Environment--Brienne

Our environment has become a very intense problem in today's society. You constantly hear about people buying hybrid cars or using more energy efficient light bulbs, or things of that sort. Recycling has even become popular. All the T.V. channels are talking about how everyone needs to be "green" and live a "green" lifestyle. In fact, my aunt is currently in the process of building an environmentally friendly house. It is this kind of change that needs to occur soon, before it is too late. We have experienced many natural disasters in the last few years, and I am no expert, but I am sure global warming has contributed in some way to their occurrences. First it was the tsunami, then, and closer to home, was hurricane Katrina. Not to mention the several other natural disasters that weren't as disastrous. It is just a matter of time. Change is something that has to happen in order for us to survive. This is why the politicians' plans for the environment is a hot topic in this election. We need to bring about change, and either Clinton, Obama, or McCain is going to be the one responsible for doing it. Clinton wants to put $5 billion towards green-collar jobs, support green-collar job training, advocate a cap and trade system, and come up with a way to reduce air pollution to improve children's health. She has already launched an EPA study of air quality at Ground Zero, voted to include oil and gas smokestacks in mercury regulations, and sponsored a bill for tax credit to remove lead-based paint. She has also put much time and effort towards recovering from Hurricane Katrina, something that should have been completed long ago. Obama has the same attitude as Clinton regarding the environment and the need to clean it up. He wants to end the notion of Yucca Mountain nuclear storage, promote green technologies and fuel efficiency standards, and protect the Great Lakes and National Parks and Forests. His past also proves that he is willing to put his plans into action. He has organized inner-city recycling, passed lead abatement and 24 other environmental laws in the IL senate, and spent three months working on minority students recycling. While I am more supportive of Obama in this campaign, both Democratic candidates have proven that they are willing to do what it takes to end this environmental crisis. Even John McCain, the more conservative candidate, has taken steps to ending global warming. He wants much tougher regulations on emission requirements and voted to require EPA risk assessments. However, he isn't the most constant candidate when it comes to protecting the environment. He voted against protecting the deserts in CA, along with some other minor actions that sends mixed messages. This is not surprising, though. Until recently, the stereotypical conservative did not feel the environment was a problem. They felt we could live how we pleased and thought no consequences would follow. Not to say that the stereotypical democrat was taking all the actions necessary to preserving our environment. However, global warming is now a problem that most people believe needs to be solved.

Petraeus Focuses on Positives

General Petraeus has made tons of progress in Iraq, but it seems like to me that when he steps in front of Congress, he cannot hold his ground. However, the last time he was in front of Congress he started by saying that his colleagues have a, "hear no progress.....see no progress.....speak no progress," attitude towards the war. I agree with General Petraeus about this issue. It seems to me that Congress only focuses on the negatives. Every time they meet they seem to always get mad that there has been no progress, but there has been a lot of progress. The soldiers are doing an amazing job and are making a huge difference in Iraq. I think that Congress should focus on the positives and work off them. Maybe the morale of the country will change dramatically then.

President Bush Honors a Solider

While Democrats and Republicans were fighting over who could describe what to do about the war, President Bush was honoring a fallen solider. Michael Monsoor received the Medal of Honor for protecting his fellow soldiers. A grenade was thrown onto the Ramadi rooftop, that he was patrolling and bounced off his chest. This didn't kill the solider, but it was going to kill two of his comrades. Instead of letting it hit the other two men, Monsoor threw himself on top of it and trade his life for theirs. President Bush had tears in his eyes as he described what kind of a man Monsoor was. I feel like these are the types of stories that we should hear about in the news, instead of how many are dying and how President Bush isn't doing his job. President Bush has a tough job and I know that most Americans wouldn't have been able to look Monsoor's mother in the eyes while giving her his award. President Bush is an awesome President for honoring young men just like Monsoor. The president also cares about our soldiers that are fighting for our freedom; the rest of America should too.

Gay Marriage--Brienne

Gay rights is a subject that is very close to my heart, as I have family members who are gay and I feel that they deserve the same rights as straight people. I feel that being gay is not a choice mainly because I do not know one person who would choose to endure the hoops homosexuals have to jump through if they could choose not to do so. I also don't understand when conservatives use the Bible to defend their position on homosexuals. The Bible says so many things that are irrelevant in today's society. Then people say that those things are in the old testament, but there is nothing about gay marriage in the new testament either, so it really confuses me. Therefore, this topic is something that I am paying attention to in this presidential election. Obama, I feel, has the best, most realistic views and ideas regarding this subject. Barack Obama feels that gay people should have the same rights as straight people but that gay marriage is not that important. He feels like civil unions and giving rights is really all the change that our country can handle at this point, which is certainly true. Complete change cannot come overnight. It is something that will have to come gradually over time, very similar to civil rights in the past. He also thinks that gay marriage should be something that is recognized by individual churches, not by the state, basically saying that this shouldn't be a government issue, which is another thing that I completely agree with. Many conservatives say that they do not believe in gay marriage because it says that it is wrong in the Bible. Well, aside from the fact that this is certainly debatable, in this argument you are conflicting church and state, which are supposed to be separated. If you do not agree with gay marriage, that is fine. However, there shouldn't be a law against it, which is why Obama voted against the constitutional ban on gay marriage. Similarly to abortion, Hillary Clinton has the same views as Barack Obama. However, she has been back and forth. In 2004, she defended traditional marriage and then in 2006 defended gay marriage. John McCain has also been extremely indecisive. He has voted yes to prohibiting same-sex marriages, but then no to a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. This is one of the many topics in which McCain is more of a middle man between the right wing and the left wing. He also thinks that gay marriage legality should be left up to the states. It seems like all of these candidates are somewhat open minded to gay marriage, which really says something of our country. It shows that we are growing as a whole, even when we are separated in two parties. It shows that we are becoming more tolerant of others.

Abortion--Brienne

Each of the candidate's views on abortion are very important. Abortion and its legality is a hot topic in today's politics. Obama has taken the steps to expand availability to contraception, thereby attempting to decrease the need for an abortion, which is a step that I fully agree with. If a woman doesn't get pregnant, then the need for an abortion no longer exists. However, he has been a pro-choice politician for several years, if not his entire career. He voted against banning partial birth abortion in 2007 and has voted yes to doing stem cell research. Basically Barack Obama is a far left liberal when it comes to abortion, which is really what I think is right. A woman's body is a woman's body. I don't feel that I would have an abortion, but until someone is put in that situation, they have no right to judge. However, I don't think I could ever support partial birth abortion. When you have to pull the fetus out of the mother and wait for it to die, it seems like you have waited too long. If a woman wants to get an abortion, I feel it is a decision that needs to be made early on. Hillary Clinton has many of the same beliefs as Obama, basically because they are both on the same party and with this subject, there is either the leftist belief or the conservative belief that abortion is either right or wrong. John McCain, on the other hand, has a much different view. McCain has had a pro-life view since the beginning of his career. He thinks that abortion isn't the best way to go, but it is OK if the woman was raped, which is not something I completely understand. I feel that if you see abortion as murder, then it should be murder no matter what. There shouldn't be exceptions. Now, I feel all women have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies, so it isn't like I am saying that a rape victim should have to have the baby if she gets pregnant. However, if you see abortion as murder, it should still be considered murder even if the pregnancy wasn't consensual. Something else that surprised me on John McCain's political views regarding abortion was that he supported federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, which isn't typical of conservatives. Most republicans are against embryonic stem cell research since it kills the embryo, so in a way this is somewhat hypocritical. Adult stem cells can be obtained through extraction from the umbilical cord or placenta, so I could understand him supporting that, but embryonic stem cells are a different story. So it seems obvious that each party basically has a certain set of guidelines/opinions/views regarding abortion, with a few surprises thrown in here and there.

Superdelegates--Brienne

The race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is probably one of the closest presidential races our country has seen. The ending result will basically come down to the superdelegates, which I will admit is one aspect of this campaign that I just do not understand. However, after reading one article in the New York Times, it has become clearer to me. Superdelegates are basically delegates who are uncommitted to any one candidate. Where delegates from each state have to vote for candidates in proportion to the way the popular vote turned out, superdelegates may vote for whomever they chose. Now, in the beginning, Clinton was receiving most of the superdelegate votes, but now many of the superdelegates are switching from Clinton to Obama. In the end, Hillary will need two-thirds of the superdelegate votes in order to win the primary, even in the best case scenario. While many people still have hope that she will triumph over Obama after the primaries have finished, I have doubt that this will happen. There is too much ground for her to recover in order for her to win. However, many more difficult tasks have been accomplished in the past, so it is still impossible to call the race. The tides have definitely turned in this primary and I can’t wait to see who will win overall.

Clinton and the Economy

This election is a very historical election; there is an African-American and woman running for president. Hillary Clinton has already made history and Clinton supporters are hoping she will continue that by becoming the first woman president of the United States. However, there are many Obama supporters hoping that she will fail. Both candidates have something in common: they both have plans to address the economy’s problems. Clinton recently became emotional while she was speaking to a small group of people. She briefly spoke about her talk with Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, when her eyes became filled with tears. In pictures you could tell that the economic problems this country is facing, is dear to Senator Clinton heart. Clinton’s dominate issue is our economy. She has strong emphasis on pragmatic plans and pocketbook issues. Analysts say that Clinton could win the presidency if she can convince voters that she will fix our economy. Senator Clinton has done best with lower-income voters, but let’s see if she can convince the rest of the nation.

Raising the Bar--Brienne

Many people feel that Barack Obama's lack of experience is a terrible thing that will cause him to be unsuccessful. However, I feel that because he doesn't have much experience, he hasn't been as corrupted by the political world. Everyone can agree that politics are dirty. Politicians lie, cheat, and steal. Many come to think that because they hold political offices, they are above the law. This is basically how scandals such as the Bill Clinton scandal and the Spitzer scandal came about. They were in politics so long that they start to feel the rules don't apply to them and they become careless and selfish. This is where Obama's lack of experience is a great thing. Obama hasn't been pulled into the world of cheating and scandal. He is above the rest in a way that not many people can understand. He doesn't try to bring the other candidates down, he merely defends his positions. This is one of the main reasons I am voting for Obama. He isn't a typical candidate and he is what I feel our country needs right now to get back on its feet. We have been pulled down by our current administration over the last eight years and putting the same type of people into office will not help us regain our strength. Obama is who we need. Not to mention that there was another president with a lack of political experience who did great things. That president was Abraham Lincoln. I think that we can all agree his lack of experience had no effect on his presidential capabilities. We just need to all have a little faith that this is the breath of fresh air our country needs in order to get ourselves back on track!

McCain's High School Days

John McCain has run a successful campaign so far and Republicans are hoping he will continue his streak into the November election. McCain recently spent hours answering questions at his old high school, where a town meeting was held. He answered questions about teachers pay and public service. One high school student stood up and blatantly asked McCain what his purpose was for being there. McCain jokingly responded, he knew he should have ended the meeting. It seems like McCain loves campaigning at town hall meetings.
As most all ready know McCain is the presumptive republican presidential nominee. McCain has ran an unscripted, any-question-goes campaign, which is an advantage. It gives the voters a chance to ask what is really on their mind and he can give an honest answer. I guess that we will find out how effective McCain’s “town hall” meetings are in the 2008 presidential election.

The Election in the Cyber World

I have recently realized that there is no way to escape the 2008 presidential election. The election is covered on the TV, newspaper, magazines, radio, and now the cyber world. The presidential election is so heated that online games are now discussing the election. One popular game is the World of Warcraft , where players are supposed to be fighting dragons, raiding enemies, and performing magical quest are now discussing who will be our next president. Sean Goldman told USA TODAY, “Here we are logging into the virtual world to escape the grip of the real world for a few hours, but this election has brought the real world closer to the virtual world. Players have been in debates for hours trying to make their point to the other players. Goldman also told them that, “99 percent of the gamers on WoW are talking about politics. Not only are gamers discussing the election, but MySpace and Facebook contributors are battling for the support for candidates. It seems like no one will be escaping this election.

MTV in the 2008 Election

MTV is a music based TV station, but as most people are aware, it is host to many reality TV shows. The Real World, Road Rules, and Making the Band are all popular reality TV shows, but recently they have taken a back seat. Instead there have been many news briefs interrupting the shows. The news briefs are covering the 2008 election. USA TODAY (April 2 edition) reports that MTV has educated young voters for 16 years, but this year will hopefully be their biggest success. If you recall in the 2004 election, MTV launched the Choose or Lose campaign. This was to try and get young eligible voters to actually go out and vote. However, this campaign wasn’t as successful as they hoped to be. For this year’s election they have launched a Street Team 08’. This is where they will have one young reporter from each state reporting on what the young voters are doing in their state. Hopefully MTV will be more successful in this year’s election than in 2004.

Voting in the 2008 Election

In several months, the citizens of the U.S. will be voting on a new President. It seems to be very important for young people to get out and vote. However, I was watching the TODAY Show and they were talking about who Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama were counting on for votes. They reported that Hilary was campaiging for the older generation and the womens votes. Obama is campaigning for the younger generation and the black vote. This election is one of the most historic elections that we have ever had, because the minorities are rising and the race is so close. Personally, I feel that younger voters mean the most in this election and that candidates should focus more on the younger generations votes. The candidates should remember that the younger generariont is the future. Props to Obama for focusing on the younger vote and maybe Hilary will take a hint