CNN/You-Tube Debate
So, this big hyped "Debate" that I watched last night was frankly, disappointing. It was; however, not so terribly disappointing as other debates I've seen in the past. I think that the personalized questions, the ability to shoot a small video with all sorts of information about the people just by seeing them in their homes/churches/yards etc. had a much bigger impact than professional and polished journalists asking all the questions.
For the most part I was satisfied with the quality of the questions asked and was pleased with the mediator, Anderson Cooper.
Hillary: She didn't seem genuine to me. Every question she was asked she made sure to address the individual, "Thank you Shirley, from Little Rock AK, and thank you for asking me, Hillary Clinton, about what I would do for you as President of the United States." She sounded like a bad made the the masses form letter. Other than that, she tended to focus on what she has already done for the American people. She was flaunting her record and not extreme enough in her stance on such things as the middle east, gay marriage, and co2 emissions. I will say though, that even though I was disappointed with her co2 answers, I still thought she was more in line than Obama.
Edwards: I felt his true outrage when he spoke about Universal Healthcare. I'm not sure how his plan would really pan out, but I like that in the end it would be mandatory. When he spoke about his firm beliefs in God and then his absolute stance on the separation of church and state, I had a lot of respect for him. As a person of little to no personal faith in God, I don't think the President of the United States should be just like me, but I do believe that using personal faith and morality based on scripture to pass or deny legislation is wrong. It was refreshing to hear him say that he believes the same thing from the other side of the fence. At the same time, he seemed not to have the diplomacy about him and the oratorical elegance of either Hillary or Obama. In the end, I couldn't envision him carrying the country. But I do very much like the idea of him as a running-mate.
Obama: The question CNN was talking about like crazy after the debate was "Would you meet with unfriendly nations' leaders the first year of your Presidency?" His answer was spontaneous and refreshing. Of course he would. Hillary answered that she wouldn't want to be used for propaganda and would send presidential envoys. It just sounded stuffy and sly. Of course I wouldn't expect Obama to go to these countries if it 1. endangered himself too greatly, or 2. it wasn't going to help the overall image of the US. I don't think he would jump into things too quickly in action, but at least has the willingness to speak and attempt an action that I agree with whole heartedly. You cannot punish countries you don't like by not talking to them. His outspoken refusal to be bought by lobbyists of all kinds is something I like about him a great deal. His attempts at humor (the jacket of Hillary and the hailing of taxis in NY) make him seem more natural and not the Fembot personality his opposition projects. I was disappointed with his responses about co2 and using only a downgrade of fossil fuels rather than renewable energy as his main argument, but for the most part he didn't let me down.
I could write about Richardson, Dodd, Kucinich etc... but I think I've done enough.
As far as the Democratic party goes.. I don't think there was a single candidate I hated. The Angry Guy aka. Mike Gravel was in fact very angry but I still didn't think he was out of his mind. Dennis Kucinich had great ideas but I don't think he's quite President material. He's also a running mate kind a guy.
Anyawys, I'm done.
Danielle*
For the most part I was satisfied with the quality of the questions asked and was pleased with the mediator, Anderson Cooper.
Hillary: She didn't seem genuine to me. Every question she was asked she made sure to address the individual, "Thank you Shirley, from Little Rock AK, and thank you for asking me, Hillary Clinton, about what I would do for you as President of the United States." She sounded like a bad made the the masses form letter. Other than that, she tended to focus on what she has already done for the American people. She was flaunting her record and not extreme enough in her stance on such things as the middle east, gay marriage, and co2 emissions. I will say though, that even though I was disappointed with her co2 answers, I still thought she was more in line than Obama.
Edwards: I felt his true outrage when he spoke about Universal Healthcare. I'm not sure how his plan would really pan out, but I like that in the end it would be mandatory. When he spoke about his firm beliefs in God and then his absolute stance on the separation of church and state, I had a lot of respect for him. As a person of little to no personal faith in God, I don't think the President of the United States should be just like me, but I do believe that using personal faith and morality based on scripture to pass or deny legislation is wrong. It was refreshing to hear him say that he believes the same thing from the other side of the fence. At the same time, he seemed not to have the diplomacy about him and the oratorical elegance of either Hillary or Obama. In the end, I couldn't envision him carrying the country. But I do very much like the idea of him as a running-mate.
Obama: The question CNN was talking about like crazy after the debate was "Would you meet with unfriendly nations' leaders the first year of your Presidency?" His answer was spontaneous and refreshing. Of course he would. Hillary answered that she wouldn't want to be used for propaganda and would send presidential envoys. It just sounded stuffy and sly. Of course I wouldn't expect Obama to go to these countries if it 1. endangered himself too greatly, or 2. it wasn't going to help the overall image of the US. I don't think he would jump into things too quickly in action, but at least has the willingness to speak and attempt an action that I agree with whole heartedly. You cannot punish countries you don't like by not talking to them. His outspoken refusal to be bought by lobbyists of all kinds is something I like about him a great deal. His attempts at humor (the jacket of Hillary and the hailing of taxis in NY) make him seem more natural and not the Fembot personality his opposition projects. I was disappointed with his responses about co2 and using only a downgrade of fossil fuels rather than renewable energy as his main argument, but for the most part he didn't let me down.
I could write about Richardson, Dodd, Kucinich etc... but I think I've done enough.
As far as the Democratic party goes.. I don't think there was a single candidate I hated. The Angry Guy aka. Mike Gravel was in fact very angry but I still didn't think he was out of his mind. Dennis Kucinich had great ideas but I don't think he's quite President material. He's also a running mate kind a guy.
Anyawys, I'm done.
Danielle*