general public did was ridiculous, but many of us bought into it anyway. 

Friday August 22nd seemed to drone on, especially for those on television hoping Blitzer wouldn't explode with rage. Obama had made his decision, that much was clear, but no one knew when the text/email would go out or who exactly the choice was. All indications pointed to Governor Tim Kaine of Virigina, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Senator Joe Biden of Delaware being the final three in this race. Day turned into night, information started coming in. 

The news networks were getting confirmation from Democratic Party sources that Governor Kaine and Senator Bayh were out of the mix. The rumors about Biden increased. The media was staked outside of Biden's home like it was the Britney Spears scandal. All I could think of was where in the hell my text message was? Obama is something new, refreshing, he'll get the information to loyal supporters before the media gets a hold...right.

CNN began getting unofficial reports that it was in fact Joe Biden. Again, no email, no text message, nothing. CNN reported that Biden had gathered with his family. No message. ABC confirms that the Secret Service had been dispatched to the Biden residence. Still...no message. CNN now confirms that Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden as his running mate.

Dear Senator Obama,

Where the hell was my text message? 

Love,

Joel

In all seriousness, the mass media couldn't lose. They had to report information first. The Obama campaign tried to prove that we didn't need mass media to provide the American people with crucial information. They were wrong. We were wrong. I believed in the campaign's promise. I received my confirmation from the Obama campaign.... at 4:48AM Saturday. Nearly five hours after CNN reported that Joe Biden was in fact Obama's running mate. 

This event proves one thing. While we might not NEED mass media to provide us information, they are too entrenched in our political system to allow us direct access to information from campaigns and government. It was the ultimate goal for the mass media to prove they still had the leg up on us and they did. Maybe this won't be the case in the future, but for now we'll be stuck with them, up to and including Wolf Blitzer's beard. 

Hope everyone enjoys the insanity that will undoubtedly occur throughout these posts, especially with the election on our doorstep....I would keep posting but Barack Obama is on TV getting ready to introduce Joe Biden as his running mate....this might be important.

*There is no evidence that Wolf Blitzer turned into the Hulk. This was a story floating around the offices of Fox News. Upon hearing this, Chris Wallace laughed so hard he choked on a pretzel and Bill O'Reilly blamed Blitzer's transformation on liberals loving science.