Presidential Debates:For better or for worse?
Tonight was the second of three very controversial debates between President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney. Everyone handed debate #1 to Mitt Romney due to president Obama seeming really timid and uncertain of how he wanted to play the debates. Many convinced themselves that Obama did it out of respect for his wife and their 20th anniversary and he was simply too tired from dealing with his personal life and then having to end his day arguing with a man he disagrees with on many points when it comes to the future of this country. No matter what had caused Obamas quote on quote shyness and/or timidness in the first debate, it didn't matter anymore. Everyone could see from the get go that Obama was more assertive and aggressive in his answers and how he was going to play his part for the second debate. Why was that? Many said that he stepped up to the plate because vice president Joe Biden showed him how its done, leaving many to question what that says about Obama. Obama dealt with facts and was clear and concise with his answers he summed up his answer and then went on to elaborate. On the other hand, many can say that Mitt Romney dropped the ball on his performance tonight, all of his answers were on the topic but never really had anything specific to do with the question at hand. Overall, Romney seemed surprised and unprepared for Obama to be so assertive tonight. Due to the combination of Obama being so aggressive and forthcoming and Governor Mitt Romney seeming so unprepared, there was a definite tension in the room that you could feel even through your television screens, there was even one point where there was so much tension i had a flash of a fist fight flash in my mind. Maybe that's all me and where i come from, where thats how things were settled, but who knows.
Another thing that stood out was the constant interruption of the other candidate, and the total lack of time keeping (granted Candy had her hands full trying to keep them two in line, but seriously). when the interruptions did happen there was a total distinction of the reason why; Obama interrupted to tell the American people what was right and what was according to him, where on the other hand Romney interrupted as a way to be on top, he would never interrupt because he had something valid to say but as a way to kill time to make up for the fact that he never said anything worth listening too. All of his answers were workarounds and clock tickers.
What are the analysts saying,? well some will say that Obama screwed his chances because to was too assertive, and that Romney said exactly what he needed to to win over the American people. On the flip side, the analysts will say that Obama was fantastic and he made up for his passiveness in the last debate and Romney just made a fool of himself. This will never cease to end, one side will praise their candidate and criticize the other. But what it all comes down to is: who is going to do the best for the country for the next four years?
Five things to look for in tonight's debate
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/16/politics/debate-five-things/index.html?hpt=po_c1
CNN had a very intriguing article (attached) about what to watch for tonight. I really enjoyed that they included Women's Rights. Because Romney is so far down with women's votes, Im curious how he is going to approach abortion and child care. I think that as college students, education is also a huge topic and Im curious how someone who wants to diminish TPT is going to respond to the costs of education. I am hoping for a heated debated tonight. Obama will hopefully be more on his game. I think because of the undecided voters being present, Obama will thrive. Obama has a history of being extremely likable. We'll have to wait and see!
Recent discussion of sexism in Australian Politics
The United States is not the only country seeing political tension recently. In the last week, Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard attacked (link to story in the guardian here) Opposition leader Tony Abbot on what misogyny means. The video showing Gillard's "attack" has made quite some publicity over the internet the past week. In relating this to our own american politics, what some differences that can be seen here in such a debate or Australian politics compared to ours? It personally seems to be more argumentative to me.
Another thing that is interesting is the issue of sexism. Some people have actually debated whether or not Gillard's attack was a significant point for gender issues in Australia (Link for opposing article here). Are there any thoughts on this issue of gender or gender roles in Australia in contrast to our own?
In other news..
While most talk is on the current Presidential Election and the Presidential debate showing tomorrow, there is still other news that should be brought to light. U.S. Supreme Court Justices Kagan and Thomas will be asked to remove themselves from the discussion, debate, and decision regarding President Obama's Health Reform bill. Both Justices are known to be the shining knights in debates of the Health law. A decision is due in June and both have been asked by Representatives to recuse themselves because of the parties and events that surround their lives. Looking at the numbers of the nine Supreme Court Justices, will taking away a major conservative and a major democrat really make any difference? Should they be asked to recuse themselves at all? Is it their duty or right to step aside? What are your thoughts?
http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/11/15/8820711-kagan-and-thomas-face-political-pressure-to-sit-out-health-reform-case
Can I get extra cheese with that?
Recently the National Pizza Chain, Pizza Hut, has thought up an enticing new way to get young people interested in watching the upcoming Presidential town-hall style debate. I attached the link to the full story. In summary, Pizza Hut decided to offer one lucky questioner a pizza a week for 30 years to the individual who asks President Obama and his competitor if they prefer "Sausage or Pepperoni?" during the next debate. Once again we see the media working its way into the political sphere. Is this a way to spark the interest of young students to watch the debate or is it complete nonsense? Thoughts?
http://www.kare11.com/news/elections/politics/article/994857/222/Pizza-Hut-rethinks-presidential-debate-stunt-
Latest Polls
http://www.politico.com/p/2012-election/polls/president
This website has the latest polls from 3 different sites. It shows Obama at 49% and Romney at 48%. Do you think the first debate hurt Obama? Are these statistics accurate? Before the debate, it was 49% to 42%. Will this next debate make Romney go up again? What do you think?
Obama: overrated?
Is Obama overrated as a candidate?
I found this article on the Washington Post website, and thought it was interesting. The article analyzes Obama, and critiques his strategy to brand himself as "not a perfect man".
What do you think of Obama as a candidate?
Do you think that he's re-using a campaign image that he created four years ago? How do you think this will affecting him in the final weeks of the campaign?
Also, do you agree with Chris Cillizza (the author of the article) in that the debate hurt Obama's image?
Upcoming Debates
What do you guys think will be addressed in the upcoming debates? Do you think Obama will step up his game? I think the next debates will become very critical especially for those deciding who to vote for still. I think the debates will become "nasty" and they will now try to make the other look bad as their primary goal instead of trying to make themselves look good. What do you think? What will be the hot topics? What will their strategies be? I am very excited and anxious for the next debates!
