Sunday, November 9, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Palin's Pro-America
The speech caught the attention of media and other candidates. The following day comedian, talk show host John Stewart spoke out to a college audience in Boston. Stewart said, “She said that small towns, that's the part of the country she really likes going to because that's the pro-America part of the country. You know, I just want to say to her, just very quickly: F*ck you!”
Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden responded Friday in a speech in Mesilla, New Mexico with, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have never been to a state that hasn't sent its sons and daughters to serve its country… It doesn't matter where you live, we all love this country.”
Clearly Palin was trying to win extra votes by complementing voters as pro-American. However, she was not careful on how she phased her words. True small-town America is an important part of America, but not more important than cities that create the majority of the nations economy.
Mistakes like this will make it hard for McCain and Palin to gain undecided voters. They will especially have a hard time winning over younger voters who watch John Stewart and The Daily Show.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The 2nd Presidential Debate
Are you tired of the same old Presidential Debates? Have you been wondering how to make them more entertaining? One method is drink while you watch. Why not make a game out of it? Here is the results of one game suggested online:
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Poll Update (10-1)
9-28 Rasmussen Obama 50% - McCain 45%
9-27 Gallup Obama 51% - McCain 42%
9-24 Fox News Obama 45% - McCain 39%
9-23 ABC News Obama 52% - McCain 43%
9-18 Quinnipiac Obama 49% - McCain 43%
10-1 The New York Times has an election map with their latest numbers.
Obama 255 Delegates - McCain 200 Delegates 83 Tossups.
Tossup states' polls:
Florida - 27 delegates 10-1 Quinnipiac Obama 51% - McCain43%
**Pennsylvania - 22 delegates 10-1 Quinnipiac Obama 54% - McCain 39%
Ohio - 20 delegates 10-1 Quinnipiac Obama 50% - McCain 42%
Virginia - 13 delegates 9-21 ABC Obama 49% - McCain 46%
Colorado - 9 delegates 9-23 CNN Obama 51% - McCain 47%
New Mexico - 5 delegates 8-15 Mason Dixon McCain 45% - Obama 41%
Nevada - 5 delegates 9-21 Suffolk Obama 46% - McCain 45%
New Hampshire - 4 delegates 9-21 Marrist College Obama 51% - McCain 45%
** - No longer a projected tossup state
Interactive Narrative
The story compared the candidates on eight subjects: Iraq, abortion, marriage, climate, immigration, guns, economy and health. The story also give candidate stats and fun fact about both candidates.
The story give links to other interactive stories. The other interactives are compare the running mates, track the latest polls, follow the money and map battleground.
If that is still not enough for the reader, the site gives video of the candidates speeches and other speeches Presidents have given in the past.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Campaign Finance
Obama is supported mainly by California, New York and Illinois; while McCain is receiving most of his aid from Florida, Texas and California.
As expect the retired people are McCain's largest supporters and McCain has the edge over Obama with the oil and gas industry. Obama is mainly supported retired people, laywers and law firms and educators. Interestingly Obama leads McCain in areas that would be considered more Republican professions, such as real estate, business and finance.
Administration and media are the two expenses of the two main candidates. Obama has spent about 152 million on media and 112 million on administration. McCain has spent similar amounts on both, about 54 million for administration and the media.
With both candidates being able to spend a large amount of money on media, it will be interesting to see what effects that will have on the debates and how many of the independent candidates will be able to join the debates.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Other Candidates
What do Ralph Nader, Bob Barr, Cynthia McKinney and Charles Baldwin have in common? They are Independent Presidential candidates who are demanding equal running rights.
Nader is running for President for his fifth consecutive election with Vice President candidate Matt Gonzalez. If they win, Nader will be the oldest President in history at 74, two years older than McCain and four years older than William Henry Harrison, when he was elected president. Nader was instrumental in both Clean Air Act (1968) and Clean Water Act (1970) as well as being instrumental in getting air bags and over the should harnesses in cars. (http://www.draftnader.org/accomplishments.php) (http://www.ontheissues.org/Ralph_Nader.htm)
After Gonzalez graduated from Stanford Law in 1990 he was elected to the 11-member San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2000. Recently he fought for San Francisco’s minimum wage to be brought up to U.S. highest $9.36/hr. In 2003 he lost the election to be Mayor of San Francisco to Willie Brown. Gonzalez received 47% of the votes after being projected to get 4%. (http://www.votenader.org/about/matt-gonzalez/) (http://www.votenader.org/)
If you thought Barack Obama and Sarah Palin were going to be the only African American or woman in this election, you were wrong. Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente are running together for the Green Party.
McKinney has no problem with controversy; she was Georgia’s first African American Congresswomen in 1992. She served in the House of Representatives for 14 years. She is against the death penalty, against the Patriot Act, for the legalization of marijuana and thinks spending $38 billion on education and $700 billion on defense is wrong. (http://www.ontheissues.org/Cynthia_McKinney.htm)
Born and raised in the Bronx, Clemente graduated from the University of Albany and Cornell. As a journalist and hip-hop activist, she if for the power of the people. (http://votetruth08.com/)
If you want religious views in the White House, then vote from Charles Baldwin and Darrell Castle. They are running for the Constitution Party. (http://baldwin08.com/)
Baldwin is the founder and minister of the Crossroad Baptist Church. He is for the equal rights and is against foreign countries owning American property and resources.
Baldwin’s running mate, Castle was born and educated in Tennessee. After graduating from East Tennessee State, he joined the military where he eventually rose to the rank of First Lieutenant. As a former military officers wants more answers about 9/11.
The Libertarian Party candidates are Robert Barr and Wayne Root. They are for smaller government and more state choice. They are against government spending, against the war in Iraq and want to pursue more off shore drilling. (http://www.bobbarr2008.com/)
Barr is a graduate of USC, George Washington University and Georgetown Law. Root is a small business owner and TV show host. He graduated from Columbia in 1983 in the same class as Obama. Although he was born and raised in New York he considers himself from Nevada. (http://www.bobbarr2008.com/)
Other than equal running right these candidates share the hatred for the two-party system that Nader calls a “duopoly.” Four of the men have JDs - Nader, Gonzalez, Barr and Castle. And three of the four Presidental candidates are for either a single payer or free choice healthcare. (http://www.votenader.org/issues/single-payer)