Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin

[clement]

People have been mentioned in this thread that others shouldn't harp on Obama being black or Palin being a woman as a reason to vote for someone. Now, Obama's youth as a black man is being compared to McCain being a POW. It doesn't work with me. If you want to compare Obama's youth as a black man to McCain living on a military base, fine, but that should be where it stops.

But that's not really how the two were being compared. Someone questioned why it's important to keep bringing up his POW experience. The response was because it shaped who he is today (which I don't think is the real reason). So the response to that was, then why doesn't Obama continually bring up his experience of growing up as a black man (or half black man, if you prefer) as being the life experience that shaped who he is today. Of course I know the reason he doesn't.

So, McCain talks about the single most defining moment in his life for political gain only?

EVERYTHING that is said by anyone at both the RNC and DNC are for political gain only.

[wart57]

But to discount an experience by a man who was tortured, placed in a small cell, and not given much medical attention afterwards, and when given the chance to be released early, put his fellow prisoners above himself, to me is a most jaded and cynical outlook to have.

Who has that outlook?

How many posts were made about people being tired of hearing about McCain being a POW?

Being tired of hearing about it doesn't mean they are cynical or discounting it. I'm tired of hearing about Obama's wife and children, but it doesn't mean I disrespect his family. The only reason we hear about his POW experience over and over is because it plays well with people and they want to use it to get votes. From a purely strategic point of view, he has to be careful not to overplay that card if those independents he's trying to appeal to start to see through it as a cynical attempt to grab votes.

It seemed that way to me, but I may have misread that.

[wart57]

People have been mentioned in this thread that others shouldn't harp on Obama being black or Palin being a woman as a reason to vote for someone. Now, Obama's youth as a black man is being compared to McCain being a POW. It doesn't work with me. If you want to compare Obama's youth as a black man to McCain living on a military base, fine, but that should be where it stops.

But that's not really how the two were being compared. Someone questioned why it's important to keep bringing up his POW experience. The response was because it shaped who he is today (which I don't think is the real reason). So the response to that was, then why doesn't Obama continually bring up his experience of growing up as a black man (or half black man, if you prefer) as being the life experience that shaped who he is today. Of course I know the reason he doesn't.

So, McCain talks about the single most defining moment in his life for political gain only?

EVERYTHING that is said by anyone at both the RNC and DNC are for political gain only.

Absolutely!!!!

[heyzeus]

There's really no denying this. After watching the entire speech, McCain just doesn't have "it." The same way that Kerry and Gore didn't either. I mean, the guy has the resume to be president, and he's intelligent and respected. But when he's giving a speech, there's no way you feel that he's passionate or genuine. Everything is read, and flat, and forced. It's in his tone and in his forced smile.

He won't win.

[Popeye_Card]

To be honest, I was annoyed by Durbin saying "Barack Obama" nearly 9000 times in his 5 minute introduction. And the video they made was over-the-top.

On the other side, they all make John McCain out to be one mountain of a man.

I like both of these guys. Don't make me not like them by making them out to be perfect.

[wart57]

There's really no denying this. After watching the entire speech, McCain just doesn't have "it." The same way that Kerry and Gore didn't either. I mean, the guy has the resume to be president, and he's intelligent and respected. But when he's giving a speech, there's no way you feel that he's passionate or genuine. Everything is read, and flat, and forced. It's in his tone and in his forced smile.

He won't win.

That is why I hate our political system, it is just a popularity contest. Obama says things with more conviction and eloquence, so lets vote for him.

[Freed Roger]

More debates/fewer conventions, I say.

Probably so. But I don't have too high of expectations from the debates either. Debates are kind of like ink-blots - people see what they want to see. for example - whenever GWB debated it looked like he was getting his arse kicked. I couldn't believe someone sounding that unintelligible could be president.

But then roughly half the other people in america liked that brand of dogfood.

[clement]

That is why I hate our political system, it is just a popularity contest. Obama says things with more conviction and eloquence, so lets vote for him.

You know in a lot of democratic countries, it isn't like this. People elect a parliament or Congress and then the parliament elects the president or PM. There's something to be said about this aproach. You have more local races to determine which party has the power and then they nominate the person to lead that party.

But in this kind of system, you'd never have an Obama, McCain, Clinton, or even GWB ever become president. It would help people like Biden or Dodd, and neither of those guys could get into double-digits of support during the primaries.

[Richie Allen]

That is why I hate our political system, it is just a popularity contest. Obama says things with more conviction and eloquence, so lets vote for him.

From the time we were old enough to attend school we were told that speaking well could help us assure a bright future. And, sure enough, it does.

Why should the President of the United States not have to meet this prerequisite?

[wart57]

That is why I hate our political system, it is just a popularity contest. Obama says things with more conviction and eloquence, so lets vote for him.

From the time we were old enough to attend school we were told that speaking well could help us assure a bright future. And, sure enough, it does.

Why should the President of the United States not have to meet this prerequisite?

But to base our vote entirely on that is misguided, in my opinion.