Everyone ready to vote? This week is election week!
The U.S. election between John McCain and Barack Obama is in its final stages. In the last week the pair have visited several states in hopes to gain a final influence on voters. The final vote will of course be made this week! So have their campaigns been successful? Have they got what it takes to be the next American President? All will be revealed in this article!
This week our panel has slightly changed. Holiday50 had to step out for this week because she is a Canadian and doesn't feel she has the knowledge to express an opinion on the situation. Ooooopppp has also stepped aside this week due to lack of time. Ferrari5x has replaced the both of them for this week.
Just to remind those you haven't read the series before, "The Panel" is a series that involves panelists who are some of Whyvilles most influential minds that come together to discuss some of the hottest topics of the week. Last week was our first article and we are grateful that the series has been a success so far.
Our panelists for this week are: Ferrari5x, Wicked777, Peachadee and Rex13.
Jank03: Simply, who do you want to win?
Rex13: Barack Obama
Wicked777: Not sure yet.
Ferrari5x: McCain
Peachadee: McCain
Jank03: Have McCain and Obama run successful campaigns?
Rex13: Well, they are the Republican and Democratic picks for the president. So I guess they ran a successful campaign.
Wicked777: Both campaigns have spread their messages and persuaded people to support them. Any campaign that gets the support of such a large amount of people is what I call successful.
Ferrari5x: No. I hoped to see attack ads abandoned after the 2004 election, but Obama went against his word and has spent millions in attack ads so far, something I view as a nasty conservative trick which doesn't represent his liberal agenda well at all. McCain has made compromises and sacrificed quality for quantity throughout his campaign.
Peachadee: I think Obama's campaign has been more successful
Jank03: The war in Iraq is a very touchy subject. Both candidates have different views and opinions on the situation. Who do you think has the best vision for the war, and why?
Rex13: Barack Obama has a better view. Mccain wants to "win" this war. Rumors are already going around if he was to get in office that he would go to war with Iran! Obama wants to get out of there. That is the right thing do. We are having a hard enough time supporting our country. We don't have the resources to be helping another.
Wicked777: From what I know (and I don't know all that much, so don't take my opinion too seriously) I'd say Obama has the better vision. McCain's proposal of bringing in more troops seems counterproductive, but Obama's four-step plan has logic on its side.
Ferrari5x: I feel that most people are under the impression that Obama's plan will be less violent and more beneficial to us and the Middle East overall. However, I disagree; I think he is guilty of creating an illusion of peace while his policies are anything but nonviolent and will end up hurting everyone, socially and economically. I prefer McCain's proposed method of watch and assess, but I wish he wouldn't view negotiations as compromising.
Peachadee: War is always a tough thing to deal with. If it were up to me, we wouldn't have a war in the first place . . . but since we do, I think we should finish. Obama wants to have a set date to pull the troops out . . . which is basically surrendering. Too many people have died in this war to just surrender. We need to finish what was started.
Jank03: Who has the best policies for the economy, and why?
Rex13: Barack Obama has the best policies for the economy. His plan to raise taxes on the wealthier Americans is such a great idea. People say that it's not as good for the richer people. Richer people can afford to pay higher taxes more than the lower classes.
Wicked777: At this point, it's too tough to tell. Why should we wait for a President to change the economy though? We can make a difference right here on Whyville - just look at all the arguments over the Pearls system.
Ferrari5x: McCain, because in times of economical crisis, taxes and spending is anything but helpful. Americans ought to be entitled to the money they rightfully earn; the government needs to do a better job of budgeting what it takes, not just taking more.
Peachadee: I have mixed feelings about this one. In some respects, I like Obama's plan to "share the wealth", however I find it incredibly unfair. It sounds more like communism to me. I think McCain has the experience and the ability to actually improve things.
Jank03: A lot of controversial comments and opinions have been made about John McCain appointing Sarah Palin as his running partner, what do you think?
Rex13: I think Sarah Palin is a joke. McCain should have picked someone else. Palin doesn't do much. I'm sorry but McCain is old. Who knows how much time he has left? If he leaves us, I really don't want Palin being the president. You think Obama doesn't have much experience well just look at Palin!
Wicked777: I think Sarah Palin has been more of a talking point than anything else. Too much attention is given to what she wears and how she looks, and not enough to what she stands for. Since she's stepped into the spotlight, square-framed glasses have been selling like crazy - but how many people know how she feels about abortion and earmarks?
Ferrari5x: I think it was a mistake. I have no doubt she is capable of fulfilling her position, but there were much better candidates for the job and John McCain knew it. I don't admire the fact that he seemed to value public image more than good judgment and experience.
Peachadee: Although I support john McCain, I do not think Sarah Palin was the best choice as his Vice President. If john McCain dies (he's old!) Sarah Palin will be our new President. I don't think she is ready. John McCain's choice has definitely hurt his campaign.
Jank03: Education is something that has an impact on us all, especially the majority of the people on Whyville. Who has the best views for the American education system, and why?
Rex13: I'm not totally sure on their education plans. But I have heard Obama talking about kids doing more community service hours to help them get into college. Sounds good to me.
Wicked777: There is a proposal for a program where the teacher's salary depends on the scores of his or her students. I oppose it because the teacher can help students only so much - it really depends on how much the students want to learn. McCain supports the program, while Obama doesn't. I've got to go with Obama on this one.
Ferrari5x: Vouchers have a lot of potential, but the proposition needs to be re-organized. If McCain is elected, a re-examination will be possible. Other than that I don't think either candidate has a chance at improving our education system, apart from dropping No Child Left Behind.
Peachadee: For k-12 students, McCain's plan will work best. He wants to give the parents vouchers to choose the school they want their kids will go to. This will make the schools compete, thus bringing better teachers into schools and better education for the students. Obama is against vouchers. He says there aren't enough vouchers for everyone so he won't do it . . . even though it's a proven method for better education. If you are in college, like me, Obama's plan would probably benefit you more. He wants to give $4000 a year to college students to help pay for school as long as they complete some form of community service (Peace Corp, Army, etc.)
Jank03: Recent news tells us that there have been several alleged assassination attacks against Obama, do you think Americans are going too far?
Rex13: Yes, Americans have been going too far. I mean really, it's not like he's going to make the United States a dictatorship.
Wicked777: Yes, yes, definitely yes. If there's this much drama over change now, America's going to have a hard time moving forward.
Ferrari5x: In the same sense that terrorists are going too far when representing their native countries.
Peachadee: Absolutely. Keep your opinions and believe them with all your heart, but don't let your opinions negatively affect the lives of others.
Jank03: Was there anyone that ran previously that you would think be better than the final two candidates?
Rex13: Well, I personally like Ron Paul's idea's better. Ron Paul just doesn't have the leadership skills.
Wicked777: How far back can we go? Personally, I'd like to see what Franklin Roosevelt would do in this sort of situation, but raising him from the dead could be a problem.
Ferrari5x: Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani would have been better selections.
Peachadee: I actually wanted Huckabee to be the president . . .
Jank03: What do you think about Obama's running partner?
Rex13: I think Biden is great. He is strong on what Obama is weak on. I'd be a ton happier with him being president than Palin.
Wicked777: He definitely has experience. Sometimes it sounds like he thinks he's running for president himself, but that might just be his way of projecting confidence.
Ferrari5x: I wish is they'd agree more often.
Peachadee: He seems boring, but I could see him being a better president than Sarah Palin if we are just basing it on experience.
Jank03: What's your view on the entire campaign from the start to the finish?
Rex13: It's interesting.
Wicked777: It's history in the making and people know it. The numbers have been examined and compared, the speeches have been quoted and dissected, and it's all being recorded for the text books.
Ferrari5x: Frankly, it's too conservative. It seems like Americans have been trained to make quick and abrupt decisions, which is a shame and because of which each candidate has been saying things just to be elected; it would be nice if we could look more into the substance behind the image.
Peachadee: We need to hear about the other candidates! I feel like I'm forced to vote for one of the "two" candidates when really there are 6. I'm tired about hearing about the election every time I turn on the TV.
Jank03: Explain your opinion about each candidate:
Obama
Rex13: A hard worker and a leader with the right ideas.
Wicked777: He projects confidence and change. Some of his arguments get a bit flimsy, but he knows how to cater to the needs of the people.
Ferrari5x: No comment.
Peachadee: He would be a good candidate if he didn't support "Pro Choice".
McCain
Rex13: A leader and hard worker with some of the wrong ideas.
Wicked777: He knows how things work in the White House and has more than enough military experience. Some of his policies ignore the needs of minorities, but he knows how to take a look at the big picture.
Ferrari5x: No comment.
Peachadee: He's a relatively good candidate . . . he shares a lot of my same values and he's more experienced than Obama.
Jank03: It's has been claimed that Obama has several ties to terrorists, what do you think?
Rex13: I've heard he does. But do you really think he is a terrorist? I think that's outrageous and stupid to believe that.
Wicked777: I think the media hypes everything up. If Obama really had the ties they claimed, would he really still be in the running?
Ferrari5x: I have no opinion, considering it would just be another pebble in the gravel pit.
Peachadee: I believe this is true . . . but Republicans have their faults too. The Republicans need to stop bashing and start solving.
Jank03: Last thoughts?
Rex13: We don't want another 4 more years. Don't vote McCain, vote Obama.
Wicked777: The world shouldn't try to depend too heavily on a President. "Be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi
Ferrari5x: No comment.
Peachadee: I can wait for it to be over!
Thank you to all our panelists this week for their much appreciated opinions.
ON YOUR BOX
Get on your box and voice your opinion! Send your thoughts to the account name: OnYourBox.
Author's Note: Any OnYourBox comments sent to my main account Jank03 will be deleted so please send them to the above account (OnYourBox).
Next week's topic: Whyville Senate
This week we have a two OnYourBox contributors who all commented about the U.S Election.
jayne1004: Clearly, the best candidate for President is John McCain. He is a leader who puts his faith in us. Barack Obama is merely a politician who puts his faith in government. Sarah Palin is a great candidate for Vice President because like John McCain, she is a born leader. John McCain and Sarah Palin care about lowering taxes, not using our hard earned dollars to "spread the wealth" like Barack Obama wants. I beg you, on November 4, elect John McCain, a true leader.
fairypup2: I think that people who don't vote for Obama because he's black are JUST as bad as people who DON'T vote for him because he's black. Obviously race is a big part of the election this year (unfortunately) and I really don't think that it should affect how you see the person, and of course they look on their past, and their friends. You can't define someone by your friends, and a person can change. They won't be the same as the past.
Thank you to all our guests and main contributors!
What do I think of the issue? As a proud Australian, I realize that America is the dominate country, so I would like a leader with strong military ideas, long term goals for education a someone who has a grasp on the economy. I couldn't chose between the two, we will just have to wait an see, won't we!
Until next week,
Jank03
Editor's Note: Thank you Jank03 and to all of the panelists for tackling this important and controversial subject. This election is historic and extremely important not only for Americans, but for the entire world. We all have very strong opinions on this matter, so I remind you to please remain respectful and appropriate in the BBS. Thank you. And . . . to any citizen who is over 18, please vote!
