Discussion Post #2

Alex A. Per. 5

It appears that Obama's platform is based on the word change while McCain's main concern in choice of words is Taxes, Business, Change and God. Obama seems to be putting out a message that America needs change in the economy (another word used a lot in the convention) and other areas of government. But overall the focus of the Obama Biden campaign is change in everything: new president, new economy, new energy sources, and health care. It also appeared that they mentioned McCain a lot. Did that steal focus away from there campaign? Maybe the said his name an awful lot. While on the other hand McCain mentioned Obama very little. But the most used words were business related and religion related. What came to me as such a surprise was that the republican convention talked about God so much, the most used word at 43 times. Even at the democratic convention the word God was mentioned 22 times. But should a politician be even talking about religion. My guess is no, unless it is a simple God bless America. Government has no room for religion unfortunately. Back in the time of the founding fathers, England was ruled by the evil George III who claimed in divine right. The founding fathers did not like this and believed that religion in Government was not to be had. This was because if you were not a christian, as was the king, you were not heard and you were often useless. Thats why the founding fathers believed that in a government without religion. But if you take the word out of the matrix of the republican convention you are left with the bear essentials. They were on topic and didnt talk too much other the other campaign, just what they were concerned with... that and hockey moms which Sarah Palin said three times out of the four times.

It seems to me that Obama spoke a lot about change in his speaches but he never really said how he is going to make these so called changes a reality. He also said McCain a lot in his speeches which also means he talked a lot about his opponents politics than what he as a president is going to do. He also said Bush's name a lot which means he spends a lot of time bad mouthing the president when he needs to talk about his own politics. He needs to learn he is running against John McCain not George Bush. McCain spoke about change also but he backed up what he was going to change and how he was going to do it. Also McCain did not talk about Obama to much because he was actually talking about his own ideas. I believe the Obama's campaign is all about trying to change the government completely and the McCain campaign is about whats good for our country.

It seems to me that Obama spoke a lot about change in his speaches but he never really said how he is going to make these so called changes a reality. He also said McCain a lot in his speeches which also means he talked a lot about his opponents politics than what he as a president is going to do. He also said Bush's name a lot which means he spends a lot of time bad mouthing the president when he needs to talk about his own politics. He needs to learn he is running against John McCain not George Bush. McCain spoke about change also but he backed up what he was going to change and how he was going to do it. Also McCain did not talk about Obama to much because he was actually talking about his own ideas. I believe the Obama's campaign is all about trying to change the government completely and the McCain campaign is about whats good for our country.

Alex A. Per 5

I agree with what Nick is saying about Obama and is discussions about change and the president. Talking about the other candidate and their politics is not what he is there to do, which is to talk about himself. Although i disagree with Nick when he says "He needs to learn he is running against John McCain not George Bush." Although this is true, the speech John McCain made was very similar to the one that George Bush made back in 2000, even ending on the same line "I would like to thank_____" (insert John McCain or George Bush) Both Bush and McCain said very similar things in their speeches and support a lot of the same ideals, which is ironic because earlier in Bush's term McCain almost disagreed with everything Bush stood for, such as the war, taxes, and even approval. Many people now say, McCain is the extension of Bush. When Obama talks about President Bush, he is rather attacking both men than just one because of their stances on politics. Although this is special and all, Obama was off topic, discussing the other candidate and the president, which effectively took away from his message.

Change, something that Obama and Biden both focus on mainly. Why not though? Being a Democrat and having a president as a Republican, of course they believe we need change. If the Republican Party stated that we needed a large change, then they would only hurt themselves, stating that the Republican Party doesn't know what they truly want. With the conventions over, we now see what our two candidates want as becoming president. Obama wants more of a change in our energy than McCain. He believes we should wean ourselves off of imported oil and stop drilling in Alaska but instead explore along the coast. On the other hand, McCain states he will spend at least two billion dollars a year to clean our coal technology. Yet the amount of energy used to clean coals is extremely expensive, so two billion dollars, would it work for just one year? Obama being president would give us more of a change that our economy needs now days. He focuses more on our health care, jobs, Iran, economy, and energy. Other than McCain who seems to only focus with religion, business, and taxes it doesn’t seem right. If we as the United States want a change, McCain is not one to look to. Let’s take a look at what they represent though, not what their main focus is. Obama is Pro Choice, he believes that we as humans have the right to make our own decisions in abortion and that the government should not have the right to interfere with our choices. On the other hand, McCain and Palin are Pro Life, meaning they are against abortions and believe government does have the right to step in and make our decisions. Some say this should happen and others say that our government is slowly taking our rights away. I agree with Obama. The fact that our government should intefere with our decisions is nonsence.

Change, something that Obama and Biden both focus on mainly. Why not though? Being a Democrat and having a president as a Republican, of course they believe we need change. If the Republican Party stated that we needed a large change, then they would only hurt themselves, stating that the Republican Party doesn't know what they truly want. With the conventions over, we now see what our two candidates want as becoming president. Obama wants more of a change in our energy than McCain. He believes we should wean ourselves off of imported oil and stop drilling in Alaska but instead explore along the coast. On the other hand, McCain states he will spend at least two billion dollars a year to clean our coal technology. Yet the amount of energy used to clean coals is extremely expensive, so two billion dollars, would it work for just one year? Obama being president would give us more of a change that our economy needs now days. He focuses more on our health care, jobs, Iran, economy, and energy. Other than McCain who seems to only focus with religion, business, and taxes it doesn’t seem right. If we as the United States want a change, McCain is not one to look to. Let’s take a look at what they represent though, not what their main focus is. Obama is Pro Choice, he believes that we as humans have the right to make our own decisions in abortion and that the government should not have the right to interfere with our choices. On the other hand, McCain and Palin are Pro Life, meaning they are against abortions and believe government does have the right to step in and make our decisions. Some say this should happen and others say that our government is slowly taking our rights away. I agree with Obama. The fact our government could intefere with our decisions, is nonsence.

Obama seams to focus more on his opponents than on what he is actually going to change.

The republicans seem to focus on "God", he we are one nation under god, taxes, and business. The success of our businesses and the decrease in taxes our one of the few things that can help bring us out of this economic slump.

The rest of the republican's speech seemed to cover equally war, energy, reform, healthcare, and economy.

The democrats barely mentioned business taxes or the war.

In the republican speeches they seemed to cover who they were, what they planned to do, and what experience they had. While they hgad a couple comments about their oppnents, they did not spend a lot of time discussing them.

I disagree with Shannon. Exactly how is Obama going to change our energy crisis? McCain wants to make America energy independent and he has a way to do it. He supports the construction of over fifty nuclear reactors, which is the cleanest way to produce energy, increased research into alt. fuels, and drilling, since there is absolutely no way to instantly go alt. fuel. Especially not with all of america using petrol. If we ever start using electric cars, we would need a massive increase in the production of electricity, the best way to provide that would be nuclear. All I've heard Obama suggest is that we should all carry tire gages, now that's change.

How is socialized health care going to help anybody. Obama wants to have a bigger welfare government. Somehow I don't think have the government subsidize everone's healthcare is going to lessen how much we are spending.

Anyhow, prolife means we are going to stop the murder of millions of babies each year, babies are innocent, and a life is a life. Just look towards Gov. Palin's example.

Democrats, mostly Obama and Biden, focus on the word "change" and their opponent's name. Obviously, they are trying to change Bush's current republican concepts into their democratic concept. It appears that they are trying to reach out to those people who doesn't like both McCain and Republican party by continuously mentioning the name and striking the people in that party. The Democrats also implies the word "health care" a lot, which refers to the equality of health care that will be provided.

On the other hand, the Republicans focus on God, taxes, and business. According to the chart, it's obvious that McCain is a very religious person because he says the word "God" many times. The word taxes are also mentioned a lot because of the fact that Repuclicans will set a relatively lower taxes than the Democrats because their concept is: every man for themselves. The Republican also mentioned businesses a lot and I think they are trying to get the vote of business people.

In conclusion, the message the Democratic candidates are trying to send is that there will be significant changes for those who does not like the current government. The message of the Republican candidate is that we will have better businesses and economy and lower taxes if they are elected.

I agree with Kyle Upton and Alexa A. Obama is too focused on his opponents that he went off topic. He should be more concerned about what, why, and how he is going to improve everything. Kyle is also right about the fact that the Republicans are better organized in their speech. They cover all the important topics evenly. Although, I disagree with what Kyle mentioned about the nuclear power plant being a good source of energy. Nuclear energy is not safe, in fact even a small accident can cause a massive destruction. Besides, a nuclear power plant is nowhere near cheap. This will probably cause an increase of taxes, especially with the combined cost of war. This will not be good for our economy. I also agree with Alexa on the matter of a politician mentioning God too many times. I believe that this may impairs his decision to be just to those who doesn't believe in God or believing different Gods.

Alex A. Per. 5

I disagree with Sean on two levels. One my name is not Alexa as he has mistakenly posted. Two, although the nuclear power plants are expensive they will pay for themselves in the long run. The will reduce air pollutants because the only thing that it emits is water vapor from the cooling towers. Also we have made great strides in Nuclear energy and have developed ways to keep the plants safe and the radioactive waste separate from the environment in the event of a meltdown. It is a common misconception that Nuclear plants are dangerous, mainly because of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Chernobyl was cause because it was not properly maintained and a "bad" reactor was being used, one that is different from todays new models. France is almost self reliant of their nuclear energy so much so that they even export power to other countries. By doing this, they make bank selling their energy resources. If America were to do the same the long term effects will help our country greatly, and possibly replace petrol all together.

Obama is more focused on the change factor alot like Alex said and this is a good to form your speech around. On the other side McCain doesnt revolve around change he has more of an overall speech focusing on alot of factors not making any of them specific. This is why obama is kinda looking forward into the future and McCain wants to keep most of things how they are. The two candidates are trying to prove they are the right one to be president but consistency throughout the campaign is a pretty big factor. In my opinion McCain had a more rounded speech in influencial words

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Obama and the democrats definately are trying to find ways to bash the republicans, Mccain, and Bush's terms, they also like to focus on the word "CHANGE" being that they are liberals. you can tell that Obama and the democrats are looking for the change in the economy, the war, jobs, busineses, healthcare, etc. I believe that Obama and the democrat's message is to alter the country in a way that the country would be better off than it is now. Mccain and the Republicans focus on reforming the state of the us also, however, you can tell that they are only focusing on improving and not total change like the democrats. They are also focusing on Taxes believing that taxes are a huge important factor on our economy which they are.

Overall, the democrats and Obama focus on a new governement than the one right now while Mccain and the republicans are focusing on conserving the same state of the us but improving some things here and there.

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I also agree with Kyle Upton, Sean S, and Alex A. The Democrats use bashs to try to persuade the people that our current state is no good and that there must be change! The republicans are focusing on God and the businesse of america that could effect our taxes. I have to disagree with Sean S and Alex A on the fact that the Republicans are mentioning God too much. Even though some of the audience do not believe in God, you must understand God is a HUGE factor in our country even though we have freedom of religion. I dont think that it will impair them that much. Also we must consider the fact that our forefathers wrote the constitution and most of them believed in God, I mean we even say one nation, under God during the pledge of alleigance. Overall i dont think that this will affect them too much if people can see that the republicans are just trying to conserve america's original state

- These charts are very interesting.

- Many of you seem to be attacking the facts about 'attack'- How Obama has been attacking his opponents directly. Have you all not been watching every commercial from McCain though? Every commercial attacks Obama Directly. These two aren't very different.

- - - I can assume that McCain may not have talked about Obama as much in the conventions because of all the 'Obama' name usage already in his propaganda. Avoiding more overuse of it would have been intelligent so he could both prevent and cause exactly what you all are doing right now: Attacking Obama and Defending Himself; from the turn-out. -{Just a prediction}
- Just for fun, I totaled up the 'Number of Times' specifically Obama v. McCain 'Used the Following Words or Phrases' [second chart] at the political conventions, though I excluded 'Opponents Name', 'Vice President', 'Bush', and 'Cheney'. This is the number of times they [Just they] used those words or phrases listed, though now talking about everything else, get?=
- - - Obama: 83
- - - McCain: 69
- Hm, to me those results are somewhat interesting.

- I agree with Shannon P. when it comes to ProChoice over ProLife.
- - - Really think about abortion. If a woman was terribly raped, impregnated, and had an entire future ahead of her, would it truly be fair for her to give up her entire life to raise a child if she didn't want to? Yes, I suppose she could go through the pregnancy, then to give the child up for adoption, but what if she was in a position where she was about to head strait off to college? She possibly could lose her acceptance, therefore she still would lose that chance, destroying her future. She's innocence too. - That's just not fair.

It would appear to me that Obama and Biden (the whole democratic campaign actually) are reading the anger and fear in Americans and responding with this word "Change". I hate that word. I always have, but it's only been strenghtened by those annoying signs and sayings the democrates throw out there. How are you going to change anything Barack Obama? You want the troops out? That'll take 6 months. 6 months to undue 7 years of work. How incredibly pointless that seems to appease fickle Americans. George Bush is a hero for taking the bad rap just to ensure safety for the American citizens the way the coward of a man, Bill Clinton, was unable to do. John McCain, once elected, will be a hero for following in his footsteps. McCain is so very different than Bush so the comparison has grown tiresome, I only wish McCain was more like Bush. But I'll work with that I'm given, and from the Republican convention you can see who the mature party is. The party that doesn't use their opponent's name a million times in their arguments, but establishes how they're going to make a difference. There isn't one word McCain used way more than that rest, and that's because he's focusing on all the issues. He's saying what he's actually going to do across the board, not throwing around the word "change" and attacking his opponent. McCain may be old, but he certainly brought wisdom with him.

In response to Alex, your assumption on religion being used in the Republian national convention is inaccurate. Religion wasn't used. Had you watched or read John McCain's speech you would have seen his use of the word "God" in a different light. "I don't mind a good fight. For reasons known only to God, I've had quite a few tough ones in my life." "We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential from the boy whose descendents arrived on the Mayflower to the Latina daughter of migrant workers. We're all God's children and we're all Americans." "I've been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I have been her servant first, last and always. And I've never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I didn't thank God for the privilege." "My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God." "I'm going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I'm an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me." "Thank you, and God Bless you and God bless America." You can hardly call John McCain's use of the word "God" something that goes against the founding fathers' beliefs, Alex. I admire him for being the Christian that he is. I definitely agree with Sam here.

In response to Caitlin and Shannon, I believe the one acceptable instance of abortion would be if the woman was raped. This is because she would have to deal with the trauma everyday and the mental effect could be catastrophic. However, if she was about to go to college, oh well. First, I highly doubt she would lose her acceptance. But second, you make a mistake, you deal with the consequences. Think of any other mistake you make in your life, can you just have it undone for you? If you murder someone can you just skip out on the consequences? No, of course not, how do you learn? If you don't want a child, sacrifice yourself for nine months and give it to a desperate family. Why should an innocent baby have to suffer? Some people use abortion as birth control. That's the sickest thing I've ever heard. Clearly you can't make abortion illegal (newborn babies would be killed and inexperienced people would be performing opperations) but I think you have to be morally screwed up to make the choice on another's life like that.

Looking at the link given and seeing the words they've spoken I can't help but think that why we care so much about the things these people do! I totally understand that these people are the future people governing America and I'm one of those people that really pays attention to it all but to think about all these issues. The men/women that have run for president are OBVIOUSLY qualified or else they wouldn't be elected to run. People repeatedly bash Bush but think about the situation he was in, regardless of what he did 9/11 was going to happen. Given he did have HUGE aid in leading to our current economic depression i don't think anyone my age couldn't have done much better. So I think we should still vote and it should be an informed vote but why disect these people to their core? as long as you feel educated about your vote and you DO actually vote leave the debating to them.

No, I did not watch everything that each candidate said, so what Im going to say is my assumption of what was said. On the Democratic side, I think that a big thing with them was telling the people the negative side to the Republican party. Talking about McCain, Iraq and Bush a lot, other than the obvious energy and change, really showed how much they complained about them, and their threat to the people of "four more years". I think the message from the Republicans was that lower taxes and more support for businesses will eventually make the economy better regardless of the fact that we are in an economic slump with a republican president currently. However, I do think that the Republicans have more of an idea of what their plans are going to be for the future while the democrats only dwell on the past and how bad its been and how they want to change it. The question is how will they go about that specifically.

No, I did not watch everything that each candidate said, so what Im going to say is my assumption of what was said. On the Democratic side, I think that a big thing with them was telling the people the negative side to the Republican party. Talking about McCain, Iraq and Bush a lot, other than the obvious energy and change, really showed how much they complained about them, and their threat to the people of "four more years". I think the message from the Republicans was that lower taxes and more support for businesses will eventually make the economy better regardless of the fact that we are in an economic slump with a republican president currently. However, I do think that the Republicans have more of an idea of what their plans are going to be for the future while the democrats only dwell on the past and how bad its been and how they want to change it. The question is how will they go about that specifically.

No, I did not watch everything that each candidate said, so what Im going to say is my assumption of what was said. On the Democratic side, I think that a big thing with them was telling the people the negative side to the Republican party. Talking about McCain, Iraq and Bush a lot, other than the obvious energy and change, really showed how much they complained about them, and their threat to the people of "four more years". I think the message from the Republicans was that lower taxes and more support for businesses will eventually make the economy better regardless of the fact that we are in an economic slump with a republican president currently. However, I do think that the Republicans have more of an idea of what their plans are going to be for the future while the democrats only dwell on the past and how bad its been and how they want to change it. The question is how will they go about that specifically.

SORRY! :)

Despite what i said and in order to get a full grade :P i'm going to have to agree with Kyle Upton. We do see a definite difference in what the two opponents are saying about each other/America. We can only base our votes and our judgments off of the information presented to us as citizens. We can't see the candidates in their private lives or what they decided to do before choosing to try and become America's next president but what we can do is see what kind of person we have representing us not only by what they want to do when in office but what information they are willing to release, which we've seen the Republican party revealing much and the Democratic party close to none.

The conventions are over, and now it is time to make a choice for America. First of all, when you look over the word count chart in the link shown above, you can clearly see the Barack Obama needs to stop focusing on the other campaign of John McCain and Sarah Palin and start focusing on his own. Barack Obama bases his ENTIRE campaign around "change," "change," and oh, more "change." First of all, what does Obama think he is going to change? Instead of attacking John McCain, he needs to figure out how he is going to change the things he wants to change. John McCain, in his speech, spouted off statistics and EXACT numbers to back up the things he was saying. Barack Obama did not. Obama surrounded himself with styrofoam Greek pillars and gave a typical charasmatic democratic speech, appealing to the people with words of change but not really backing up what resources he wants to use to make these changes happen. Another thing, Obama is not running against President Bush. He needs to stop bringing up a "failed Bush administration" because not only is it making him look petty, but it's also pointless. George W. Bush has kept this country safe of Islamic Jihads who are extreme terrorists for eight years. He has captured Saddam Hussien and either killed or severly immobilized Osama bin Laden. I would be lying if I said Al Gore would have done better had he been elected.

I agree with Ariel L. on the fact that they are so ignorant to the fact that not every republican is Bush. Yes there is a lot of ideology that comes with the party but i'm sure that McCain is aware of the current situation in our country and obviously wants to do whats best for us and make it better than it is now. So I would bet that John will try to learn from the mistakes that Bush made and do the best he can to wisely do what needs to be done. Also, it is true that McCain IS focusing on the issues, which are more than just changing the country. I'm pretty sure that he knows what hes doing.

And Hannah D, I totally agree with you! Just wondering how Obama would be at keeping this country safe, when McCain has so much experience in the matter. And, oh yeah, an actual plan to do so!

Barak Obama's whole campaign is about change and he used that word repetitivly throughout the whole convention. He emphasized how he will provide every American with quality health insurance, withdrawing American troops from Iraq,jobs for all of the unemployed, energy matters etc. I didn't catch the Republic convention, but Mccain's focus is mainly about keeping the government similar to the way it is now.He has had many years of experience in the military so he claims he knows what needs to be done in terms of how to fight off terrorism and any harm to the country.
Obviously since Obama's main focus is "change" he is planning on changing the government around where Mccain is hoping to keep the government, but tweak it the way he thinks is right.

I find it not surprising at all the words and the messages that were spoken at both conventions. There is a reason they name each convention with the party's name. There is also a direct correlation between what was said by each of the candidates and each of their party's beliefs. I can also see that each of the candidates are hitting home the topics that they think will win them the presidency. Obama is obviously an advocate for change considering the fact a change in party would be huge. McCain is trying to go off of fixing problems that are going on right now.

It seems as if the Republicans are more focused on the factor of change. Each of the most used words, including the word "change", are some of the biggest problems the U.S. wants to fix. An example would be energy. Not only is it a big problem in the country, but it still focuses around the area that we need to change our fuel source. The Democrats seem to be more focused on religion for some reason. Although religion is a big part of society, it doesn't necesarily mean it is going to fix our problems when the Democrats want to physically change the problems. Another thing I want to point out is how the Republicans, mainly Obama, used their opponents names so many times. This seems to show that they are afraid of their oppenents and using their name helps to get the point out that THEY are the ones who don't need to win.

At the top i agree with alex on the fact that obama did mention McCain alot was what i believe as a bad thing because it took away from him. But also another big thing was change which is needed but i dont think it is needed as much as he is saying that it needs it. I also think that although McCain still has some work to do, mentioning god that much, he still has a lot of work to do but he is stepping in the right direction. The amount of change that he wants is perfect i think.

I just realized I mixed up Democrats and Rupublicans so that is why my comment may make no sense. But in response to Trevor S, I agree. Each candidate really is focusing on the areas that will get them elected president with McCain looking at the present and Obama looking towards the future. I also agree on the fact that a change of party would be huge. I think it might possibly be what this country needs to straighten itself out.

I just realized I mixed up Democrats and Rupublicans so that is why my comment may make no sense. But in response to Trevor S, I agree. Each candidate really is focusing on the areas that will get them elected president with McCain looking at the present and Obama looking towards the future. I also agree on the fact that a change of party would be huge. I think it might possibly be what this country needs to straighten itself out.

I just realized I mixed up Democrats and Rupublicans so that is why my comment may make no sense. But in response to Trevor S, I agree. Each candidate really is focusing on the areas that will get them elected president with McCain looking at the present and Obama looking towards the future. I also agree on the fact that a change of party would be huge. I think it might possibly be what this country needs to straighten itself out.

I just realized I mixed up Democrats and Rupublicans so that is why my first comment may make no sense. But in response to Trevor S, I agree. Each candidate really is focusing on the areas that will get them elected president with McCain looking at the present and Obama looking towards the future. I also agree on the fact that a change of party would be huge. I think it might possibly be what this country needs to straighten itself out.

I liked how Obama says in one of his speeches, "America is the greatest country in the world, lets change it."

I agree with Ariel, there are exceptions to the prolife system, but they should be few. And, I would be worried if our president wasn't christian, christian values are what created this great nation.

Regarding nuclear power, modern nuclear powerplants are very difficult for terrorists to attack, the concrete on the towers are so thick that only a plane could do damage. If something went wrong inside they are designed so that nothing is relased, everything is completely internalized, and lastly the cheapness of the energy produced would allow the plants to become profitable in a number of years.

Does anybody realize that Obama actually never voted on any issues while he was in congress he voted "Here" over 130 times. He's not even a waffler, he has never taken a stand on any issues. I think the last thing we need is someone who has done nothing for so many years. And in his speech it would have been nice if he had said less about Bush and more about his policies. That's my two cents.

In response to Hannah, I have some numbers for you of things that would CHANGE (what Barack Obama was talking about) with a democratic president.

6% unemployment rate (highest it's been in 20 years)

53 TRILLION dollars in American debt which was at 5.7 trillion after the Clinton Association. The debt has gone up almost 10 times since Bush and the republicans have been in office!

605,000 American jobs lost in the last 8 monthes

McCain wants to do more of what Bush did with the 200 billion in tax cuts to big corperations and oil companies

Most of the wealth in America today is in the top two percent of the country thanks to the republicans in office right now

4155 American lives that were sarificed in the ongoing war that seemingly has no end.

Is Bin Laden as you say killed or severly immobilized? I never saw any proof of that being true..

Did anyone else notice how the fact that Sarah Palin's pregnant 17 year old daughter got more publicity than the Republican National Convention? As much as I think this is wrong of our media, the truth is that the pregnant daughter had much more publicity and media then the convention did. Does that say anything to anyone?
In response to Brianna B. : Our country is safe and Obama won't do a good job at keeping it this way? I guess the number of American lives who were killed in Iraq (4155) means us Americans are safe. Oh and I think Obama will do better than 4155.

Oh, and Obama is Christian. Doesn't anyone remember the drama with his priest that went on a few monthes ago?

Sorry for getting your name wrong twice Alex. I was only scanning through the names and didn't quite get yours right. I disagree with what you said about nuclear power plant being safe. If we were to build 50 of them and place them near cities, then terrorrists will probably make those power plants their next target. It's probably harder to jack an airplane and crash it into a building than to drive a truck and crash it into a power plant. The result would be devastating.

Alot with what Barack says about change is good and all, but rather than saying change, one needs to make change. It seems as though barack spent alot using other peoples names rather than what he himself could do better. McCain didnt seem to critisize Barack nearly as much as Barack said about McCain. Barack brought up numerous past events and people. He needs to start talking of the now, not the past. McCain is seemed as though stayed pretty prominent and mellow with things he supports. He wasnt extreme in any specific area. He was average throughout it all, which in a way can be something bad. One needs mmotives to run for president. But thats all ive got to say.

Obama likes to talk about change. He is not talking about an economic change, he is talking about a change in president. Obama used McCain's name and Bush's name more times in his speech than anything else that came out of his mouth. He only wants what is best for him and he is not so concerned about the country. He mentioned "hurricane" 1 time. Apparently he didn't think Louisiana was an important issue, even though they still have not recovered from Katrina and they just got hit with another hurricane. Another thing Obama talks about a lot is Iraq and war, except he has no military experience whatsoever, other than cops and robbers at age 6.
McCain, on the other hand, is not putting himself in the spotlight. he mentions nothing about the next presidential term, and hardly ever talks about Obama or Bush. McCain's focus was on different topics, and apparently he looked to God for all his help, because "God" was used a lot.

Brice and Shannon are right, but I disagree with them. Obama is looking towards the future of the country, McCain didn't mention much about our future. But Obama's focus on change wasn't necessarily a change in our gas prices, or a change the type of cars we drive. He is only concerned about him being the president, and bashing the republicans.

I disagree with what Sean S said about nuclear power plants. I think that even though they could possibly be targets when placed by large cities, the government will think of this before terrorists do. This is why nuclear power plants, much like the one in Arizona, are built far away from the cities to prevent possible damage if attacked or if it melts down. They are also built thick and strong to possibly prevent attacks made on them.

From the words spoken I can see that the Democrats were very attacking of their opposition. It appears that all they do is talk about what their opponent does wrong and how "you dont want that" I think that they should focus more time on getting what they are going to do if they become elected instead of focusing of what their opponent is/ is not going to do. Also i thought that it was very interesting that Joe Biden talked about Change more than Barack, when Change was Barack's whole outlook for the Campaign

I agree with Brianna B. I think that McCain has a more definate plan than Obama does currently. I think that either canidate would be able to solve the situation that we are currently in but i think that McCain has a better idea about the war. I believe that going into Iraq was a bad idea but now that we are there i believe that we need to stay there and do whats right for the Iraqui people. Yes i know that its not our job to be there but i believe that if we pull out things are just going to get worse and it would be a waisted 5 years and billions of tax payer dollars. I think that McCain's strategy about how to handle the war. I think that we should leave the people who are educated upon the subject make the decision about it. Meaning the The Millitary Commanders. They know the situation there better than anyone. We only see what the Media wants us to see but the Soldiers see what is real. They see all of the improvement that is happening, they see all the hardship that the people of Iraq are dealing with and they believe that they can help them. I think that this is the best strategy to deal with the issue

Alex A. Period 5

I know i already have the required 3 entries but i would like to say that i agree Ariel, you are mistaken on what i am trying to say. Im saying that it is inappropriate to discuss God, as a religious authority for our nation, not that the republican convention was saying that. Like i said if they said it as in God bless america, then thats cool. but i mean as in, God will control america, thats unacceptable. I myself am a christian but i realize that there are many people in this nation that are not so. This nation was built upon the right to have the freedom of religion, and i believe that if you have christianity ruling and dictating the government, it isn't fair to those who come here so that can not be controlled by single religion. So believe the two should stay separate, like my peas and carrots.

Alex A. Period 5

I know i already have the required 3 entries but i would like to say that Ariel, you are mistaken on what i am trying to say. Im saying that it is inappropriate to discuss God, as a religious authority for our nation, not that the republican convention was saying that. Like i said if they said it as in God bless america, then thats cool. but i mean as in, God will control america, thats unacceptable. I myself am a christian but i realize that there are many people in this nation that are not so. This nation was built upon the right to have the freedom of religion, and i believe that if you have christianity ruling and dictating the government, it isn't fair to those who come here so that can not be controlled by single religion. So believe the two should stay separate, like my peas and carrots.

Kenny D. Pr 6

After viewing the conventions I have made a better understanding of both parties. I was on Obama's side intill i watch McCains speech. Like Nick Y. says, Obama speaks of better change of america, but never breaks it down to us of how and what we will benfit out of it?
Isn't that what your supposed to talk about in conventions??? Also Obama seems to be running against Bush b/c he mentions president Bush more than the other candidate running, McCain. Its almost as if he just trying to get the Bush haters on his side for more votes, and anyone with half a brain can do that. Both Obama and Mcain want change for the US but from what I have seen and heard so far, sounds as if McCain would do a better job. Although I do not support some of ideas of McCain but I belive he is a better candient for 2008.

First, I want to disagree with Billy's first statement about the candidates being qualified. I know we want to think the Democrates wouldn't nominate a man that was as underqualified as Barack Obama, but they have. Obama began running for president before he was Senator for even one full term. I thought it was a joke. People nominated him because they don't know anything about him. He hasn't had a chance to screw up yet... But he will. Yeah, he isn't a flip-flopper, but that's because (as Kyle Upton and Rudy Giuliani pointed out) Obama simply voted "present". Sounds like he has his mind made up alright. I would much rather trust a man with this country that actually knows this country and has made decisions for this country and has sacrified for this country. Second, I would like to disagree with Trevor. You say Obama will do better than the 4155 men in Iraq, that's because he's going to pull out of Iraq. That's not saving people, that's being a coward. The men fighting in Iraq aren't forced to be there, they volunteered because they believe in what this country stands for and is fighting for. That's honorable and it would be a disgrace to take away all their hard work. I'm not saying I don't sympathize, I pray for those men every night and still cry every time I hear "If You're Reading This", but I see the bigger issue. Finally, I want to disagree with Alex... again. McCain never said "God will control America", so I don't know where you pulled that one from. However, this nation was founded upon Christian ideals, and we need a Christian to lead our country. I don't dislike other religions, but I disagree with them, and I think him voicing that he's a Christian is perfectly acceptable. So go ahead and keep your "peas and carrots separate", but I'm going to continue to think highly of McCain for being an honorable Christian, not a guy that has a psychotic priest and denies knowing anything about his racist beliefs.....

I would have to agree with hannah to some extent. I think that she is taking it a little bit over board. He needs to stop focusing on his opponent so much this would help him a little more. Change is also an important factor in which Obama focuses his campaign around but it seems like there will be way to much change for the american people to handle. We need someone who wants change in small intervals who can lead the people but not change the american ways. I think in McCain speech he talks in a way that is more well rounded. I believe McCain would make a better candient even though i don't support him 100%.

Alex Ashton Per 5

again Ariel i never said that the republican convention said that God will control america.. im saying it would be inappropriate for any politician to say something along those lines. and what christian values was america founded on? im still confused on that cuz last time i checked the founding fathers wanted freedom from religious ideals in government. They wanted the farthest from a Religiously ruled Britain... i think highly of McCain too because he is a christian.. again i repeat.. i never said that the republican convention said God will control the nation.. im saying that if they used God in that manner that discriminated against those who do not believe in God. then that would be inappropriate.. im not bad mouthing an Republicans remember i am a republican...

I agree with Trevor completely. What you guys seem not to remember is that McCanin has ran for president two times prior to today, and he lost every time by fellow Republicans stating that he was too old, too out of touch, and really did not connect with the people. He tried running for president two times then and wasn't good enough, and when running against Bush, he wasn't chosen because everyone saw President Bush better, but look how wonderful of a person he came out to be? What has happened to our society? Why all the sudden is McCain worthy enough to become president but the two other times he was not. How can he change over twelve years? The fact that having President Bush, a republican as our president, our society has gone down more than it has in a long time. Our unemployment which is the highest rate in twenty years and same with our debt in America. It used to be three trillion before president Bush came into power, but it has now tripled and is up to nine trillion dollars. If Bush was better than McCanin then and this is what Bush did to our country, how can McCanin be any better?

Ariel,
I think the whole country cries everytime we hear that song. I think that a victory in Iraq is nessicary as does the democratic nominee. But what exactly is victory? The people in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East have been fighting and killing for centuries. Do we think we can stop that now? America being in the Middle East has created more hate twards our country than anything we as a country have ever done before. I think we are breeding a monster of hate twards this country by being over there. I am just wondering how many American lives it is going to take in order to get this train to stop.
Did you see the movie "The Kingdom"? If not, definatly see it, great movie. If so think about the part at the end of the movie how Jamie Fox's charactor tells Jennifer Gardner's charactor what he said in the beginning of the movie and how the terrorist told his son the same thing.
Also, noone is taking anything away from McCain, we just think Obama would be a better president.

From the words spoken it seems as though the democrats focus on issues that better the nation as a whole where as republicans tend to focus on issues that better the individual. The democrates talked mostly about change, the oponet (McCain), economy, energy, jobs, and Bush as to the republics talking about business, change, god, taxes, and energy. Although i agree with alot of Obamas ideas and disscussions i dont think that i would vote for him because he isnt a christian and just like Kyle said i wouldnt want a jewish president because christian values are what created this amazing nation.

After viewing the conventions I have made a better understanding of both parties. I was on Obama's side until i watched the McCains speech. Like many people say Obama speaks of better "change" of America, but never breaks it down to us people of how and what we will consider out of it? Also Obama seems to be running against Bush because he mentions president Bush more than the other candidate running, McCain. Its almost as if he was just trying to get the people that dislike Bush on his side for more votes, and anyone with half a brain can do that. Both Obama and Mcain want "change" for the United States but from what I have seen and heard so far, sounds as if McCain would do a better job. Although I do not support some of the ideas of McCain but I belive he is a better candidate for the year of 2008.

- In response to Ariel L, and anyone Anti-Abortion: I apologize, but I still have to disagree with your beliefs. I completely understand absolutely all you state, but people should have a complete personal choice on whether they want to follow through with the abortion or not. Yes, they could have made the mistake, and they should suffer the consequences, but let's take the pregnancy from another view, an anti-abortion view:
- - - The girl was terribly irresponsible and brought the entire situation upon herself; she's not allowed to get an abortion and is stuck with the birth of a child that she isn't mature enough to raise on her own. From this point on, her own parents may end up raising another child. Some parents may not mind if they're the kind that would lovingly take on another child, but they still end up with the burden of the situation. Other parents may not like the situation, but will follow through anyway because they love their daughter. Different parents may kick their daughter out entirely, leaving her to raise their new grandchild in whatever dysfunctional environment she finds available.
- - - - Now, we all may say: "It doesn't matter! It's still a life that is being lost to a selfish cause!" But you must think of the kind of life this child will endure, knowing that it has been born from a mother that may not even want it, that may not even raise it. If the mother would have preferred an abortion, but was refused it, who knows the consequences of the situation. true, there's many chances where things could go well, but of course there's many chances were they also do not. - This all just seems a lot more selfish than to abort a "child" before it's even a "child", "life", or "being".
- Of coarse, I don't expect to change anyone's actual opinion's.. ;(^ ^) Just roughly stating mine..

- Oh ya, and I agree with Billy W on the bashing of Bush. Pretty silly in my opinion. People are so judgmental when it comes to the ruling and decisions of other people.. Sometimes everybody forgets that little important fact that we all really are just human, and no human's invulnerable to mistakes or attacks.

In response to Rebehka G, and EVERYONE ELSE:
- Even though you agree with a lot of Obama's ideas, you still wouldn't vote for him simply because he wasn't Christian? Sorry, but isn't that just a little... Prejudice?

- PEOPLE!!! LOL!! (+ +) Stop being silly and confused! Trevor S. has already tried to state it earlier in the discussion!
- Obama IS A Christian! - It was Obama's father who was the Muslim. (¬ ¬) [And he left Obama and his mother when Obama was 2 Years Old..]

- Here is one article, and there are many more:
- - - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3194740.ece
- There are also many fake articles, so please be weary.. I don't know what it is about people playing dirty, but they just LoVe to do it, so don't let anything false confuse you.

- I'm not saying any of you should feel stronger on the Democratic side, I'm saying you shouldn't let these silly personal things get between your actual choices.
- - Even If one of our candidates wasn't Christian [Which they both are, so don't freak out], both of these men should have the decency and smarts to not let their religious beliefs get in the way of their presidential choices, especially if they've made it this far in the running. - If anyone's made any mention of religion so far, it'd be McCain. You all should be more worried about him if it's the religious aspect you're all afraid of.

Alex, I understand what you mean about religion now, sorry for the misunderstanding. Religion doesn't belong in the government, you are correct. I do believe it belongs in the man though, and I wouldn't vote for a non-Christian, but you're right they should leave it in their personal lives. And not because I'm prejudice, because I like a guy that shares my views.

Caitlin, I understand exactly what you mean about having to raise the kid or your parents raising the kid. There is absolutely some people that shouldn't be parents. I mean if I could have warned Mr. Waddell's parents, I would have for sure... But all I'm saying is if she makes that mistake, she can lose 9 months and give the kid up for adoption. Save a life, ya know?

Trevor, I actually haven't seen the Kindgom, but I hear it has Tim McGraw in it, so I want to :) But honestly I'm not going to argue your views on the war, because I can see that would be a bit of a time waster. However, I noticed you said Obama would be a better president. I'm just curious as to what makes you think that? In Rudy Giulian's speech at the RNC he addressed that situation by making the candidates two men that you have to choose between hiring. This is what he said:

"You're hiring someone to do a job - an important job that involves the safety and security of your family. Imagine that you have two job applications in your hand - with the names and party affiliations taken off the top. They're both good and patriotic men - with very different life experiences that have led them to this moment in history.
You've got to make this decision right. Who would you hire?
On the one hand, you've got a man who has dedicated his life to the service of his country. He's been tested time and again by crisis. He's passed every test.
Even his adversaries acknowledge that he is a true American hero. He loves America as we all do - but he's sacrificed for it as few do. As a young man, he joined the military...and being a "Top Gun" kind of guy, he became a fighter pilot. He was on a mission over Hanoi when his plane was shot down.
He was tortured in a POW camp, but he refused his captors' offers of early release. Because this is a man who believes in serving a cause greater than self-interest. He came home a national hero.
He had earned a life of peace and quiet, but he was called to public service again, running for Congress and then the Senate as a proud foot-soldier in the Reagan Revolution. His principled independence never wavered. He stood up to special interests, fought for fiscal discipline, ethics reform and a strong national defense.
That's one man.
On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer, and immersed himself in Chicago machine politics. Then he ran for the state legislature - where nearly 130 times he was unable to make a decision yes or no. He simply voted "present."
As Mayor of New York City, I never got a chance to vote "present." And you know, when you're President of the United States, you can't just vote "present." You must make decisions.
A few years later, he ran for the U.S. Senate. He won and has spent most of his time as a "celebrity senator." No leadership or major legislation to speak of. His rise is remarkable in its own right - it's the kind of thing that could happen only in America. But he's never run a city, never run a state, never run a business.
He's never had to lead people in crisis.
This is not a personal attack....it's a statement of fact - Barack Obama has never led anything.
Nothing. Nada.
The choice in this election comes down to substance over style. John has been tested. Barack Obama has not.
Tough times require strong leadership, and this is no time for on the job training."

I challenge any one of you Obama lovers to create a better resume for your guy.

First of all, Ariel, your comment about Mr. Waddell was good. Way to keep him on his toes :) Also, I admire your research to prove everyone else wrong. For all of the people who keep saying, "I agree with Trevor..." exactly what are you agreeing with Trevor on? Sure, changing the unemployment rate, that'd be great, everyone wants to change that. However, I would like to see an undecievive and inexperienced man to do that. How is Barack Obama going to change ANYTHING? He had not even completed his first term as Senator when he decided that he sould run for President. Hannity and Colmes played a video on September 9, 2008, of Barack Obama at a press meeting in 2004 ADMITTING he was inexperienced and would be unwilling to run on a national ticket in 2008. He voted 130 times "present," but couldn't take a stand on ANY issues. His AMAZING voting record has proved him to be the most liberal senator in the senate. Barack Obama is his own kind of extremist. Personally, I don't think that any President should be elected, left wing or right wing, with that extreme sense of views. Obama is unwilling and careless to what Republicans have to say. On another note, all of you say that Obama is going to bring "change." What is everyone so ungrateful about, honestly? Yeah unemployment, the war against extreme islamic jihads who have been attacking our country since the 1970's, the economy, ok you want change? You want to change the fact that you live in the most powerful, safest, free country in the entire world? You want to change that there are strong, brave men and women who are ready to deploy to a forgien country at any given moment to honor and protect the America's people, honor, and dignity. Still, people go out with their peace signs and Anti-War protests. You want to change that if you get in a car accident an ambulance will be at your house within minutes to either save your life or air-vac you to the nearest hospital? You want to change that if an intruder breaks into your home, a police officer will be there will a bullet-proof vest to defend you and your family? You talk about how President Bush is such a horrible President, but you don't know why. He is the Commander-in-Cheif of an all-volunteer army who fights for you life and the lives of your family. There is no war on American soil. There are no tanks, snipers, or bombs in your personal neighboorhood. President Bush has kept you safe for eight years. He has kept war from leaking onto or soil and invading your home and the free, public educational institute that you attend. Also Trevor, you claim that you have no proof that Osama bin Laden is severly immobilized or even dead. Have you seen or heard from him in years? Has there been a terrorist attack lead by Al-Qaeda in eight years? In case you haven't noticed, the answer is no. The bottom line is, Barack Obama has done NOTHING. He lead his law fraterity, big whoop. Mr. Waddell leads a class room everyday. Is he ready to be President? No (no offense Waddell! :)) While Barack Obama was being born, John McCain was serving as a POW in Hanoy protecting the country that he loves over himself. While Barack Obama was hanging out at his Ivy League school partying and doing drugs, John McCain was in the Senate, actually making a postive difference in the world as well as gaining experience. For all of you who disagree, turn off MSNBC, turn off CNN, throw out The New York Times, and tune into the real issues. Have you ever heard from the troops serving in Iraq in the media? No. You can bet that they remember what they are fighting for.

I agree with Nick G on the fact that Obama only is looking out for himself. During his speech he bad mouthed Bush and McCain a lot, but did not speek a lot about his plan for America's future. Where McCain spoke about most of the issues America faces in the next four years, Obama just spent his time explaining where Bush went wrong and how McCain would be a bad president. All Obama wants is to be president and once he is president i do not believe he has a plan of action.

I agree with Nick G on the fact that Obama only is looking out for himself. During his speech he bad mouthed Bush and McCain a lot, but did not speek a lot about his plan for America's future. Where McCain spoke about most of the issues America faces in the next four years, Obama just spent his time explaining where Bush went wrong and how McCain would be a bad president. All Obama wants is to be president and once he is president i do not believe he has a plan of action.

I agree with Nick G on the fact that Obama only is looking out for himself. During his speech he bad mouthed Bush and McCain a lot, but did not speek a lot about his plan for America's future. Where McCain spoke about most of the issues America faces in the next four years, Obama just spent his time explaining where Bush went wrong and how McCain would be a bad president. All Obama wants is to be president and once he is president i do not believe he has a plan of action.

I agreee with Nick Y I think that McCain is completely ready to take on the job at hand. Im not saying that Obama isn't I just believe that McCain is more ready. He has been throught so much more in his life and is more prepared. Also Like Nick said he did speak about his plans for the future and what he intends to do if he does take office. whereas obama spent more time saying that the other canidate isn't going to do...

Caitlyn, Im not prejudice what so ever. Just because i believe someone who believes the same about religion as i do should run for president does not make me prejudice. I have nothing against Obama for being raised in a muslim family and i have nothing against any muslims period...

I agree with Nick Y on the statement that Obama has no real plan of action once he gets elected...if he ever will. But Obama is a smart man and you can't deny that he knows what people want to hear and thats how he gains such sudden popularity. He bad mouths Bush because thats what America has been doing for the past 4 years and all they want to hear is someone with presidential possibility agree with them. He has no plan of action and would lead this government horribly. He's a man who, under a time of crisis, would break down. just like Ariel L pointed out with her AMAZING rebuttle and was only confirmed with Hannah D's post.

Period 5
I agree with Nick Y also, i believe that Mccain has been addressing future issues with the people, the only reason that Obama seems to be popular with the people (maybe not in votes) is because they believe that he is a drastic change to the American Executive Branch and that he could change Bush's way of directing the country. However, I do believe that he does not have a plan for the future and rather addresses that our current state needs to be changed instead of talking about how we can help improve our state which is what mccain does

From the words spoken, I understand that the democrats focus more on "change" within our country. Democrats also mainly mention energy, jobs, taxes, health care, as well as the economy. The Republics seem to focus and speak more about God, taxes, energy, change and businesses the most. In my opinion, the Republican party is mainly speaking of God and taxes. I feel that speaking mainly about God is inappropriate because not everyone believes in God, or even the same God for that matter. I like the fact that the the Democrats seem to want so much change for America, since that's what we really need right now. I don't like the fact that McCain's name is mentioned a lot by the Democrats because I feel both parties should be focusing more on their ideas for change, and not so much on "bad-mouthing" the other party.

In response to Rebehka G., I completely disagree. How is it even appropriate to assume that someone with a certain religion would make a better president? What exactly is wrong with someone who is Jewish running for president? I feel that was a completely innapropriate remark. Furthermore, I believe that anyone who qualifies to run for president of our country should have the right to, and that should not be based on their religion. What happened to wanting religious freedom for our country? I think it is absurd to not vote for someone just because of the fact that they don't share the same religion as you or the same religion as the founding fathers of our country. What exactly makes a Christian candidate better than a Jewish one??? I know the main reason people came to America in the first place was because they wanted to be free from the monarchy that denied their freedom of religion. So basically what I understand is that you wouldn't vote for someone who is Jewish just because of their religion, and that is completely degrading to our country.

I absolutely agree with Caitlin G. and Shannon P.--I believe in ProChoice over ProLife also. I believe that any woman should have to right to make personal decisions for themselves- no one else should be able to make that decision for them. I personally do not believe in abortion, but I feel that it should be the woman's own choice to decide what to do with her body. And when you think about it... if the government takes away the choice to have an abortion, what else will they soon be taking?

I think it's really good how everyone is getting so into this. First off, Shannon, I really don't understand your blog. Saying that John McCain is too old, too out of touch, and doesn't connect with people is vague, naive, and uninformed. John McCain has suffered greatly. If you were at war and your plane was shot down, you had to deploy your life vest with your teeth because both of your arms were broken, and were dragged three miles back to the camp because they broke your knees and were held captive for five years in solitary confinement where your only social interactions were your weekly tortures and beatings, I am pretty sure you might be "out of touch." Guess what? John McCain may be 72 years old, however, he would not be the oldest man elected. Ronald Reagan, the most liked,president ever, seeing as how he won the delegates from 49 out of 50 states against the current President Jimmy Carter, was elected for his second term at 73. Sure, John McCain may not be as charismatic as Barack Obama, but what significance does charisma have in electing the next president? It has ZERO effect. You also say that why is McCain worthy to become president now? Question: why is Obama worthy of becoming president now? He is not. Like I said before, Barack Obama has done absolutely NOTHING! Also, you stated that how could McCain change over 12 years? Seriously, are you going to say that a person cannot change over twelve years? Imagine yourself twelve years from now. You will be more educated, probably married with children, and the world around you including the politics, technology, and life style will drastically change. On another note, you continually say the Bush destroyed our country and questioned what has happened to our society and that it has gone down so drastically since he has been President. What has he done that was so horrible to drastically alter our society? The society doesn't change because of one president, people change society. America was built on a foundation where one man doesn't have total power. It would literally be impossible for Bush to completely ruin this country. To everyone who says that Obama would make a better president than McCain, please, I challenge you to enlighten me on SPECIFIC reasons why. What has Obama done to change, protect, or defend America so far? What experience, sense of judgement, and resume does Obama have that would win over America? Why would Obama not want to drill in Alaska? A nearly vacant state almost half the size of America itself? Do caribou really matter that much more than American people? Why would Obama want to increase the middle class in a Robin Hood-esque manner where he takes from the rich and gives to the poor? Wasn't that the same society the Joseph Stalin tried to run in Russia and it failed miserably? Isn't that called socialism? Why is Obama going to tax wealthy families more? Don't the wealthiest 2% of Americans already pay 90% of the taxes? How is that fair?
Also, Trevor, when you say that it "says something about Republicans" when more people care about the Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy than the RNC, where are you getting that information? Of course the Democrats are going to jump on a "scandal" by the Republicans. Newflash: Her daughter is not the first teenage pregnancy in the history of the world. Sarah Palin and her family are human. People make mistakes. You say that the media cares more still? A Democratically run, liberal biased media network like CNN or MSNBC would play that story more than the RNC because guess what? They don't support McCain. Flip over to Fox news and you will see that the RNC and DNC were equally covered, and the pregnancy of Sarah Palin's daughter is a petty issue, because it really is.

After reading the words spoken, I can tell that Obama is ready for the American people to experience change. However, I feel as though he hasn't made a good enough of an effort to put out there just what he intends to change. And with these changes, how will it benefit the people. Since McCain has been in office for as long as he has, and has a substantial support system with votes, he seems to lack in talking about what issues are most important. The Republicans voice their stance on religion more, with more talk about God. Which could be good for them, or ultimately seem rude to those who do not follow under the same God as they mention. They also heavily focus on taxes, business, and energy. Which these are all very important topics to discuss even though I'm not sure if this combination of ideals will persuade the people that they are any better. The Democrats focus more on change, the economy, and health care. Which I see to be the MOST effective way to obtain votes, assuming that your views on that are what they want to hear.

I agree with Nick Y and Billy Wilson when they say that Obama knows exactly what everyone wants to hear. He is intelligent in knowing what it will take to get as many votes as possible. However at the same time, he has no course of action when it comes to what he plans on doing if he does win. I believe that if people would get past the age and race cards that it would be a more beneficial election. Despite McCain's age, he has already gone through a lot in his life. Now, I am in NO means saying that Obama has not experienced a lot in his. However, I will say that McCain's major role in politics thus far, and even military, it does seem to make him more qualified. In response to Billy again, I would more so expect to see Obama almost crack under the pressure. I think McCain needs to put less emphasis on mentioning God, as Obama has. With all of the controversy that has bottled up with Obama's pastor speaking out against Americans, he has done the best he can to leave that out, with the exception of disregarding the pastor for personally attacking Obama and setting him back because of religion. Which obviously, should not be the deciding decision in an election.

According to the words that were used by Obama, it can be said that Obama is more into changing,for example, America's ecomony. Obama is more into changing America then worrying about other things like say how is he going to protect America when is comes to war. But why does Obama use Bush's name some much? It also looks like Obama wants to do something about saving energy here is America. The message that Obama could be giving is he wants to change America so its a better place to live. The focus of Obama's campaign is that he wants to change the U.S.
According to the words that were use by McCain, it can be said that McCain wants to do change the U.S in everyway he can. For example McCain wants to change America energy and ecomony but he mostly wants to do something about taxes. Also by looking at the words, it looks like that McCain wants to do something about the energy in the U.S more then the ecomony. I can tell by the words that McCain uses the word war 20 times which could mean that he could have a plan to help protect the U.S from any wars. What McCain's message could be is that he wants to change alot of things in the U.S by doing it one at a time. The focus of McCain's campaign could be that he wants to take one step at a time to fix the U.S so it can be a better place to live.

Solely based upon the words spoken on either side of this election, it would seem that Democrats are heavily concerned with "change", and their opponent "McCain". On the Republican side, they seem most concerned with "God" and "Taxes". Based on these facts, it seems the Democratic convention focused less on actual issues concerning this country and more on thrashing McCain. Aside from Obama's most over used campaign slogan "Change", his opponent McCain came up more than anything else. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Obama says if elected he will make changes; the only thing he has failed to specify is how. How does senator Obama really plan on creating this change? Even worse, they talked about our soon to be former president George Bush more than about Jobs, the Economy and even Health Care. What a shame so much time was spent slamming Bush and not addressing the issues that so desperately "need change". Looking at Obama alone, he used the word McCain more than anything else. This shows me how weak Obama's points really are. Of course change sounds good to a lot of people. To uneducated citizens Obama's ideas are appealing and promising. The only catch is HOW the change will come about.Obama's apparent charm and charisma may win the hearts of voters, but it won't fix our problems.

Based on the Republican's words used, McCain's campaign is far more equally distributed and is focused on "God", "Taxes" and "Business". The Republican candidates are clearly more concerned about real issues as opposed to slamming their opponents and current president. McCain also spoke about change, however he specified how this change would take place. He spoke about our economy and jobs specifically. The time spent on the issues is much more equally distributed and shows concern for a much broader range. I believe the message of McCain's campaign is to address the issues of this country to the best of his ability one step at a time. McCain seems to present a campaign far more specific than Obama. McCain Spoke about the economy, change, war, taxes, jobs and God in his speech instead of Obama. He may be old, but he has the life experience and ability to steer this country into the future.

It is very evident to see that the Democratic party wants change in the government and change for America. This change too should be backed by policy, and it is to a certain degree. Energy, healthcare, jobs, and the economy were words commonly used to support the main word change, and these are important issues in America. I could not understand though why McCain and Bush would be words so often used. Sure they want to show that they need a change from what they think Bush had done, and they do not want it continued by McCain, but if they want change, why would they focus so much on the past? Why would they focus on something they don't want? I would think they should mainly present the ideas they support and the issues that are faced, not the person they are facing. They should look at what they could do more positively instead of focusing negatively on the person they do not support.
The Republicans focused on important issues like taxes, energy, and business. They too used Obama's name, but not as frequently as the Democrats used McCain's name. The strange thing I saw in the Republicans words was the great use of God. I do not have a problem with them including god in their speeches, but it is said that church and state should be seperated. God was a number one frequently used word. Some issues like abortion and gay marriage relate to certain beliefs though, including God, and it is hard to talk about those topics and not include a person's belief.

When reading the comments, I cannot help but wonder where people get their facts. I agree with Hannah that there are incredibly biased media organizations, both liberal and conservative, giving skewed data, simply to get their party voted in. You just have to look at why people are publishing their news and ask "why"s about the data itself. I agree with Kyle U. on nuclear energy. It is safe, provides immense amounts of energy, and can help the economy in the future. I know this is true because France uses nuclear successfully, and probably has no bias to republican or democrat America. I wonder about the facts that Trevor gave though. I am not saying they are not true, but I wonder what is behind them. Who is included in the unemployment rate? There were many jobs lost, but did those people regain jobs soon after? I wonder what is behind these facts given, and from what perspective.

In the Obama campaign they stress change. They want to change everything, the president, the economy, energy sources. I'm not sure that he will be able to come through on some of the promises that he makes, while they sound nice in reality they are a little far fetched. While in reality it will take a while for the economy to turn around no matter who is president because its a choice of the people. McCain on the other hand McCain is very interested in helping business's regain structure and helping out the business owners to turn the economy around. It was a little surprising though to see how much he mentioned religion, considering the govt. technically has no say over religion.

I agree with Hannah John McCain had specific proof to back up the things he was saying. Barack Obama couldn't even touch McCain in that respect. Obama's speech appealed to the people who are unable to see that his true cause gets lost behind back biting words about the Bush administration and McCain.

Rebehka g, i agree with Caylan. I find it 100% inappropriate to say that having a Jewish president would be detrimental to our country. I share in your christian values HOWEVER there is a little something called separation of church and state. Regardless of religious practice, Government elected officials should not influence the country by means of Religion anyway. In reality, it should not matter the religion practiced it should matter about the character, integrity and goals of the candidate and what they are capable of doing for this country as a whole. America is the "Land of the Free" meaning as citizens we are encouraged and entitled to worship or not worship how we please and these rights were created by the framers of the constitution who wrote them "under God". I find that comment to be entirely invalid to this election or any other.

In response to Shannon and Caitlin I have to say I disagree. Sorry to play the abortion card, but it is an intense issue facing this country. Democrats always say we are pro choice. By aborting a child you are taking away ITS choice. Firstly, If we do not allow the child a chance in this world we are eliminating a potentially productive member of our society. Secondly, in the case of rape there is the "morning after pill" which can be taken up to 3 days after the incident. There is no need to have abortions so late into the pregnancy after life has been created. Over 150 abortions are performed every hour. Abortions are the most common medical procedure performed in America. Committers of our most heinous crimes have more rights than unborn children. They have already proven their lack of productivity to society and these unborn children who were never given that same chance are killed. I suggest you seriously look at what an abortion really entails and the inhumane manner in which these procedures take place. The main issue is how casually these procedures are performed. I believe we should have rights and have the ability to make our own choices, just don't take away the choice of another human being born or unborn.

I think both points of views are good. Yes, John McCain may be older then Obama but it doesnt mean that either one cant run a state. They both are great canidates. John McCain is older, he knows more about the world, he has been running for a while now, but thats not the answer. Obama may be young, not as well experianced, and wants change. They both have something in common though that people never realize, they both have the strength, the love, the passion, the dignity to stand up and run for president. It's a stressful job knowing the Americans are depending on you.
I take pride in what they both have acomplished and achived at this point. They are both leaders to me. Religion has nothing to do with anything.Everyone in the world has a different religion. We dont freak out at about it on a regular basses, why worry about one person all of a sudden. Being old doesnt mean anything. Yes, some of these votes are bassed on popularity, but this should be about who will perform and do right for our country.

First of all OBAMA IS CHRISTIAN!!!!!
Hannah,
Second of all, the things people are agreeing with me on are the different things I discussed above in my recent post which Obama has talked about changing. If Obama does become president, these are a few of the things he will be working to change. Many Americans would say that we as a country are in a depression right now due to the lack of attention the Bush Administration payed to the economy. Look at the stats above. Now when you say Bush and McCain are not the same person, you're right. But how do you feel that McCain voted 90% of the time with Bush? 90%! So don't wonder why people are saying they don't want more of Mcsame. Oh and by the way, when you wonder how Obama is going to change things, as president you kinda get the power to do that. And please don't start talking about how Obama wants to change how our nation is the best country and that he wants to change the fact that ambulances come when your hurt, and other things like that you said, because you know that isn't true. Another thing: Please explain to me how Obama is an extremist? I've heard him be called a lot of other things with proof but I just don't quite get that one...
I also support my reasoning when I saw Bush is a half hazzard president. look at my last post.
When exactly was the last time there was foreign military presence on U.S. soil? You don't have to have had the country been taken over to be considered a bad president.
In response to your statement about Bin Laden: he has been heard from in the last 8 years. Both by video, one in September 2007 and one before that October 2004. Also, every time a car bomb goes off in the streets of baghdad or Afghanistan, the Al Quida probably has something to do with it. Don't you agree?
NOone is taking anything away from McCain being a great American and veteran, which he is. However, just because he is a great veteran who has suffered doesn't mean he is in touch and would make a good president. This is what Shannon was trying to say Ms. "out of touch"
Also, your right. People do change society, not just the president. And the president cannot sabotage an entire country. But an entire Administration probably can screw a few things up (which Bush has admitted to on national television). Notice I didn't say he screwed everything up.
Yes, Hannah caribou and all of the endangered species that find their home in some of our nation's largest wildlife preserves are important to some people. Ruining some of the most beautiful and prestigous country in the world to help furthermore contribute to the greenhouse gases that are creating global warming is a bad thing in some people's eyes.
The middle class is what keeps this, and any country running (they are the consumers). Considering the fact that a large majority of this country is considered to be in the middle class, I think the people would like to have a few more tax breaks. You see, in society, the closer the middle class is to the higher class, the easier it is to become a part of the upper class. Right now, your right Hannah. The Upper class in the United States is comprised of 2% of the population, and they are taxed the highest. Reason being because they have 90-95% of this country's wealth! Doesn't there seem to be a problem there? Don't you think there should be a little bit more of a seperation of wealth? Compared to the upper class, we as the middle class might be considered poor! Also, do you know what our upper class having that much money just to themselves does to the worth of the dollar? This is the reason the dollar is worth so much less than some of the European currency right now!
I think Sarah Palin's daughter is a petty issue also. I think it's wrong of the media to put so much attention on her daughter. However, what I was trying to say was that the media did put that much attention on her daughter and put just as much, if not more attention on the issue than the RNC. All I was trying to point out was that fact and the effect it may have (since the media thinks it was so important, which to some people like for instance, the highly religious) on the outcome of the ellection. newsflash: the democrats do not run all of the media.
THe last thing I would like to say is that Barack Obama has done things, he has taking sides on issues, and he has said what he is going to change. For all of you who only based your opinion off of him by his one speech at the DNC, please do a little extra research, I think you'll like what you hear. And for the rest, please don't say he's done nothing, and taken no sides, because that would be as you said Hannah, vague, niave and uninformed because anyone who has listened to what he has to say knows better. If you do disagree with him, disagree with what he actually says instead of saying "He did nothing"

In response to Trevor S. I don't think it was necessary to point out that he is a Christian, because that's not what it would take to qualify him for being the President. So, that statement can be disregarded, even with what Hans said of some of the topics being hard to touch basis on without expressing belief. I think we can all tell that Trevor is an Obama supporter, and it's good that he's voicing it all. But, Trevor have you looked into all that McCain has done in his many many years of politics? I don't think you can be so well for one person, or party until you fully look into the other, and compare the two. Yes, the Republicans may be weak in one spot, and stronger in another that the Democrats are weak in. Obama has done plenty of "things" as you say, and so has McCain. I see both sides as being obviously "qualified" to take on this presidency, and we have to remember that politicians will do ANYTHING in their power to get your vote. Especially us young people that can vote (not me personally unfortunately).