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Show A1Q Monday Opinions September 29,2008 Jordy Kirkman/UVU Review Ms. Congeniality McCain's story time Quick thoughts after round one of presidential debates Focus on issues this election This election season has been a season of firsts for the major parlies. From Sen. Barack Obama's meteoric rise as the lirsi African-American nominee, to Sen. Hillary Clinton's stalwart battle in the Democratic primaries. which brought her incredibly close to becoming the first woman on the presidential ticket. These reasons appear to suggest that Americans are ready for a change - and that the White House is finally an equal-opportunity employer. Add Gov. Sarah Palin to the mix as Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate, and it sure that Washington will be led by either an African-American as president or a woman as vice president. With these choices on the table, many voters will base their decision on the issues of race, gender and even .supposed parenting skills. Voters will also vote against candidates for exactly these same reasons. The conservative persuasion is filled with elation over Sen. McCain's selection of Gov, Palin as his running mate. But the reaction to Palin is one usually reserved for the selection of the neighborhood watch leader - that she is a good mother with famil\ values. Surely Gov. Palin has accolades in politics, but the public and media tends to focus more of its attention on her role as a female and mother. McCain supporters determine that she's qualified for of (ice based on these factors that would seemingly qualify millions of mothers in this nation. The media didn't devote much attention to Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain's fatherly or masculine duties — such as being a scout leader or soccer coach. By focusing on beauty pageants and PTA. the media is downplaying the important issues the country faces, not the least of which is the economy. Sen. Obama has changed the face of American politics, and a substantial number of devotees to him have buoyed his campaign from the grassroots level. Among youth voters, Obama has a substantial lead in early polls. Many are attracted to Obama's charismatic persona and have made reputation-makeor-break comparisons of him to former presidents John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln. These qualities of Obama make him appealing to many, but unfortunately many Obama supporters can't give a solid reason in defense of why they feel so compelled to support him. The goal is to give the power of voting influence to the candidates and the issues, not to menial trends and misleading stereotypes. In sum, what has the greater influence on the country after the election -- the president's race, looks, habits -- or their foreign policy? UVU Review suggests each member of the student body inform themselves on the issues surrounding the presidential election, and consider these to be the reasons to vote for a candidate. The election should not be a popularity, beauty or parental contest. It should be based around important issues to the voter, and the leadership the candidate can provide. UVU Review recommends the Web site www. FactCheck.org for unbiased political coverage. The site proclaims to be a "nonpartisan, nonprofit, consumer advocate for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics." They "monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases." Surely one of the most important elections in United States history ought to receive the correct attention it deserves. &Li$'£&£::?:.3&j?_.'f^vsiid:v :A0"- ^:V"' Editor-in-chief The first presidential debate of the election season was full of dodged questions, both subtle and overt accusations, and many stories. Early on. Sen. McCain resembled his running mate Gov. Palin by dodging and .fumbling in his responses to questions. McCain's reliance on planned and panned umbrella answers became nauseating to watch. The Republican nominee gave many reasons to hit mute on the remote — enabling the closed-captions to spell out his oft-repetitive stories rather than provide the audible awfulness he provided. Many times in the debate it appeared that McCain was not really paying attention to the detailed questions from moderator Jim Lehrer or responses from Sen. Obama. When Obama would critique McCain, an unease took over McCain, and he tried to shrug it off with an uncomfortable laugh or awkward smirk. Lehrer pushed Obama and McCain to make it absolutely clear what their economic plans will be and how they differ from each other. The candidates then accused each other over their interpretation of pork spending, allowance and elimination. Indeed, this was supposed to be McCain's debate. He really stuck his neck out earlier in the week by "suspending" his campaign to "save" the nation's economy, then decided to And if the word "friend" was the trigger word in a drinking game, alcohol poisoning would have ravished the nation last Friday night. head to Mississippi just in time for the debate. Had McCain skipped the debate, the University of Mississippi would have been out a reported $5.5 million after the many renovations the school underwent in preparation for the debate. The risks McCain took in suspending his campaign could have been salvaged by a solid debate, but it's difficult to argue that McCain came out of the debate with as much as a tie with Obama. Early poll results across the spectrum of media reflect it as a win for Obama due to the fact that he won over the majority of undecided voters, whereas the results were nearly split among party lines. The responses from the candidates varied drastically. Sen. Obama gave his answers in a calculated and cautious manner, trying to tie up any loose ends. Sen. McCain told story after story, and they moved at a glacial pace. The audience must have felt at times that they were around a campfire toasting marshmallows during John McCain story time. It's a wonder the debate didn't end with him singing 'Kumbaya.' McCain repeatedly told an unfunny Ms. Congeniality of the Senate joke a few times. And if the word "friend" was the trigger word in a drinking game, alcohol poisoning would have ravished the nation last Friday night. Obama came through with some of the best exchanges in the debate, such as when responded to his opponent, "McCain calls me wildly liberal, that just means I'm opposing George Bush." Obama also pointedly called out McCain with his support of Pres. Bush's "orgy of spending." The debate was supposed to focus on foreign policy, but it was difficult to sway away from the impending economic crisis. This seemed to keep Obama in cautious check, as many of his policies are seen in the best light with a strong economy. Talking about the cost of programs is a difficult thing to do in the economic struggle nowadays. Round one is in the books for Obama and McCain, and the judges are leaning toward the Blue corner. |