Obama and Clinton on the Trail

Barrack Obama told voters on Saturday the only way that he can win the presidency is, "if you decide that this election is bigger than flag pins....or a former pastor." Obama makes these comments as he and Clinton fight for the two states with primaries on Tuesday. Clinton hopes to win North Carolina and Obama hopes to win Indiana. Today, both candidates had unusual hour long appearances on network television channels--Obama on NBC's Meet the Press and Clinton in a town hall meeting on ABC's This Week.

Both candidates have spent time in their key states. Clinton spoke to a group of mom's in Cary, N.C. before she stopped at the N.C. Auto Racing Hall of Fame. She looked amazing in a N.C. blue pantsuit, according to the Lexington Herald Leader. She answered questions about motherhood and her career in the public eye.

Obama spent the day with his wife and two younger daughters. It was his daughters first series of public appearances since the Iowa primary. Seems like both candidates have taken more time to answer questions and spend time with family instead arguing.

Damage Control for Obama

Since the scandal about Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright came out, more voters have been turning away from Obama. A poll conducted in Indiana found that voters were 21 percent less likely to vote for Obama since the scandal hit. These voters could ruin Obama's chance in November.

Obama is now trying to show that he doesn't believe what Wright believes like; personal history, his professional career, and his voting record all show he has fair liberal views in U.S. domestic and foreign policies. However, Wright's statements in the past weeks have forced Obama to make a renunciation that undermined the credibility of his well-received speech on race. Some say that the question now for Obama is which is worse.....People thinking you agree with Wright, or people not believing your explanations for associating with him?

The Diffrences in the Candidates

The differences between the two front runners, Obama and McCain are strikingly different. McCain is more spontaneous and accessible, and Obama is more disciplined and remote. However they have one trait in common, they both want the Presidency very badly.

Each candidate has a style of their own and they carry themselves very differently. McCain is 5-foot-9 and 71 years old. he has a ramrod posture, and likes to move quickly while clinching his fists. This combination makes McCain often come across as stiff and unapproachable. On-the-other-hand Obama is 6-foot-2 and 46 years old. When he gives a speech he holds his head up high and his arms swing freely by his side, instead of hidden in his pockets.

The two have extremely different personalities and campaign approaches. Both candidates also understand that mannerisms on the trail can provide insight into how one will act in office.

The Divided Democrats--Brienne

It seems like the Democratic Party is more divided now than it ever has been before. The race is so close, so Obama supporters are being attacked by Clinton supporters and visa versa. It is okay for now. It is just a race and the supporters of different candidates are supposed to be rivals. However, after the Democratic Party has a presidential candidate, we are going to have to come back together if we want to get the Republicans out of the White House. With the way everyone is treating each other, this doesn't quite seem possible. It looks like we are burning too many bridges trying to win the primaries that we as a democratic group will loose the general election, which is the whole point. We need to all be able to get behind one candidate, whichever candidate that may be, in order to stop McCain, because I think mostly all democrats will agree that either candidate is better than McCain. On the other hand, though, why would I want to vote for someone who called me a latte sipping elitist (as Hillary Clinton said of Obama supporters)? I am not naive. I know politics is a dirty game. I know that almost any politician will do whatever they have to in order to get ahead. However, we as voters cannot buy into all of the insults and cruelty once we have our presidential candidate. We have to support whichever person wins the primary, or else John McCain will be the next president of the United States. We have to forgive the insults that were said towards us by the opposing candidate. Who knows, maybe Obama and Clinton will surprise us and choose the other as his or her running mate? Or have they burned too many bridges between themselves?

Obama rips Clinton

According to CNN Obama attacks Senator Clinton. On Saturday he said that Clinton's support for a summertime break from the federal gasoline tax symbolizes a candidacy consisting of "phony ideas, calculated to win elections instead of actually solving problems." Clinton told an audience of supports that, "Obama is attacking my plan to try to get you some kind of break."

This attack is all over a gasoline tax, which both have aired ads on the issue. Phil Singer, a spokesman for Clinton, responded, "Considering that Sen. Obama voted to suspend the gas tax three times when gas cost less than $2 a gallon and has an energy lobbyist chairing his Indiana campaign, it's hard to take his latest criticisms very seriously." Obama recently said that he opposed this because it would cost more money than actually saving money.

Beyond the arguments for and against the tax, the issue has assumed a far larger significance in recent days. Clinton is using it to buttress her argument that Obama is out of touch with the needs of working-class Americans and Obama is citing it as an example of his opponent's embrace of what he calls old-style politics. Both want to extend the debate on this issue, so I guess we will see how this issue play out with the Dem's.

Response to "The Demise of the Democratic Part"

This is a response to a blog that another contributor posted. I agree with this blog and on the issues with in it. I am a huge Obama fan and I want nothing more than for him to win, but I think that the democrats have "screwed" themselves. In order for Obama to win he is going to have to sweeten things up a bit, when it comes to Senator Clinton. He needs to quit attacking her, even if she bites first. He needs to keep in mind that it is a close race and if she keeps attacking him and he acts like nothing happened than he will start to gain more voters. If the fight between Obama and Clinton doesn't simmer down then the Dem's are going to start swaying towards Senator John McCain, because they are starting to give the Democratic Party a bad name. One way to fix that from happening is for Clinton and Obama to quit focusing on themselves and to focus more on the American people. They both need to straight up tell the citizens of the U.S. what they are going to do to fix the economy and our country as a whole. If neither of them can do that, then it looks to me like John McCain will be our next President.

Representative Richard Henderson

Last Wednesday, Representative Richard Henderson spoke to one of my college classes. If you don't know he is running for a third term in office and he wanted to tell us why we should vote for him. He spoke on many different issues like college tuition and a bill that he has tried to pass, but failed to do so. The one thing that caught my attention most was his thoughts of new bridge being built in Northern Kentucky. The only thing that the state can't figure out is how to pay for it. Therefore, most of the House has come up with the idea of putting a toll on the bridge. Most Representatives liked the idea except for the several from Northern Kentucky. They don't want their communities to have to pay, every time that they use the bridge. So, since they don't want that; why can't they put tolls in every part of the state that leads to a major interstate. Like Northern Kentucky, Louisville, Southern part of Kentucky leading into Tennessee, and Eastern part that leads to West Virgina? Rep. Henderson's response was that the Representatives from those districts don't want those, including him. When he told the class that, I was in shock. I wondered how could he be for something and against it at the same time. He wants to put one in Northern Kentucky and make the people there have to pay and not put them elsewhere. If the tolls were other places like I mentioned before then maybe tuition would be so high and the state would get extra money. The only answer that I got after several questions was, POLITICS.

Taxes--Brienne

Taxes are somewhat of a difficult thing to understand. They have obviously been a big deal in this election. Bush's infamous tax cuts for the wealthy caused problems for everyone throughout the entire country. What sense does it make to allow wealthier people to pay less taxes than poorer people? Both Clinton and Obama were against this tax policy from the very beginning. Obama stated clearly that wealthier people will pay more taxes than poorer people. This is how it should be. While wealthier people should not be penalized for being wealthy, in order for the economy to work properly, that is what has to happen. Poorer people cannot afford to pay all sorts of taxes and it is nearly impossible to ask them to. Hillary Clinton wants to put people back to paying Pre-Bush tax rates, but wants to expand child tax credit for the child's first year. She also wants to increase tax deductions for college students. Obama has somewhat of a different plan. He wants tax cuts for older people and families making $75,000.00 per year or less. He has a more progressive tax plan for our country. He also wants to provide tax incentives to create jobs at home rather than offshore. McCain has just been off and on with his support/disapproval of Bush's tax plans. At first he opposed them, then he supported them, then he opposed them. However, he does not want to raise taxes. He feels that could be the worst possible thing we could do for our country right now.

Loss of Freedom of Speech--Brienne

This election is a huge deal. There is no doubt about it. It could quite possibly be the most important election in the history of the United States. I mean, lets face it. We have a very high possibility of having either our first woman president or our first black president. It is a historic moment in our lives. However, that does not mean that people have to right to take away another person's freedom of speech. Yesterday, my dad came to my work to drop off some keys. On his way out the door, he asked my where my Obama bumper sticker was. Well, I told him it was on the back of my car, like it has been for months. When I got off work, I checked my bumper, and the sticker was gone. I was so upset. It isn't the missing bumper sticker that I was upset about. It can easily be replaced. It was the fact that someone decided they could go up to my car, rip off my bumper sticker, and take away my freedom to express my support for a certain person. Just because someone doesn't agree with who I choose to support, that certainly does not give them the right to try to take my support away, or at least to shut it up. I have the right to put that bumper sticker on my car and no one but me has the right to take it off. I am also not the only person that this has happened to. One of the teachers at my school had an Obama yard sign. Someone took it down, ran over it with their bike, and put it back in a different location. My grandfather also had his bumper sticker torn off his car. I just don't understand why people think that they have the right to take away our freedom of speech. I don't understand why they think their opinion is worth more than my opinion, or my teacher's opinion, or my grandfather's opinion. Now, while people feel strongly towards certain candidates (I completely understand this, being a huge Obama fan myself), they should no express their feelings in this way. If they want to change my opinion, they should try it in a way that would make me actually respect their opinion.

Racism in this Election--Brienne

I have been shocked and appalled these last few weeks to discover how racist many of the people around me are. In my world, skin color doesn't matter. In my world, religion doesn't matter. In my world, gender doesn't matter. Apparently I am alone in my world. I have been talking to many people about the election, who people want to vote for, and who I want to vote for. When I tell some people that I plan on voting for Obama, they gasp and ask me how on earth I could vote for him. When I ask why I shouldn't, they tell me straight up because he is black. I had no idea people still felt this way and believed these things. It is pure nonsense that someone who is of a different race is incapable of leading a country purely based on the fact that he is of a different race. In fact, one of my friends asked me why I wouldn't want a true American to serve in office. He said he was voting for the "normal" candidate, meaning McCain. We are no longer friends. I just couldn't believe that someone would actually say those words. It seems impossible to me to have so much hatred toward someone just because of their race. It is ludicrous and I thought by now we, as a country, would have gotten past that. I thought that we, as a country, would be able to vote for the person best suited to run our country. I thought that by now we, as a country, would be able to see that a person’s race does not affect his or her ability to act. I thought wrong.

Obama Rally--Brienne

Today Benjamin McKenzie came to Transylvania University and spoke on behalf of Barack Obama. He talked about all different topics, ranging from the way he grew up politically to why he feels Barack Obama is the best candidate. He did his best to answer question regarding the policies of Obama, and he admitted that he would not be able to answer every question. Basically, he showed he strong subjects as well as his weak ones. Now, as I said in my last blog, I feel that the entertainment industry and politics should remain separate. However, these are the kind of people that the candidates should have campaigning for them. I don't mean celebrities, but people who will share what they know and how they feel, as you cannot see that in many politicians. They should have people who will answer questions but be laid back and relaxed. Most politicians are very uptight and have to be extremely careful about what they say. However, their campaigners do not. They can treat people normally. They can talk to them on an equal level. Many times, if politicians try to relate to their voters, they get punished for it by their competitors. Take Barack Obama for example. A few weeks ago in Pennsylvania, Obama tried to relate to his voters by saying that they weren't happy with their current situation. He said many past presidential nominees have promised to help them, but none of them have and he hoped to be the one to change it. Then Hillary came out saying that the were not upset and that Obama was out of touch with the voters. All Obama was trying to do was to be on the same level as his voters and in turn, he got punished. This is why they need people to campaign for them. They need people who can say the things that need to be said without having to say them themselves. I felt after this Benjamin McKenzie experience that this is what he did. He related to the everyday voters, which should be the goal of all the presidential candidates out there.

Hollywood versus Politics--Brienne

Tomorrow Benjamin McKenzie (The O.C.) is going to speak on behalf of Barack Obama at Transylvania University in Lexington. This is an event that I am very excited about. This is also an example of how politics and entertainment are coming together in this election. For many, many years politics and Hollywood have been coming together. It seems like each presidential election brings them closer together. Last election, MTV created Rock the Vote, which inspired young people all over the country to go vote in the election. This year, you can't help but see the music videos campaigning for different candidates. You see all sorts of movie and T.V. stars picking and endorsing candidates. You have to ask yourself, though, if this is a good thing. Rock the Vote, in my opinion, was an excellent idea. It did not have a party preference, it just got the idea out there that people have the right to vote and they should use that right. However, I feel that with the entertainment industry and politics collide, people stop voting on issues and start voting for who their favorite T.V. character endorses. While it might be a good eye opener to people who don't necessarily care for politics, those people more than likely aren't educated in the positions the politicians take of different topics. People tend to focus on non-issues like what Reverend White thinks. By focusing on the celebrity side of politics, voters are making uninformed decisions, on decisions that will effect the entire world! While I agree that it is a good thing that people are aware that their vote does count, they shouldn't base their vote on the vote of another person. If I were a celebrity, I would want to use my celebrity status to inform people of the issues at hand, which is what Benjamin McKenzie will do, but I am also sure that he will try to persuade people to vote for the person that he supports, which is Barack Obama. These are very difficult ideas to balance, and I hope that the industries don't collide in a harmful way in the future.

Obama Controversy--Brienne

Ally basically said it all in her last post. Our first amendment right gives us the freedom of religion. That is the bottom line. It shouldn't matter if Obama is Muslim, which he isn't. He would still be the best candidate in my eyes, even if he wasn't Christian. I will never vote for someone based on their religious denomination. People say that because his father was a NON PRACTICING Muslim, Obama must be a devout Muslim and therefore cannot be the president of the United States. However, Obama is not a Muslim, so this is a moot point. He is a Christian and has been one for years. Let me ask you this: how many of you believe every word that comes out of your religious leader's mouth? How many of you will blindly follow what your religious leader says? How many of you have absolutely no questions whatsoever regarding your religion? The answer is, or at least should be, none of you. Everyone disagrees at one point or another with something your priest or pastor says. If you deny this, you are lying, which, let me point out, is a sin. Obama should not be penalized for the things that his pastor is saying. This is an unfair comparison. He has said time and time again that he does not agree with the crazy things coming out of Reverend Wright's mouth. Obama is not on the same page as he is and people need to stop associating Obama with him.