This response is highly biased and emotionally driven. You have been warned.
A year ago I had no idea who I'd support more in this year's election. The more time passes, the more I support Obama/Biden and am against McCain/Palin. Tonight's debate is aggravating. Obama is making points, statements, arguments. McCain is (literally) pointing fingers, blaming, ignoring questions and making speeches and accusations. Where is he telling us WHAT he will do? It comes off as buzzwords, special phrases that prick up the ears of lazy republicans "NO TAXES!" "SPENDING FREEZE!" "JOE THE PLUMBER!" He's a sound-bite robot!
I support Obama because, well, I'm working class. My sister's daughter was kicked off indigent care because of Bush's medicaid cut. My sister had to cut her income to be able to get immunizations for her daughter. And we have it good, compared to most of the people we work with. Obama seems to be thinking long-term, past the next four years, past the next eight years. McCain seems to be thinking about only the next three weeks. A tax credit for companies that hire in America, to keep jobs from going overseas. I like his health care plans. I like his ideas for college dollar credit given to students that volunteer for community service. I like his NATO ideas about refocusing on American commerce.
GOD! Anyone listening to Obama (I'm looking at YOU, McCain) would understand that he ISN'T fucking over every American small business owner! Maybe a few Joe the Plumbers get the shit end, but the MAJORITY of America, the people that make 20-30k a year, the people that struggle, US, people kicked out of hospitals because they can't afford health coverage... what about us? LISTEN, OLD BASTARD! Just 'cause we're busy *working* and not turning out for your rallies, does NOT mean we don't matter. Presidents are supposed to represent the people. Not the people that agree with them, not the people that talk to them in person, but ALL the people.
I dom't like McCain very much, not the way he presents himself. I don't want that man representing me to the world. He accuses. I've noticed a trend in the Obama/Biden side of the debates -- they let the more benign accusations stand, and then, after McCain/Palin harp on the issue, eventually address it and have very solid reasoning behind it. For example, Obama voting "present" on the Bill for requiring life-saving care to newborns/failed abortions. And he explained very well just now - the Bill had no stipulation of exception for if the mother's life was endangered. It would be a violation of her constitutional rights. I support that kind of level-headed decision making. I like that Obama waits until the other candidate forces the issue and then offers a thought-out, logical response. McCain is so knee-jerk in his responses. If he can't handle something, he twists the words around into something unrecognizable. Like when Obama, upon prompting (from the moderator and McCain), mentioned the comments from the crowd at one of Palin's rallies, those being "Terrorist" and "Kill Him!" in reference to Senator Obama. McCain was saying how hurt he was about this third party associating the behavior with the Civil Rights era in America. He was hurt and offended. It reminded me of a time on break, outside of work, when a nutty old drunk man wandered up to my gal Kim and called her the n-word. Then he turned to another co-worker, Tim, and called him a n____-lover. Tim got angry, jumped out of his seat and yelled back, "HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT!" Kim, his co-worker, the woman he had been working with for over a year, got called a racial slur and he didn't care until he was "guilty by association." That's what McCain reminds me of in this debate.
Now, Obama's ideas about reforming education are critical. He supports a charter system. He recognizes that the American School System is failing, and recognizes that there must be a real change or the future of America is in the shitter. Education is power, education leads to knowledge and wisdom. McCain also supports school of choice. Obama stresses community service and the importance of parents. McCain is promoting more of the same, regarding college. Personally, I think there ought to be a severe shrinkage of the Teachers' Unions. Charter schools are, IMO, the strongest solution. If schools have to perform to succeed, the bad ones will close. The bad, lazy teachers will be fired. The schools that just graduate uneducated kids... they're going to lose their students to better schools. These rewards McCain crows about, they are NOTHING without holding the bad ones accountable as well.
Palin frightens me a bit. The people she's rialed up frighten me. I thought I could pretend those people didn't exist here. She frightens me and in a way I think she gives strong women a bad name. She's a bit of an idiot. Flighty. IMO.
As prompted by the moderator, the debates can be found online here:
http://www.mydebates.org
