Yur Social Conscience: Presidential Debate (Round 3)

Dear America,

The final Presidential Debate was held October 15, 2008 at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York and moderated by Bob Schieffer who I just recently learned is a long time fan of McCain. Click the link to see a video of this http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/15/final-debate-moderator-sc_n_135038.html I just find it so interesting how such a small world it can be at times J Out of all of the people they could have chosen as a moderator, they chose one who has clearly and publicly favored McCain. Couldn’t they have chosen someone who didn’t have a documented and publicized history of favoring either candidate? The format of the debate was yet again a bit different from the proceeding three, this time with the candidates sitting down and talking more to each other. It was more conversational, although I must admit I did fall asleep towards the end of it. Sorry, that’s what being a graduate student and working at the same time can do to you. But here’s my take on what I did see, and you all can fill me in on the rest.

Quite honestly, I’m glad that the debates are over. The issues started to seem a bit redundant, almost like beating a dead horse. But the pressure was on McCain to illicit the “wow” effect to listeners in order to redeem himself in the polls. I think he tried too hard to go for that effect. He mainly tried to do so by making attacks on Obama, which wasn’t a surprising tactic at all coming from him. But what was surprising to me is the way he attempted to relate to the middle class in this debate by constantly referring to Joe the Plumber. He doesn’t really care about Joe. And if you’re out there Joe, I hope you’re reading this. All you are is just a tactic McCain is using to desperately try to regain the lead, just as he did with Palin. Read the brief article by following this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/17/mccain-aides-search-for-n_n_135534.html Only now when McCain trailing in the polls does he try to convey a concern for the middle class. What about the rest of the time he’s been in this race? Was the middle class on his mind then? If they were, it wasn’t apparent in his speeches and rationale behind his proposed policies. And I feel that his mention of Joe the Plumber was selfish and a direct exploitation because it was obviously not sincere.

Another thing that interested me in the debate was how Obama spoke of a need to “spread the wealth around.” McCain certainly did not like that notion and immediately stated afterwards that “We don’t need to spread the wealth around.” Ofcourse, you may not see a need to spread the wealth around when the grass is greener on your side of town. He stated in times of economic hardship, why should we raise anyone’s taxes? Allow me to explain. Here’s why we should McCain:

Lack of health care & an increase in uninsured Americans
Lack of jobs & increased unemployment
Lack of funding for social welfare programs with an increased need for those programs
Hunger & poverty
And the list goes on and on. Need I say more?
With McCain’s statement of “Why raise anyone’s taxes” he was suggesting a concept of fairness. It seems as if he was trying to say that in these hard times, we shouldn’t be trying to increase the tax burden on anyone. But get this McCain: “New statistics from the Internal Revenue Service show that the highest-earning 1% of taxpayers in America make 22.06% of all income reported to the government. That's almost twice the 12.51% of total income earned collectively by the lowest-earning 50% of workers. Yes, 1.4 million taxpayers claim 22% of income earned while 68 million share just 12.5%.” (MSN Money, 10/3/08). I’m sure he already knows that since it’s likely that he and his lovely wife Cindy are among that 1%. So, I ask, is that really fair?

I’m not criticizing anyone for being wealthy. But I just ask that the wealthy realize that everyone is not so privileged. And because they have been blessed to not have to live in poverty they need to accept the fact that there are Americans who need help and they may inevitably have to carry a bigger burden. That’s just life. People don’t ask to be poor. But it’s obvious that McCain doesn’t feel like the better off members of society should do anything to help those who aren’t so well to do. Statistics show that 14.9% or 89,239 Tennesseans live below the federal poverty level. How will they ever be able to break the cycle of poverty if the wealth is never spread around? We would continue to have institutionalized poverty where no matter what the individual does he/she will never be able to get ahead because of a lack of opportunity, flawed institutional systems, and an insensitive government. Caseloads in my agency alone within the past 5 months of families, children, and individuals in need of assistance have steadily increased. But we have still had to endure budget cutbacks. We need help. We need change.

I admired how Obama was able to stick with the issues and not waste our time talking about squabbles and he said/ she said crap that McCain obviously likes to keep bringing up. I’m just glad the talking is over and now its time to for us to act by voting on our next President. In Nashville, early voting started on October 15 and will go through October 30. And ofcourse the big day for everyone is November 4. I have a list of early voting site locations and hours of operations for anyone who needs them in the Nashville area. Just ask. For me and many others, this vote is especially important and 400 years in the making. Happy voting! And whether you support Obama or McCain, just make sure to let your voices be heard!

In closing, I ran across an article on the final debate and was reading through the comment posts underneath the article from people all over the world who are watching this election just as closely as we are. It's extremely interesting to read what they think of all of this in places far away from us around the globe. I've copied and pasted their comments below. Enjoy!

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If Obama wins, republican voters will be sorry. But if McCain wins the whole world will be sorry.
jack , London, UK

No knockout? I'd say McCain was knocked for six. He looked old & shaky & when he put Obama on the spot, Obama batted him out of the field. McCain needed a game changer. He got one. The game is now all but over. Choosing Palin was probably his biggest mistake. Negative campaigning finished him off. Will Harris, London, UK

It amazes me how people crying "Obama is a socialist!" have no clue what the socialism is (e.g. Joe the Plumber, McCain, Palin etc.). Obama is as much a socialist as Pope is a communist. He just believes that rich people should pay more taxes than poorer people. McCain/Bush believe in the opposite. Greg Tomashevsky, North Andover, USA

To accuse Obama of being Socialist inclined is absolutely ridiculous. Pray, can't we find better words to color a man who most likely will take the US to the next dimension of democratic prosperity? Obama is a delight to watch. optimistically,his era will bring delight to the US and the world. Paul Aboh, Abuja, Nigeria

Well the clear result is it re-energized his base. Attacks, once again (to my surprise and delight) backfired. Gini - How wonderful that we live in a country where the right combo of work, time, opportunity and luck has led you to your success. Do we not want said opportunity for all Americans? Patrick, Philadelphia, USA

If Obama becomes President, then every self-appointed victim group in the US will be looking for handouts and reparations. Derek, Taunton, UK

I have to say this: I know how I feel being here in the States, watching this thing go down like a bad comedy sketch. It frightens me that folks around the globe seem to have more common sense about this election than my neighbors. Thank you all for your comments. Please keep us in your prayers. susan, kansas city, usa

At last Senator McCain got his message across. If sitting and smirking with arrogance while the Republican candidate spoke, then Obama won!! I beg to differ. Socialism just does not work. It looks good on paper but it doesn't cut the mustard. God hep the folks if the Democrat fools the population Prudence Eely Bond McGuire BA, LONDON, ENGLAND- UK

I do not remeber this country (USA) being founded on socialistideals. No I remeber that it was founded as a Republic with Democratic ideals. I think Obama has forgotten this as most of his policies have the stench of pure socialism. Robert, El Paso, Texas, USA

The debate proved to me that what you see is what you get. Obama is calm and intelligent, focusing on the issues and how to fix them as President. McCain seems flustered and afraid of losing as if this election was a board game. The process is like a game, but the position afterward is serious. Rick, The Falls, WI, US

I'm watching the very well respected daily Rasmussen Polls, and the USA Today multi-poll tracker, and the gap is in fact narrowing again and near the margin of error. Though Obama is looking good, if I were a Democrat I wouldn't crow yet. Remember Kinnock at Sheffield (His pal Joe Biden does!) Paul Freeman, London, England

I have heard the word "maverick" constantly used by McCain/Palin during this campaign as a positive. Someone close to me mentioned that another interpretation of the word could be "Loose cannon"! Imagine if these words replaced "Maverick" each time it had been used in their speeches..... peter , vancouver, canada

I'm not basing my vote on debates but on the experience, character and integrity of John McCain. I have never been polled by any of the pollsters and I have voted in every presidental election since Reagan ran against Carter. I have never based my vote on who looked or sounded better in a debate. Kathy, Kansas City, USA

McCain is a Bush puppet, Palin just shows what bad judements he'll make, and I laugh when he calls himself a "maverick" he is a career republican politician who for the last 20 years toed the party line, thats not being a maverick! Time for a change, a democratic change.
Gary Hack, Forest, Va., USA

Sorry Leigh, but a 100% of the moose population support Palin's election to Washington - because if she's there - then there life expectancy will be greatly enhanced. And if she loses then they'll ... odtaa, Richmond, UK

I am a American taxper with my own company. I work a long week. I do not understand why I should pay more in taxes so as to give more benefits to those who do not make an effort to work. Nobama - I shall vote McCain and Palin Gini, New York City, USA

McCain and Pallin are just wannabe angry manipulative people go Obama go

Adam Carson, London,

If it comes to which candidate is making more sense and talking less nonsense, Obama has come off better. He also seems more reasonable, sincere and trustworthy, despite McCain's considerable credentials. stephen, Sydney, Australia

OK. So we have Joe The Plumber ahead on 48%...Obama at 44%...McCain dead-in-the-water at 3% - blaming Joe The Plumber and Sarah Palin for sabotaging his campaign. Also of signifance, an overwhelming 97% of Alaskan Mooses say they won't vote the Palin ticket.
Leigh vernier, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Even if it looked like McCain would make a better president than Obama, no sensible independent would vote for him and risk leaving Palin in charge.
Richard, Edinburgh, Scotland

No knockout blow from McCain, more a series of missed blows and a few that hurt him more than Obama. While both candidates may prove, ultimately, to be much of muchness (the differences between them now may or may not come to frutiion over 4 years ) McCain has shown terrible judgement Paul, Tokyo,

I feel sorry for the American people. Obama will liberalise the entire USA if he get ti office, and McCain will simply bankrupt the States with unjust wars.
Collin Brown, Cotgrave, Nottingham

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4952771.ece

Yur Social Conscience: Presidential Debate (Round 2)

Dear America,

The second of three Presidential Debates was held October 7, 2008 at Belmont University here in the great city of Nashville, Tennessee and moderated by Tom Brokaw. The format of the debate was a bit different. This time, it was held in a town hall format where questions were chosen from the audience and from online. Also, the moderator asked some of his own questions as well. So, what did you think? Personally, I liked the format of the debate better than the others. I felt as if it gave the American people a chance to ask great questions and let the candidates know the issues that matter to us. My favorite question of the night came from online and asked the candidates “What don’t you know, and how are you going to learn it?” My second favorite question came from the audience and stated something along the lines of: How can we trust either of you with our money when both parties got us all into this? This is a legitimately good point and something I must admit that I wondered early in the election. But I put my cynicism aside and came to the conclusion that we will have to trust someone. In light of all of our country’s economic troubles, from my general conversations it seems like a lot of people are like bitter lovers in a new relationship who unconsciously view the new spouse in a negative light because of the last one’s mistakes. I understand that you have to know where you’ve been in order to know where you’re going, but we have enough negativity going on right now and don’t need to add cynicism to the list. I definitely can understand how one can feel this way, but we have to start with a clean slate and move on with the person who we feel can help us from here on out.

Overall, in my opinion McCain lost. He seemed so much more interested in referring to his track “record” and taking shots at Obama than making sure he thoroughly and thoughtfully answered the questions. He didn’t seem sincere at all and appeared to use his time answering the questions as opportunities to recite his speeches. That extremely selfish. Oh, and might I add he was very boring. In particular, his attacks on Obama are getting really old. While he was so busy making his speeches instead of answering the questions, he didn’t mention the middle class once. Obama stated after one of McCain’s responses that “the straight-talk Express lost a wheel.” I definitely agreed with that.

Of course the questions of most interest to me where those most pertinent to myself, my family, and my client population. A question was asked along the lines of: What sacrifices will you ask the American people to make to get us through these economic hard times? McCain responded by stating that he will eliminate earmarks and recommend a spending freeze across the board except for vital programs (which of course included the military). In Layman’s terms, he’s basically saying that we will continue to spend $10 billion a month in Iraq and keep adding to their surplus and our deficit while much needed programs (like those that serve the poor, low income, and middle class) continue to suffer from shrinking budgets with increasing needs. For instance, the state of Tennessee alone had to let go hundreds of employees due to a decrease in the state budget. Various agencies and programs had to figure out how they would continue to function effectively and efficiently and still meet the needs of their clients with a drastic decrease in employees. Is McCain proposing more of this madness? One of the things Obama said that he would do is to double the Peace Corp so that young people interested in serving can do so which would lessen the burden of other groups.

Another insightful question asked was whether each candidate felt that healthcare was a privilege, right, or responsibility. McCain stated that he felt as if it was a responsibility but was nervous about government mandates. Obama stated that he felt as if it was a right and that as rich as this country is this right should be available to everyone. He stated that the government should be involved in this issue because there is a need to crack down on insurance companies cheating their people or setting up in certain states due to that particular state’s lax regulation.
One thing I particular like about Obama is his ability to relate to the less fortunate, lower, and middle class. He stated that America gave him the opportunity to get a world class education made possible by scholarships even though he came from modest means with a low-income mother on Food Stamps. He stated that if our country keeps going at the rate we’re going, then we can’t expect to be able to pass those same opportunities on to our children if changes aren’t made. Without these opportunities, what would our country be? How would there ever be a chance for those who have nothing to one day have something if they aren’t given the opportunity to do so? McCain stated that we don’t know what will happen in the future, and that is definitely true. So in God we trust because only He knows.

YUR Social Conscience: The 1 & Only VP Debate

Dear America,

The only Vice-Presidential Debate between Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and Sen. Joe Biden (D) was held on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at Washington University at St. Louis and moderated by Gwen Ifill. For those of you who were fortunate enough to watch it, what did you think? Overall, I thought it was very interesting. I found Biden to be passionate, honest, experienced, and knowledgeable. It’s too bad I can’t quite say the same thing about Palin. To me, her whole speech seemed so very cliché, as if she was just regurgitating lines she had been previously spoon fed. In all honesty, I can probably sum up the beginning of all of her responses in the entire debate to: “Let’s talk about energy.” “McCain is a maverick.” “When I was Governor and Mayor of Alaska…” “….put bipartisanship aside….” I found her responses to be ambiguous, vague, unclear, and most of time it was obvious she wasn’t knowledgeable enough to answer the specific question asked so she would just divert her answer into talking about something she knew well, which was either “energy” or what she did in Alaska to avoid answering. When the moderator asked her about mortgages and taxes she would talk about energy. When asked about foreign policy, she would talk about energy. When specifically asked to address McCain’s past history of his support of deregulation and his current position opposing it, she refused to and instead chose to talk about what she did in Alaska. In my opinion, she was quite hilarious.

Biden, on the other hand, most of the time answered the question asked of him. I guess that's the thing with politicians. It can be hard getting a straight answer out of any of them. But he was much more clear and concise. I was most interested in the questions asked of Biden that would relate most to me and my clients. When asked why people making $250, 000 would be taxed, he stated that it’s only fair because the middle class is struggling with no break in taxes. And when Palin tried to counteract that by stating that this would effect many small business owners, Biden shut her down by stating that indeed it would not because 95% of small businesses make less than $250,000 a year. There is definitely no arguing that point. I believe that this would be very beneficial to the poor. In this country, 1 in 6 households have zero or negative net wealth so why should they be taxed more severely than those holding the majority of the nation’s wealth (The State of Working America, 2008)? The NY Times (2002) once stated that “lack of income means you don’t get by; lack of assets means you don’t get ahead.” And many of my clients aren’t even able to get by not to mention getting ahead. Biden also stated that under Obama’s plan, the wealthy will pay no more taxes than they did under Reagan.

Another aspect of the debate that was of particular interest to me was the topic of healthcare. The 2 candidates have very different views on what this should look like for Americans. The Urban Institute did a wonderful analysis of both candidates’ healthcare plans. If you want a more detailed description of them than what I am providing here, please check it out at http://www.urban.org/ They can sum it up so much better than I ever could so here are snippets from their analysis.

“The McCain health care plan represents a philosophical advance over many other health care proposals, principally in its commitment to redistributing the current tax exemption for employer-based health insurance. However, the plan raises more concerns than it addresses. The plan would
1. provide a refundable tax credit that is more valuable to low-income workers than the current tax exemption for employer-based insurance, though the credit is not adequate to make coverage affordable for many;
2. make insurance coverage less accessible and affordable for those with high health care needs;
3. increase coverage among the currently uninsured through the non-group market but reduce the number already covered by employers, leaving about the same number of people uninsured; 4. have a high budget cost, at least in its early years.

In brief, McCain’s proposal would dramatically change how many Americans obtain health insurance coverage, make coverage less accessible for those with health problems, have a high budget cost, but have little effect on the number uninsured.”
McCain’s healthcare plan would be disastrous for the poor, low-income, and middle class and would do absolutely nothing to help increase the number of insured Americans. In essence, it would just be a pointless restructured way for those who already healthcare to keep receiving it.

So, let’s see what the Urban Institute (2002) says about Obama’s plan.
“Our general assessment of the Obama plan is that it would
1. greatly increase health insurance coverage but would still leave about 6 percent of the non-elderly population uninsured, compared to 17 percent today.
2. substantially increase access to affordable and adequate coverage for those with the highest health care needs, including those with chronic illnesses, by spreading health care risk broadly;
3. significantly increase the affordability of care for low-income individuals; and

4. reduce the growth in health spending through a broad array of strategies.

In short, Obama’s proposal contains the basic components necessary for effectively addressing the most important shortcomings of the current health care system, that is, limited coverage, inadequate risk pooling, and high-cost growth.”

From what I gather from the Urban Institute, neither plan is perfect and nor did I expect them to be. But it’s clearly obvious which plan is better for ALL citizens of this country, and that’s Obama’s. I just don’t understand why this is so hard for some people to comprehend. The research is right there for all to see. Healthcare gaps are one of the many things that hit those in poverty the hardest, and those who don’t have it are more likely to not seek health services until the situation becomes a crisis (Nashville Poverty Symposium, 2008). The U.S. Census Bureau (2007) found that 800,000 Tennesseans are uninsured which is more than the entire population of the city of San Francisco! Obama’s health care plan would help alleviate this concern for the poor not on in this state but across the country. I’m sure a lot of Republicans can’t even fathom not having health care. Do they know what its like to not be insured? To need to go to the doctor but you delay or don’t go at all because you simply can’t afford it? I really don’t think so.

Another interesting point was on the topic of the climate. Palin was asked what she thought the causes of the climate changes were and did she think they were man made. Her answer was pathetic. She went on to state that she didn’t think that the changes were man made, and she didn’t want to talk about the changes in the climate but would rather talk about we’re going to do about them. Biden came back with a vengeance by stating that the changes are definitely man made, and if you don’t understand the causes you won’t be able to find a solution which are my sentiments exactly. How can you talk about what you are going to do about a problem without talking about what’s causing the problem in the first place?

Next was foreign policy. Palin kept driving home the same old tired point as her buddy McCain by trying to establish Obama as unpatriotic because he voted to cut off support to the troops. But Biden pointed out that what both McCain and Palin keep failing to remember is that McCain voted the EXACT same way because it involved a timeline, in which we all know he is opposed to. Biden stated that we need to give more attention to Afghanistan instead of all of it to Iraq where we currently spend more in 3 weeks there than we have in 6 years in Afghanistan. Biden also stated that “this administration’s policy has been an abstract failure.” I agree as I’m sure both Democrats and Republicans would as well. But why is it that McCain and his constituents seem to have such a hard time comprehending that? Similar to what they tell substance abuse victims in treatment, the first step is admitting that you have a problem. McCain could use that advice because he needs to honestly admit that we have big problems here and the policies of the current administration nor his policies (which are very similar in detail) will solve them. It’s a HUGE problem when we’re spending $10 BILLION a MONTH in Iraq when they have a $80 BILLION SURPLUS compared to our $11.3 TRILLION DEFICIT (including the Bailout Mess). Have we been duped by Iraq?

I must say that I did enjoy the debate. But so far, both debates have just reinforced positions I already held on certain issues and definitely did not change my decision in who I will vote for. What about you?

Oh, I almost forgot. If you are in the mood for a great laugh, check out this link to Saturday Night Live's take on the lastest debate. Be sure to scroll down at and check out some of the previous videos on the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates as well. They are all equally hilarious!

http://tv.yahoo.com/saturday-night-live/show/194/videos/10037417