Obama vs Clinton
I recently added a political application on my facebook account and, naturally, Mr. Vitalone weighed in immediately. To that, I’ve been inspired to weigh in on the current political discussions, more specifically, the presidential race.
This past week, I watched the Democratic debate featuring “YouTubers” asking questions that ranged from formal to down right bizarre (kudos goes to Biden for his slam toward the crazy guy with his gun - his baby? psycho much?)
One of the highlights of the show was when Obama and Clinton split on an issue in regards to dealing with foreign powers, including dictators. Obama said that it was ignorant to ignore countries outright and Clinton said she would wait a year, but might send lower level envoys first.
Having worked with MUN, and therein, worked with people from the real UN, I can tell you that I have to agree more with Obama and less with Clinton. Actually, my diplomacy skills were apparently so outstanding that I won multiple awards at various points (thanks in large part to dippy423!)
First, Clinton’s answer seemed rather, well, "Kerry-like". She didn’t quite say yes or no, but rather just tried to seem firm. Engaging in political discussions on any level is authorized by the head-honcho. Clinton essentially said she would take time to assess leaders after a year in office. So, is she implying that countries won’t even be worthy enough to talk to her direct then?
Obama was honest and direct. He said we have been living under an administration that refuses to engage in true diplomatic relations and that it has hurt our reputation around the world (uh, you think?). He also made a great reference to JFK during the Cold War, stating how despite our level of animosity, Kennedy would be on the phone constantly with the Soviet Union. Finding a middle ground is of chief importance and then one tries working from there.
We have been told that rulers from other countries are insane, crazy, etc. But how much of that information is accurate? Information coming out of the White House hasn’t always been accurate (Iraq war much?) and why are we all of sudden trusting that the Bush assessment is true?
If I’m not mistaken, the Iranian president was a former college professor who has a PhD. Yet the information we get is that he is a crazy despot. I realize I’m not particularly educated on the man (nor can I even remember how to spell it), but I hope the above point is still taken. I mean, imagine if our president actually had a PhD.
Countries like North Korea should also be included in discussions sooner rather than later. If we ignore them, or place embargoes on them permanently, combined with the knowledge of their development of weapons of mass destruction (again, I don’t know if I’ll ever trust the government when they tell us that), wouldn’t you think that a desperate country might lash out eventually? Backed into a corner, with no one to talk to… it might not look so pretty.
So while people are applauding Hillary’s strong stance, Obama’s direct and open approach seems far better for the American people, if not the world.
Of course, I could find out about an Obama policy and change my mind about him. But on this particular issue, I give him a thumbs up. In fact, I’ll give him two!
This past week, I watched the Democratic debate featuring “YouTubers” asking questions that ranged from formal to down right bizarre (kudos goes to Biden for his slam toward the crazy guy with his gun - his baby? psycho much?)
One of the highlights of the show was when Obama and Clinton split on an issue in regards to dealing with foreign powers, including dictators. Obama said that it was ignorant to ignore countries outright and Clinton said she would wait a year, but might send lower level envoys first.
Having worked with MUN, and therein, worked with people from the real UN, I can tell you that I have to agree more with Obama and less with Clinton. Actually, my diplomacy skills were apparently so outstanding that I won multiple awards at various points (thanks in large part to dippy423!)
First, Clinton’s answer seemed rather, well, "Kerry-like". She didn’t quite say yes or no, but rather just tried to seem firm. Engaging in political discussions on any level is authorized by the head-honcho. Clinton essentially said she would take time to assess leaders after a year in office. So, is she implying that countries won’t even be worthy enough to talk to her direct then?
Obama was honest and direct. He said we have been living under an administration that refuses to engage in true diplomatic relations and that it has hurt our reputation around the world (uh, you think?). He also made a great reference to JFK during the Cold War, stating how despite our level of animosity, Kennedy would be on the phone constantly with the Soviet Union. Finding a middle ground is of chief importance and then one tries working from there.
We have been told that rulers from other countries are insane, crazy, etc. But how much of that information is accurate? Information coming out of the White House hasn’t always been accurate (Iraq war much?) and why are we all of sudden trusting that the Bush assessment is true?
If I’m not mistaken, the Iranian president was a former college professor who has a PhD. Yet the information we get is that he is a crazy despot. I realize I’m not particularly educated on the man (nor can I even remember how to spell it), but I hope the above point is still taken. I mean, imagine if our president actually had a PhD.
Countries like North Korea should also be included in discussions sooner rather than later. If we ignore them, or place embargoes on them permanently, combined with the knowledge of their development of weapons of mass destruction (again, I don’t know if I’ll ever trust the government when they tell us that), wouldn’t you think that a desperate country might lash out eventually? Backed into a corner, with no one to talk to… it might not look so pretty.
So while people are applauding Hillary’s strong stance, Obama’s direct and open approach seems far better for the American people, if not the world.
Of course, I could find out about an Obama policy and change my mind about him. But on this particular issue, I give him a thumbs up. In fact, I’ll give him two!