So I decided to grab what I could of the recent debate on YouTube and see how the candidates made me feel. And I'm going to be honest: as much as something in my gut is driving me away from Obama, I don't care all that much for McCain, either. I remember the 2000 election, and he gave me a nasty feeling back then. And he's the Republican now?
Anyway, I thought I'd go question-by-question and jot down my impressions as I went. One question at a time, since I get a little nit-picky. Splitting hairs, some of you might call it. Sure, why not. I'd be a nasty exam-grader.
Oh, and if I say something you find a little ignorant (or a lot ignorant, for that matter), feel free to enlighten me. I like to know what the devil I'm talking about. I'll probably defend myself a bit, but since I'm still rather young, I'll concede willingly if you can prove you're right.
Also, I think my lack of patience for . . . certain things shows up a bit in my comments. Fair warning. =P
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"What is the fastest, most positive solution to bail these people out of the economic ruin?”
- I take an extreme dislike to the question almost immediately after its utterance. I suppose it is a testament to out societal stupidity that our first cry is for the quick fix. “It’s my money, and I want it now!” “Bad credit? Get approved in seconds!” “Make hundreds of thousands in less than two months!” Faugh. I don’t want to know the candidates’ thoughts on the fastest bail-out solution. I want to know the absolute best way to fix the problem, and damn the time necessary. Have we lost touch with perseverance that much?
- Obama:
- “Thank you, everyone, for asking questions.” Waste of time. Get moving.
- “I think everyone knows now..., and a lot of you are worried....” Yes. Waste of time. Get moving.
- Nice. Yes, blame the financial crisis on the Federal administration (and get a Bush/McCain slam in while you can; that shows class) instead of on the companies who should have known better.
- Good move with noting that the CEOs need to be kept out of the loop. But we already know this. Tell us how you want to do that.
- Good move with noting AIG’s spending spree. But again, we know that already, and the tactic fails to address the issue. How are you going to solve the problem? I don’t want an outline, I want proof that you know what your outline means.
- Not so sure energy is relevant. Energy ‘problems’ didn’t cause massive money gambling, and I doubt energy ‘solutions’ will solve them.
- McCain:
- Also with the thank-yous. Don’t wanna hear it; we brought you here to answer questions. That was the purpose of the debate. Talk already, and quit wasting time. And this is sure as hell not a town meeting.
- “Americans are angry, they’re upset, and they’re a little fearful.” Good gosh, you sound like a pastor. Answer the damn question.
- “It’s our job to fix this problem. And I have a plan to fix this problem.” Yippee. You’re supposed to have one. WHAT IS IT?
- Ooh, stop spending $700 billion on countries who don’t like us. That way, when we need the $700 billion bailout, we’ll have it. Gee thanks.
- Stop accruing so much national debt? Stop spending so much? Okay, that addresses the Federal Debt, but not the Wall Street Stupidity.
- Home Values plug. Hee hee. OH WAIT, he’s talking about house value, for the elderly. Never mind; I thought he was being clever with his placement. However, stabilizing property value and therefore mortgage prices will only make it so the average citizen will need less for their loan. What about the gambling? What about the irresponsible spending? What about the frilling nobles?
- Although both men talked very well in their allotted time, I felt nothing solid emerge from either person. I have no clear impression that yes, Obama will be able to corral the situation, or no, McCain has the solution thought out. To the citizen who knows their facts, Obama took the question. To the citizen who wants reassurance, McCain took the question. But neither said “this crisis calls for a larger Federal presence in regulating the economy”—though Obama came closest—and neither then laid out how that was to be done. All that was said was a careful rephrasing of what the media has already said. There is too much comfort to be had in the familiar; I wanted to know something new. I want specifics, even if I don't understand them.
(Also, I'm quite tired of posting in the wrong world. Is it possible to get those things alphabetized or something?)|
