Obama the Terrorist?

How much more of this can America take?

“Who is the real Barack Obama?”

Today's latest attack on Presidential candidate Barack Obama by Senator John McCain focused on this question posed to the American public. Who is the real Barack Obama? Is he a terrorist supporter with no idea what American politics are or entail that if elected would certainly spell the further demise of the American people? If you ask John McCain then the answer to all these questions is yes.

In reality, these questions seem preposterous. Even if you do not support Obama or his politics, do you really believe that he is that mysterious and terrible a person?

A New York Times story today focused on how the Campaigns were "shifting to attack mode" on the eve of the second presidential debate. Despite the fact that both candidates denied their interest in these petty, childish attacks on each others characters over the summer, BOTH find themselves within a mudslinging war.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about how presidential ads were reaching a new low, turning off young voters like myself. I'd rather hear about these candidates views on important policies rather than listen to them attack each other mercilessly. I don't want my President to be a gutless man with no respect for his fellow American.

Campbell Brown of CNN explained the situation well, saying, "Here's a purely practical reason: The negativity you are spewing now will only make your job harder after Election Day. Bipartisanship is really tough to achieve when everyone on both sides is left with a bad bad taste in their mouths...Don't you want to be able to walk into the White House with your dignity intact and your head held high?" (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/06/campbell.brown.campaign/index.html?iref=mpstoryview)

I hope that the candidates will somehow find it within themselves to focus on their own political strengths and weaknesses over the final 4 weeks before the election rather than trying to make the other look like an anti-American hooligan. I doubt this will happen, but it sure would be nice. Right?

Dumbing Down the Debates

The debate last Friday between John McCain and Barack Obama was hyped so highly in the days preceding that I felt the debate was going to not only determine the next President but also help end poverty, find a cure for cancer, and eliminate America's 12 trillion dollar debt. Unfortunately, the 98 minutes of debate past and all of these issues were left unsettled. While this ending was truthfully not that unpredictable, I think there is a larger issue surrounding the debate that NEEDS to be settled both before the election in November and in the forseeable future.

First, I was very confused by much of what went on in the debate. While that fact can pretty easily be dismissed as I really do not know that much about politics and my attention was not in full gear late on a Friday night after a long week. However, the problem is, how much am I representative of a normal American in that sense? How much of America truly understands the issues that the Presidential candidates are debating? Even if 65 million Americans watched the debates, many of those millions likely lost focus or did not understand much of the debate? That leaves around 250 million Americans without the necessary information needed to form an opinion on their potential presidents. I know not all of America votes, but how much of that is a result of a lack of education and lack of an ability to understand the confusing and tricky political process.

America needs to find a way to convey the gigantic importance of these debates and eventually the presidential election. It is our duty in the democracy we live in to vote. Unfortunately, this message often falls on deaf ears in America. If each campaign somehow found a way to "dumb down" the debates or their campaigns for less politically educated or knowledable Americans, maybe this problem could be remedied to an extent. Maybe instead of consistently ripping on the opposing party as a means of gaining votes, Obama and McCain could explain their goals and promises to America in more simple terms. Wouldn't this show that the candidates truly wanted to reach out to blue-collar Americans as opposed to letting people know that Palin hunts Moose? Think about that before this Thursday's vice-presidential debate, which I'm sure will turn into Palin-fest.

Go Cubs!!! Game 1-Wednesday

The Great Debate

In one of my earlier blog posts, I wrote about the importance of not "judging a book by its cover." Unfortunately, while many people, including myself, know this is wrong, this judging an entity based on appearance happens more than we can imagine. The kairos for this cliche will reach its peak on Friday night, as presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama will debate each other, for the first time, on live television. 

Since the first presidential debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858, presidential debates have often been crucial in determining a candidates political fate. This was most evident in 1960, when presidential hopefuls John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon took part in the first televised debate. Nixon, suffering from the flu and a knee injury never recovered in the 1960 election after this fateful debate, "...Nixon looked pale and sweaty--an image that stuck with viewers far longer than his words did." (Time Magazine) Basically, Nixon looked physically unfit before America while Kennedy looked strong. The debate swayed the public away from the uninspiring Nixon, perhaps beginning America's obsession with appearance over substance. 

After that debate, candidates feared the fatal live debate, as neither candidate wanted to lose their chances in a few minutes on national television. McCain and Obama have both campaigned hard over the past several months and years, but both know that a strong or poor showing this Friday could make or break their campaign. They also know that their physical appearances, perhaps above their actual opinions, could sway thousands to millions of voters. 

Does this make sense for America, to have their future leader potentially be determined on his appearance? I think that debate is a great way to see each candidate perform under stress in front of a live audience, but I also think more attention should be paid to each candidate's actual opinions and potential future policies. What does this say about America that many of our citizen's care more about brawn than brains? Think about this over the next week, because it will all come into play live, on Friday night.

Go Cubs!!!! Congrats on the divison

Fear

About one month ago I was watching my favorite television program, Sportscenter, and saw an interesting feature. The feature was on the legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre. Favre owns nearly every meaningful NFL record for quarterbacks, including an unthinkable iron-man streak, in which he has started every game for his teams (the Green Bay Packers and now the New York  Jets) since 1992 (254 games). The Sportscenter feature on Favre was chronicling his transition to the New York Jets after 16 years with the Packers, and highlighted something interesting that has driven Favre for his career: fear. According to Favre,  fear of failure

has driven him throughout his hall-of-fame career. 

"What drives me is fear of failure...That goes for each season and each game. As much success as I've had in my career, I've never gone into the next game or the next season and say, 'Whew. I've been playing well. That will continue.'" (Brett Favre)

I found this statement to be fascinating, as generally fear is associated with "wimps" or "sissies," and not the toughest quarterback in NFL history. However, this made me start thinking about the connection between fear and life in general. In reality, fear, whether it be fear of failure, loss, embarassment, injury, or anything else, drives every individual throughout daily life. Now, I am not saying all humans live in constant fear and hold no other motivation for life's daily chores, but I have no doubt that fear plays at least some role in everyone's daily life. 

Why do some do their homework? Fear of a bad grade or not learning the material.

Why do some people brush their teeth? Fear of bad teeth or bad breath.

Why do some people diet? Fear of health problems or poor appearance.

Why do some not speed? Fear of a ticket or accident.

I recognize that this argument does not apply to everyone in every circumstance. Some people do their homework because they enjoy it or want to learn. Some brush their teeth because they enjoy the feeling of being clean. Some diet because they enjoy nutrition and health, or do not like unhealthful foods anyway. However, if you think about your own life, how often does fear drive your actions? I believe if you are truthful in your introspection, you will be able to find many fear-driven actions within your life. 

Fear also plays a strong role in the shaping of our political system, specifically the presidential race. If you watch any presidential advertisement on television, the main message behind the advertisement is often not what that candidate can bring to the American people. Rather, the candidates, in this case McCain and Obama,  engage themselves in a high-stakes game of fear mongering. Who can do the better job of scaring the American public out of voting for the opposing candidate. Unfortunately, this fear mongering has become the main focus of both the Democratic and Republican campaigns. 

Obama Political Ad: More of the same

 As you can see by this presidential ad, Obama paints the picture that McCain is not an original maverick, rather, he is "more of the same." Obama knows that America has swooned in many ways since 2000 with Bush at the helm. Therefore, creating the public image that McCain is attached at the hip to Bush should scare many Americans into voting for Obama.

McCain Political Ad: Obama=Celebrity or Leader?

Meanwhile, John McCain portrays Obama as an inexperienced, celebrity running for President. In his estimation, Americans still reeling from the devastation of 9/11 and the Iraq war want a President with foreign policy experience, like himself, as opposed to a young, inexperienced President like Obama. He tries to make Americans fear Obama's youth and popularity with the media, making Americans fear that worse times will strike with Obama in charge.

I understand why political campaigns focus so strongly on fear mongering tactics today, especially since 9/11, as they are effective in achieving their goals. However I believe this is a cowardly tactic. I view this tactic as presidential candidates further reinforcing the presence of fear in America's daily life. However, unlike some fear, like Brett Favre's fear of failure, which I view to be good as it leads to positive results or change: this fear is unnecessary fear. Why make Americans fear the future when we have more resources and tools to succeed than any other country in the world? Instead of focusing their campaigns on the negatives of their opponents, I would love to see politicians instead focus their advertisements on their own strengths and potential to lead America to a better tomorrow.

The day of peaceful political campaigns will likely never arrive, but you can certainly count on the presence of fear in campaigns and the rest of daily life, forever.