Because this is indeed a truly global history class, and because I personally think in a global context, I oftentimes wonder what the results of the United States presidential election would be if the entire world voted. In perusing the website of the British news magazine The Economist (by the way, the BEST news magazine in the English language; if you take AP Comparative Politics here or decide to major in political science or international affairs in college, you'll be required to get a subscription), I stumbled upon a pretty solid answer. In the United States, the winner of the election is not decided by the popular vote (in other words, just because you get the most votes does not always mean you won. Case in point, Al Gore in 2000 got more votes than George W. Bush and still lost). The winner is decided through the electoral college system. This can be somewhat confusing to the political novice, but essentially the vote is tallied on a state-by-state basis. The amount of votes that a state is worth is based on that state's population. Georgia is worth 15 electoral college votes, so essentially if John McCain wins Georgia (which he likely will since Georgia tends to lean republican in recent decades), that is 15 electoral college votes for Senator McCain. Contrast that with a state like, say, Montana with a rather low population that is only worth 3 electoral votes. Unless the race is a dead heat, Montana doesn't make much difference. There are only a couple of exceptions to this. There are a couple of states (I believe Vermont is one, but don't quote me on that) where it's not winner takes all, and they do a split electoral vote based on what the voters of the state said (Vermont is worth 3 electoral votes, so if 2/3 of the state voted Obama and 1/3 McCain, Vermont would cast 2 votes for Obama and one for McCain). This practice is vary rare however. Why is it that, in recent weeks especially, we have seen both Senators McCain and Obama campaigning hard in states like Ohio and Florida? Because these are states that are referred to as "swing states" in which the number of registered democrats and registered republicans are pretty close. They are also worth a ton of votes (Ohio 20 and Florida 27). If you can win those two states, chances are you will win the election in recent years. That would also explain why you don't really see heavy campaigning in California (55 easy votes for democrats) or Texas (34 easy votes for republicans). Why is it that most political analysts are saying that Obama is currently on the road to victory? Don't look at the polls that just look at popular vote (even though Obama is currently leading in all of those too). You have to look at trends state-by-state. You must also understand that you need 270 electoral college votes to win the election. If Senator Obama were to win all of the states that he's supposed to (as in states that he currently has a clear lead in), he would already have 277 electoral votes, and that's not counting swing states. Let's say that Obama also wins Florida, Colorado, Ohio, and McCain wins Nevada, Missouri, and North Carolina. That would mean that Obama gets 333 votes in the end, and McCain 205. In fact, even if McCain won Florida, Colorado, and Ohio too, sweeping the swing states this year, Obama still wins 277-261. So that is why many political analysts are saying that Senator Obama probably has this one won, barring any unforeseen surprises in the next ten days. Now, going back to my original comment, what if the entire world voted for the American president and what if the entire world's votes was based on the electoral college system? Who would likely win? Well, the answer is clear that Obama is the global favorite. Click here to see a very interesting interactive map that The Economist has put together applying the electoral college system to the globe. At the moment (and the votes continue to come in), McCain only has a solid lead in Cuba, Iraq, and Namibia. The theoretical electoral vote tally? Obama- 8,969 votes, McCain- 285 votes. Of course this tally will continue to fluctuate, but it is interesting to get the international vibe on the American elections. Keep in mind also this is a poll taken of readers of The Economist, so take it with a grain of salt. It is interesting though. With Obama being the obvious global favorite, could such a candidate restore America's somewhat tarnished global image? This is an election that the globe is watching. Take a look at the news media links that I have put up from all over the world on this blog. Spending time on those sites alone proves the world is watching this one. Ten days to go.
Friday, October 24, 2008
What If the Whole World Could Vote for the US President?
Because this is indeed a truly global history class, and because I personally think in a global context, I oftentimes wonder what the results of the United States presidential election would be if the entire world voted. In perusing the website of the British news magazine The Economist (by the way, the BEST news magazine in the English language; if you take AP Comparative Politics here or decide to major in political science or international affairs in college, you'll be required to get a subscription), I stumbled upon a pretty solid answer. In the United States, the winner of the election is not decided by the popular vote (in other words, just because you get the most votes does not always mean you won. Case in point, Al Gore in 2000 got more votes than George W. Bush and still lost). The winner is decided through the electoral college system. This can be somewhat confusing to the political novice, but essentially the vote is tallied on a state-by-state basis. The amount of votes that a state is worth is based on that state's population. Georgia is worth 15 electoral college votes, so essentially if John McCain wins Georgia (which he likely will since Georgia tends to lean republican in recent decades), that is 15 electoral college votes for Senator McCain. Contrast that with a state like, say, Montana with a rather low population that is only worth 3 electoral votes. Unless the race is a dead heat, Montana doesn't make much difference. There are only a couple of exceptions to this. There are a couple of states (I believe Vermont is one, but don't quote me on that) where it's not winner takes all, and they do a split electoral vote based on what the voters of the state said (Vermont is worth 3 electoral votes, so if 2/3 of the state voted Obama and 1/3 McCain, Vermont would cast 2 votes for Obama and one for McCain). This practice is vary rare however. Why is it that, in recent weeks especially, we have seen both Senators McCain and Obama campaigning hard in states like Ohio and Florida? Because these are states that are referred to as "swing states" in which the number of registered democrats and registered republicans are pretty close. They are also worth a ton of votes (Ohio 20 and Florida 27). If you can win those two states, chances are you will win the election in recent years. That would also explain why you don't really see heavy campaigning in California (55 easy votes for democrats) or Texas (34 easy votes for republicans). Why is it that most political analysts are saying that Obama is currently on the road to victory? Don't look at the polls that just look at popular vote (even though Obama is currently leading in all of those too). You have to look at trends state-by-state. You must also understand that you need 270 electoral college votes to win the election. If Senator Obama were to win all of the states that he's supposed to (as in states that he currently has a clear lead in), he would already have 277 electoral votes, and that's not counting swing states. Let's say that Obama also wins Florida, Colorado, Ohio, and McCain wins Nevada, Missouri, and North Carolina. That would mean that Obama gets 333 votes in the end, and McCain 205. In fact, even if McCain won Florida, Colorado, and Ohio too, sweeping the swing states this year, Obama still wins 277-261. So that is why many political analysts are saying that Senator Obama probably has this one won, barring any unforeseen surprises in the next ten days. Now, going back to my original comment, what if the entire world voted for the American president and what if the entire world's votes was based on the electoral college system? Who would likely win? Well, the answer is clear that Obama is the global favorite. Click here to see a very interesting interactive map that The Economist has put together applying the electoral college system to the globe. At the moment (and the votes continue to come in), McCain only has a solid lead in Cuba, Iraq, and Namibia. The theoretical electoral vote tally? Obama- 8,969 votes, McCain- 285 votes. Of course this tally will continue to fluctuate, but it is interesting to get the international vibe on the American elections. Keep in mind also this is a poll taken of readers of The Economist, so take it with a grain of salt. It is interesting though. With Obama being the obvious global favorite, could such a candidate restore America's somewhat tarnished global image? This is an election that the globe is watching. Take a look at the news media links that I have put up from all over the world on this blog. Spending time on those sites alone proves the world is watching this one. Ten days to go.
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56 comments:
I think as the world is having a bad time in the economy they seem to favor democrat over republicans. I think it is just some steryotype
I tend to agree with Hochan and I think that Obama will be elected. When people see that a president from one particular party has not done such a great job, they seem to turn to the opposing party for the right answers. We see that the whole world is basically hoping for Obama to be the next president of the United States. Not only is Obama immensley popular in the U.S., he is an international phenom.
I'm just saying but, if we counted the world and to be able to vote won't they choose the president most likely to make U.S. fall, president? I don't think either Obama or McCain are any good. Just saying.
i respectfully disagree... i think that the international community desires (generally) the friendship of the united states in diplomacy and economics. when you travel overseas, you often find that although many are critical of our government, they generally enjoy the american people as a culture. hence the need not to confuse a society and a government. also, here's the key point: because of the united states' world power status, what is good for the united states is good for the international community (case in point, the economy). the world realizes this.
This is really interesting, just a few weeks ago it seemed, that this race was neck and neck, but now it seems that the world is favoring Obama, i think the bottom line is the economy. Because the economy is bad, people want better, and favor Obama.
Really I believe that this election both canidates have many flaws that don't really qualify for a president who will bring the nation into a new age, well maybe one of economic melt down. Obama I feel is very popular because many people see McCain as simliar to the disapproved Bush regime, and even though Obama lacks decades of political experience the world is willing to look past that in order to get rid of any ideas similiar to those of president Bush. Another thing I think that Obama has on McCain is his speaking abilities. He speaks very well and is very charismatic in his words and body language. Really it seems that in this election we are just voting for who in our mind is the lesser of two evils. Personally I think Obama will be elected based on his popularity
i tend to agree with ben and hochan in the fact that in bad economic times, people are just desperate for change, which is a main slogan in obama's campaign. a perfect example was the great depression. republican herbert hoover was president at the time and then democrat franklin d. roosevelt was elected.
when you look at the international map from the economist, i find it extremely interesting that the only country in the world with a large majority for mccain is IRAQ. apparently the iraqi's are the only group of people in the world where the majority of the people want our troops to stay there...? very interesting...
i think it is funny that some people dont like mccain for the reason that he stood behind bush at times. and people think that since bush did a crappy job with economy that they are going to the opposite party, ehich i think is absolutely insane because when mccain was running for president in 2000 he didnt like bush at all but had to play nice with him to get another chance to run. and i also think people are voting for obama just for a change. this is what obama promises if he were elected, "change". and i agree we need change but the change he has in mind, to me, doesnt make much sense. and to add to the global votes, i dont think that the world really knows as much about the canidates as us. they are just seeing that there is a guy that wants change and dont give any consideration to the change the mccain has in his platform. all in all i think this race is very chaotic and cant wait for it to be over
i dont understand why ohio and florida are still swing states because arent those the states that have had this weird thing going on where there are more votes being counted then registered people who can actually vote?
and i personally like how the actual votes dont reallyy mean anything. like i think its good that the president is actually chosen by a counsel thingie.
but on a weird note, i was talking to my daddy about this. and he said that on howard stern(i think it was that show thing) he was asking all these people in like detroit(again not sure which area) who they were gonna vote for. but they were taking mccains like solgans and the things he said he was gonna do, and putting it with obamas name. so it kinda seemed like all these people were only voting for obama because hes like black because not one of them reallyy corrected him on what obamas real goals were. and honestly, you only have to watch like one debt or news broadcast about it to know where each of the candidates stand. just thought i would share that with you....
!!!!! holy crow!!! that map...i wasn't prepared for that!!! wow. well, that puts it into prespective for me!! looks like Obama's gunna win... crap(personally). i so agree that he's winning for looking good, not what's being said. question...are these other countries being fed unjudging info or is there a leaning twards one?(not that i think theye are, but it could REALLY change the outlook for a LOT of people.)
btw, i just finnished watching Gladiator. it was really good! a few cheezy graphics blood-wise(and the dead guy was PLAINLY breathing...) but otherwise a really good movie...
sorry, randome thought...why are all the pictures of Obama of him looking up and McCaine like straight across or down... a little unfair!! this freakin picture does that! grrrr...
i agree with ben on people looking to the other party when the other has failed. I couldn't believe all the blue there. This is kind of rndom but I just watched an Obama commercial and it REALLY slammed McCain saying he was just like Bush. I think thats another reason that people wouldn't vote for McCain. If they are convinced that he will make the same mistakes as the former than the world will most likely turn away from that him.
The map shows strong Obama all over the world except in all of 7 counrties, but my questions are
1) yes, that country voted ELECTORALY that way, but how close were actual peoples' votes within that country? For all we know, they could be 49% McCain and 51% Obama.
2) how do we know that the people of the rest of the world are being educated correctly about both candidates? They could be only seeing the "Bad parts" of McCain and the "good parts" of Obama and that is why they are swayed towrds obama.
I think if the world had the option to elect our president, they'd choose Obama. Other countries that hate us don't see him as a threat. Honestly I think of it like this...if Obama was in McCain's position to be tortured or give up U.S. secrets, he'd have cracked in the first 5 minutes. Obama's not trustworthy, so if other countrues see it the same way and want to find out our secrets, it'd be no problem.
What I honestly don't understand though, is why people see the ecomony failing, and then stop supporting McCain. It's not his fault or President Bush's so why is McCain getting the punishment? Obama is a celebrity here and around the world and for no reason other than he's a good public speaker and he's the first African-American to be one of the official presidential nominees. If McCain doesn;t do something and fast, he'll lose this election hands down. I'm just glad the race is tightening up.
okay...if the WORLD had the choice to elect our u.s. president then i believe they would faavor Obama. why??? because he is democratic and some people really don't like the idea of having a female vice president.
wow, i tell you folks, the overall distaste for senator obama that i see amongst roughly 80% of you guys i find a bit surprising, considering the fact that the youth vote (18-34 crowd) is definitely swinging toward obama. obviously i support free thinking, so i'm not saying this is a bad thing, just unusual. just check out each candidate's facebook page for proof of that. last time i checked, senator obama had over 2 million friends, and senator mccain had only over 500,000 friends. i know that's largely meaningless but it does give you an overall sense of the national vibe among the 18-34 crowd. i pride myself in being an objective thinker and i also position myself to see beyond political liberal vs. conservative jargon that only has managed to divide this country instead of really focusing on humanity. i think it's important to shed political leanings and emotions and look at facts on the ground from a well-informed, educated, intellectual point of view where what is best for not just this country, but what is best for the globe is the focus. so that being said, here's my two cents, for whatever it may be worth...
1) more than anything else, the economy determines the election, and john mccain himself has claimed to have little depth of knowledge on the subject, hence a big reason why he is behind
2) regardless of who gets elected, change is on the agenda. both candidates have been preaching change since day one, the only thing they differ on is the method of change, but neither is satisfied with the staus-quo. i am eternally amused by a couple of things in particular that i hear all the time...
a) what is generally thought of to be true: john mccain is a conservative. FACT: to the conservatives out there, john mccain is NOT a traditional conservative, he is most certainly a moderate. he has always had a hard time gaining conservative votes. i mean, the poor man got booed at bush rallies. why do you think he chose sarah palin as his running mate? the number one reason is that she is actually a conservative, and he needed that to sure up the conservative vote if he were to even have a shot at winning this thing. the john mccain that many have been seeing in the past few months is not the john mccain that people like myself that follows all sectors of politics closely (especially the senate, the most important part of the american government in reality) has known. folks, i've been following john mccain since i was a teenager in the 90s. senator mccain has always been known as the republican not afraid to vehemetly disagree with his party when he truly disagrees. he's the senator that conservatives have traditionally not liked, and he himself has always, admitedly, feared the right-wing of politics in america. one of the reasons why he had a distate for the bush administration from day 1 is that he felt that bush only catered to and surrounded himself with the right, something which mccain disapproved of. john mccain has opposed his party on many issues to defend what he truly believes. two examples: 1) look at mccain's environmental record. conservative republicans in this country have traditionally blocked legislation of environmental policy reform, despite the clear evidence that we have that global warming IS real, it is happening, and at far more alarming rates than people want to come to terms with. despite that, senator mccain has been one of the leading members of the senate in pushing the issue of green solutions to environmental problems. he's always believed that climate change is a problem caused by humans that needs to be reversed. here are the basics of his environmental plan as he has layed out...
• Climate Policy Should Be Built On Scientifically-Sound, Mandatory Emission Reduction Targets And Timetables.
• Climate Policy Should Utilize A Market-Based Cap And Trade System.
• Climate Policy Must Include Mechanisms To Minimize Costs And Work Effectively With Other Markets.
• Climate Policy Must Spur The Development And Deployment Of Advanced Technology.
• Climate Policy Must Facilitate International Efforts To Solve The Problem.
there's more you can read on this at the following site: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/da151a1c-733a-4dc1-9cd3-f9ca5caba1de.htm
interestingly, mccain and his running mate do not agree on the subject if you were to really research their positions.
2) the abu-gharib prison scandal... i don't know if you all remember, but we were torturing prisoners of war in the same prison (abu-gharib) as saddam hussain tortured prisoners in iraq. we were also guilty of similar torture in bagram prison in afghanistan and guantanamo bay, cuba. as a senior senator, john mccain stood up in the senate and said this is WRONG, despite the fact that the bush administration was trying to justify the treatment of prisoners, and many in the party were turning a blind eye. it is for such reasons, you often hear the word "maverick" used to describe john mccain. one of the reasons that mccain seems to be having a tough time in recent weeks is that the real john mccain seems to be missing all of a sudden. perhaps it is to bring in traditional conservative votes to the republican ticket, but the thing that made mccain appealing to independent voters and moderates seems to be lost. FACT: the key to winning this election is to grab the independent vote (voters that are registered neither democrat nor republican). because mccain has indeed strayed away from the center a bit to come across as a more traditional GOP candidate, independent voters have thrown their support to senator obama.
b) here's the other thing that hear all the time and people say it like it's true (including many of you guys on the blog)... that barack obama just talks about change but has no plan. where in the world are you guys getting this from??? yes, senator obama is a very eloquent and charismatic speaker. but for some reason, there has risen this notion he's all style and no substance. as one of you put it, "he's winning for looking good, not for what's being said." again, what are these comments even being based on? perhaps we should consider a bit of history here. at the democratic national convention in 2004, barack obama emerged into the national spotlight with a speech that is oftentimes referred to as "the audacity of hope speech." the way he stirred the crowd and seemed to be a uniting force to a very disorganized all over the place democratic party was impressive, regardless of your political views. well, fast-forward to obama's start in running for president. in speeches shortly after his announcement of officially running for president he started really focusing in on policy, essentially substance. here's the problem, people were bored by this, and many were asking, "where is the inspirational barack obama we saw in 2004?" as a result, the speeches of hope and change that were designed to stir the crowds returned. but his policies never went away. anyone that says that all he does is talk about change but has no plan clearly shows their ignorance of political realities. for example, some have accused obama of talking about change, but having no real plan for the economy, and his economic plans have been twisted beyond reality. here are the facts folks, obama does have a clear economic plan, and here it is:
Jumpstart the Economy
Enact a Windfall Profits Tax to Provide a $1,000 Emergency Energy Rebate to American Families:Barack Obama and Joe Biden will enact a windfall profits tax on excessive oil company profits to give American families an immediate $1,000 emergency energy rebate to help families pay rising bills. This relief would be a down payment on the Obama-Biden long-term plan to provide middle-class families with at least $1,000 per year in permanent tax relief.
Provide $50 billion to Jumpstart the Economy and Prevent 1 Million Americans from Losing Their Jobs: This relief would include a $25 billion State Growth Fund to prevent state and local cuts in health, education, housing, and heating assistance or counterproductive increases in property taxes, tolls or fees. The Obama-Biden relief plan will also include $25 billion in a Jobs and Growth Fund to prevent cutbacks in road and bridge maintenance and fund school repair - all to save more than 1 million jobs in danger of being cut.
Provide Middle Class Americans Tax Relief
Obama and Biden will cut income taxes by $1,000 for working families to offset the payroll tax they pay.
Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families: Obama and Biden will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they need. Obama and Biden will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.
Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less than $50,000: Barack Obama will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This proposal will eliminate income taxes for 7 million seniors and provide these seniors with an average savings of $1,400 each year. Under the Obama-Biden plan, 27 million American seniors will also not need to file an income tax return.
Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans: Obama and Biden will dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes. Obama and Biden will ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return. Experts estimate that the Obama-Biden proposal will save Americans up to 200 million total hours of work and aggravation and up to $2 billion in tax preparer fees.
Trade
Obama and Biden believe that trade with foreign nations should strengthen the American economy and create more American jobs. He will stand firm against agreements that undermine our economic security.
Fight for Fair Trade: Obama and Biden will fight for a trade policy that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. They will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world and stand firm against agreements like the Central American Free Trade Agreement that fail to live up to those important benchmarks. Obama and Biden will also pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.
Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Obama and Biden believe that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. They will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.
Improve Transition Assistance: To help all workers adapt to a rapidly changing economy, Obama and Biden will update the existing system of Trade Adjustment Assistance by extending it to service industries, creating flexible education accounts to help workers retrain, and providing retraining assistance for workers in sectors of the economy vulnerable to dislocation before they lose their jobs.
End Tax Breaks for Companies that Send Jobs Overseas: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that companies should not get billions of dollars in tax deductions for moving their operations overseas. Obama and Biden will also fight to ensure that public contracts are awarded to companies that are committed to American workers.
Reward Companies that Support American Workers: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to reward companies that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers. The legislation would provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America if it has ever been in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.
Invest in the Manufacturing Sector and Create 5 Million New Green Jobs
Invest in our Next Generation Innovators and Job Creators: Obama and Biden will create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to identify and invest in the most compelling advanced manufacturing strategies. The Fund will have a peer-review selection and award process based on the Michigan 21st Century Jobs Fund, a state-level initiative that has awarded over $125 million to Michigan businesses with the most innovative proposals to create new products and new jobs in the state.
Double Funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership: The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) works with manufacturers across the country to improve efficiency, implement new technology and strengthen company growth. This highly-successful program has engaged in more than 350,000 projects across the country and in 2006 alone, helped create and protect over 50,000 jobs. But despite this success, funding for MEP has been slashed by the Bush administration. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the MEP so its training centers can continue to bolster the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.
Invest In A Clean Energy Economy And Create 5 Million New Green Jobs: Obama and Biden will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, invest in low emissions coal plants, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. The plan will also invest in America's highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world.
Create New Job Training Programs for Clean Technologies: The Obama-Biden plan will increase funding for federal workforce training programs and direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training, into their efforts to help Americans find and retain stable, high-paying jobs. Obama and Biden will also create an energy-focused youth jobs program to invest in disconnected and disadvantaged youth.
Boost the Renewable Energy Sector and Create New Jobs: The Obama-Biden plan will create new federal policies, and expand existing ones, that have been proven to create new American jobs. Obama and Biden will create a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that will require 25 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2025, which has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs on its own. Obama and Biden will also extend the Production Tax Credit, a credit used successfully by American farmers and investors to increase renewable energy production and create new local jobs.
New Jobs Through National Infrastructure Investment
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that it is critically important for the United States to rebuild its national transportation infrastructure – its highways, bridges, roads, ports, air, and train systems – to strengthen user safety, bolster our long-term competitiveness and ensure our economy continues to grow.
Create a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will address the infrastructure challenge by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments. This independent entity will be directed to invest in our nation’s most challenging transportation infrastructure needs. The Bank will receive an infusion of federal money, $60 billion over 10 years, to provide financing to transportation infrastructure projects across the nation. These projects will create up to two million new direct and indirect jobs and stimulate approximately $35 billion per year in new economic activity.
Technology, Innovation and Creating Jobs
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will increase federal support for research, technology and innovation for companies and universities so that American families can lead the world in creating new advanced jobs and products.
Invest in the Sciences: Barack Obama and Joe Biden support doubling federal funding for basic research and changing the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology. This will foster home-grown innovation, help ensure the competitiveness of US technology-based businesses, and ensure that 21st century jobs can and will grow in America.
Make the Research and Development Tax Credit Permanent: Barack Obama and Joe Biden want investments in a skilled research and development workforce and technology infrastructure to be supported here in America so that American workers and communities will benefit. Obama and Biden want to make the Research and Development tax credit permanent so that firms can rely on it when making decisions to invest in domestic R&D over multi-year timeframes.
Deploy Next-Generation Broadband: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we can get broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation's wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives.
Support Small Business
Provide Tax Relief for Small Businesses and Start Up Companies: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will eliminate all capital gains taxes on start-up and small businesses to encourage innovation and job creation. Obama and Biden will also support small business owners by providing a $500 “Making Work Pay” tax credit to almost every worker in America. Self-employed small business owners pay both the employee and the employer side of the payroll tax, and this measure will reduce the burdens of this double taxation.
Create a National Network of Public-Private Business Incubators: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will support entrepreneurship and spur job growth by creating a national network of public-private business incubators. Business incubators facilitate the critical work of entrepreneurs in creating start-up companies. Obama and Biden will invest $250 million per year to increase the number and size of incubators in disadvantaged communities throughout the country.
Labor
Obama and Biden will strengthen the ability of workers to organize unions. He will fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Obama and Biden will ensure that his labor appointees support workers' rights and will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers. Obama and Biden will also increase the minimum wage and index it to inflation to ensure it rises every year.
Ensure Freedom to Unionize: Obama and Biden believe that workers should have the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Obama cosponsored and is strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to assure that workers can exercise their right to organize. He will continue to fight for EFCA's passage and sign it into law.
Fight Attacks on Workers' Right to Organize: Obama has fought the Bush National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) efforts to strip workers of their right to organize. He is a cosponsor of legislation to overturn the NLRB's "Kentucky River" decisions classifying hundreds of thousands of nurses, construction, and professional workers as "supervisors" who are not protected by federal labor laws.
Protect Striking Workers: Obama and Biden support the right of workers to bargain collectively and strike if necessary. They will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers, so workers can stand up for themselves without worrying about losing their livelihoods.
Raise the Minimum Wage: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs.
Protect Homeownership and Crack Down on Mortgage Fraud
Obama and Biden will crack down on fraudulent brokers and lenders. They will also make sure homebuyers have honest and complete information about their mortgage options, and they will give a tax credit to all middle-class homeowners.
Create a Universal Mortgage Credit: Obama and Biden will create a 10 percent universal mortgage credit to provide homeowners who do not itemize tax relief. This credit will provide an average of $500 to 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom earn less than $50,000 per year.
Ensure More Accountability in the Subprime Mortgage Industry: Obama has been closely monitoring the subprime mortgage situation for years, and introduced comprehensive legislation over a year ago to fight mortgage fraud and protect consumers against abusive lending practices. Obama's STOP FRAUD Act provides the first federal definition of mortgage fraud, increases funding for federal and state law enforcement programs, creates new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and requires industry insiders to report suspicious activity.
Mandate Accurate Loan Disclosure: Obama and Biden will create a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score, which will provide potential borrowers with a simplified, standardized borrower metric (similar to APR) for home mortgages. The HOME score will allow individuals to easily compare various mortgage products and understand the full cost of the loan.
Close Bankruptcy Loophole for Mortgage Companies: Obama and Biden will work to eliminate the provision that prevents bankruptcy courts from modifying an individual's mortgage payments. They believe that the subprime mortgage industry, which has engaged in dangerous and sometimes unscrupulous business practices, should not be shielded by outdated federal law.
Address Predatory Credit Card Practices
Obama and Biden will establish a five-star rating system so that every consumer knows the risk involved in every credit card. They also will establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights to stop credit card companies from exploiting consumers with unfair practices.
Create a Credit Card Rating System to Improve Disclosure: Obama and Biden will create a credit card rating system, modeled on five-star systems used for other consumer products, to provide consumers an easily identifiable ranking of credit cards, based on the card's features. Credit card companies will be required to display the rating on all application and contract materials, enabling consumers to quickly understand all of the major provisions of a credit card without having to rely exclusively on fine print in lengthy documents.
Establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights to Protect Consumers: Obama and Biden will create a Credit Card Bill of Rights to protect consumers. The Obama-Biden plan will:
Ban Unilateral Changes
Apply Interest Rate Increases Only to Future Debt
Prohibit Interest on Fees
Prohibit "Universal Defaults"
Require Prompt and Fair Crediting of Cardholder Payments
Reform Bankruptcy Laws
Obama and Biden will reform our bankruptcy laws to protect working people, ban executive bonuses for bankrupt companies, and require disclosure of all pension investments.
Cap Outlandish Interest Rates on Payday Loans and Improve Disclosure: Obama and Biden will extend a 36 percent interest cap to all Americans. They will require lenders to provide clear and simplified information about loan fees, payments and penalties, which is why they'll require lenders to provide this information during the application process.
Encourage Responsible Lending Institutions to Make Small Consumer Loans: Obama and Biden will encourage banks, credit unions and Community Development Financial Institutions to provide affordable short-term and small-dollar loans and to drive unscrupulous lenders out of business.
Reform Bankruptcy Laws to Protect Families Facing a Medical Crisis: Obama and Biden will create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. This exemption will create a process that forgives the debt and lets the individuals get back on their feet.
Work/Family Balance
Obama and Biden will double funding for after-school programs, expand the Family Medical Leave Act, provide low-income families with a refundable tax credit to help with their child-care expenses, and encourage flexible work schedules.
Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act: The FMLA covers only certain employees of employers with 50 or more employees. Obama and Biden will expand it to cover businesses with 25 or more employees. They will expand the FMLA to cover more purposes as well, including allowing workers to take leave for elder care needs; allowing parents up to 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children's academic activities; and expanding FMLA to cover leave for employees to address domestic violence.
Encourage States to Adopt Paid Leave: As president, Obama will initiate a strategy to encourage all 50 states to adopt paid-leave systems. Obama and Biden will provide a $1.5 billion fund to assist states with start-up costs and to help states offset the costs for employees and employers.
Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama and Biden will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve a million more children. Obama and Biden will include measures to maximize performance and effectiveness across grantees nationwide.
Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit provides too little relief to families that struggle to afford child care expenses. Obama and Biden will reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit for their child care expenses.
Protect Against Caregiver Discrimination: Workers with family obligations often are discriminated against in the workplace. Obama and Biden will enforce the recently-enacted Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines on caregiver discrimination.
Expand Flexible Work Arrangements: Obama and Biden will create a program to inform businesses about the benefits of flexible work schedules; help businesses create flexible work opportunities; and increase federal incentives for telecommuting. Obama and Biden will also make the federal government a model employer in terms of adopting flexible work schedules and permitting employees to request flexible arrangements.
folks, if you actually read the whole thing, that's a pretty detailed plan. if one disagrees with obama's plans, that's fine, but let's not continue this empty talk of obama having no plan, because that's not based on anything. of course, obama's experience is always brought into question. i love hearing people say that he's done nothing on the senate since he's been there. again, what are those people's sources? both john mccain and barack obama are united states senators. what does that mean? it means that every word that has ever come out of their mouths on the senate floor, or any bill that they've proposed, or sponsored, or voted for, or passed is public record. does it take time to do the research? yes, but this is a historic election, TAKE THE TIME TO DO ACTUAL RESEARCH! go to the following site: www.senate.gov. it is there that you will find out everything you need to know about their real voting record. go to the primary source documents folks, it's what we do in this class all the time.
a couple more comments...
3) i think miss freedman makes a good historical analogy... that over hoover's destruction of the economy and FDR's new deal legacy. i've heard several comparisons to roosevelt in this election, and we do live in somewhat similar economic times of turmoil. in any case, it heightens the importance of the american decision 10 days from now, regardless of what candidate is elected.
4) i'm humored by some of you that say that the world doesn't know american politics like we do, and therefore they endorse a candidate blindly. umm... this is very true, the world doesn't know american politics like we do. news flash! people outside of the united states tend to understand our politics much better than most americans. again, the world is watching this election, and sadly the international community is, in many cases, better informed about our political process and both candidates than we are. why? because again, we have an aversion to research and study as a society. additionally, the rest of the world tends to see our news much more objectively. our news media is so agenda driven, it is much easier to get actual news and information from outside sources. yet another reason why the international community knows our politics better than we do in some cases. there are good american news sources too though, npr for example, but how many people actually listen to 90.1 fm here in atlanta? miss braemer, the thought that you shared about our uninformed public is so disturbing, yet sadly so common.
5) people are not, as a general rule, voting for barack obama because of his race. a) he's never positioned himself as the first black president, and that's got nothing to do with his campaign. b) the first state primary he won, iowa, was in a state with a population that is over 90% white, so it's got nothing to do with that.
here's a final thought... thomas jefferson had a clear vision and clear understanding about how a democracy in a republic such as ours should function, and i oftentimes reflect on his words when i think about our current state of affairs... i especially like this thought of his: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
i am in no way endorsing either candidate. as a teacher, it is my responsibility to keep a balanced, objective point of view, and to not push a religious or political agenda in the classroom. here are the things i will endorse though:
1) human beings- let's always keep in mind, not what is best for ourselves personally, but what is best for humankind.
2) the pursuit of truth through study- reliance on things heard is counterproductive and empty. let's make sure that all of our opinions, although varied and different, are well-informed.
cheers!
0.0 that is like the longest post ever.... this is going to be soo interesting. i cant wait to see who will win the elections. but im pretty sure that obama will.
Mr. Prill doesn't party. He stays up till 1 am making super super long blog posts lol
Kinda ironic cuz im doing the same thing :]
It is interesting that Iraq would favor McCain. But Obama's proposal is very pursading.
Wow. I didnt know that was how the voting system was set up. But whats the reason for the world for Obama? Indonesia with 96% was the most i could find. way to many things go into this.
At Tase of Suwanee me and a couple of people pointed out a women's shirt that said "i have a dream...blah blah obama blah..."
we thought that that was the dumbest shirt we have ever seen becasue isnt it true that obama ants change america doesnt need another luther king. This shows how race plays into it.
you completely lost me in that whole post mr. edwards...
is that word for word what the woman's shirt said, or was that a summary? i don't know you had it in quotes.
why would that be the dumbest shirt you ever saw if it had a positive message? doesn't every society deserve a positive influence? listen, i'm a realist, i look at things for what they are. even so, i don't understand how people can be upset about a message of hope and optimism, even if it doesn't seem possible. if you don't buy into a person's policy, fine. but what is the use in going after a positive message? i'm always reminded of the words by margaret mead who said: "Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." personally, i'm not going to endorse a candidate on this site or in my classroom. that being said, i think that both senators mccain and obama could possibly be good leaders. they are not the same person, but they have a common goal and that's the goal of improvement. will either carry out their agendas perfectly? there has never been a leader of this country who has, but good intentions certainly do go a long way, much further than alterior motives, which seemingly neither candidate seems to possess. again, if you want to be critical about a candidates POLICIES on this site, please do as long as you are well-researched and know clearly the policy that you are critical of. let's no go after anyone's character, hopes, or dreams. if you take that away from a person, what more do they even have left?
like everyone has been saying its the economy. since a republican is in office right now and the economy isnt doing good, everyone wants change. so thats why obama is the choice among the world
wow, lookin at that map, mccain is just like a tiny little dot on a map of the entire planet.. i think its pretty obvious that obama would've won if the whole world did vote.
i agree with sean everybody thinks or most people think that the republicans are going todo what bush is doing....
and Mr. prill how many points is barak up by this right know
it depends mr. watkins... if you're talking about the popular vote, the gallup poll has obama up by 9%, the rasmussen poll has obama up by 8%, the washington post has obama up by 8%, and the ipsos poll has obama up by 8%. keep in mind the margin of error in these polls is between 2 and 3%, so it's a fairly decent lead. of course, the popular vote doesn't count, the electoral vote does. in terms of the electoral vote, if obama wins the states that he should safely win and states that lean obama, and if mccain wins states that he should safely win and states that lean mccain, obama gets 277 votes to mccain's 174. even if mccain were to win all the states that are toss ups (nevada, colorado, missouri, ohio, north carolina, and florida) obama still wins 277 to 261. it's not over yet, but obama has a fairly solid lead, and the mccain campaign continues to experience quite a bit of trouble and organizational breakdown. the latest news from this weekend is that mccain's top aides are having issues with governor palin. there's some information from abc news here (for whatever that's worth, although of the 4 major broadcast networks, i find abc to be the most responsible):
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/10/palin-a-diva-ru.html.
but hey, who knows, a lot can happen in 8 days, and mccain has been the comeback kid before, so it should still be interesting going down the stretch.
ouch. its okay, but i wasnt making fun or putting ridicule on the shirt because it was optimistic or because it wanted positive changes by obama. but we were just commenting on that it shouldnt be a black vs white campaign. this wasnt really mentioned but a lot of people at north say that white people are for mccain and black people for obama. and i just think thats riduculous to put it that way. so when the shirt said "I have a dream..." my group was talking about how race was involved. No way am i making fun of the want for positive change to a society. i dont know... its hard to explain.
understood mr. edwards... i have to say though that if that is what students in our school are saying, that just reflects a general ignorance of current affairs in our school. we have some students that need educating. also, from my point of view, attaching a quote from dr. king's i have a dream speech is hardly making this a black and white thing. mlk is a man that is highly revered, not only in american history, whom we have a FEDERAL holiday in his honor, but in fact he is GLOBALLY respected. mlk spoke on behalf of the constitutional rights for ALL. if you know anything about king's politics and career, it really wasn't a "black and white" thing for him either, hence why he didn't get along well with those that made it such (i.e. malcolm x). whites marched with king too (for example my 11th grade u.s. history teacher, one of the most influential people on my decision to become a history teacher). additionally, if i may, i'd like to repeat something i posted earlier in this conversation. people are NOT, as a general rule, voting for barack obama because of his race. a) he's never positioned himself as the first black president, and that's got NOTHING to do with his campaign. b) the first state primary he won, iowa, was in a state with a population that is over 90% white, so has nothing to do with that. and i'll add one more thing, obama (and if you took the time to watch the frontline special i posted, you already know this) has historically not been very successful in the african-american community. at harvard, as the first african-american president of the harvard law review, he did much more work with conservative whites on the law review, thus rubbing some that thought he was going to work for them the wrong way. additionally, he was never well-received in african american neighborhoods in chicago, as the people there often saw him as an ivy league elitist that didn't belong, even to the point of questioning whether or not (i kid you not) he was "black enough" (whatever that means) as he was running for a seat in the u.s. house of representatives (which he didn't win). alternatively, he has always done much better with progressive whites. in fact, it has been progressive whites (starting with former senate minority leader tom daschle) that have been the real key to obama's success. again, with a little bit of research and knowledge of recent history, this is all easily attainable information.
To the faithful student commentors:
I've been observing this blog for too long without really commenting on, however, I am dumbfounded the number of comments written by students on this blog that seem to have no basis in fact.
The internet is the ultimate soapbox in which anyone can voice their opinion. A classic example of this is "Flying Spaghetti Monster" (http://www.venganza.org/) which pokes fun at the curriculum being supported in Kansas public schools. It is a website grounded in opinion and does not pretend to be factually based.
Many of your comments share these two commonalities with the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" website; they are opinions and are not factually based.
As a teacher, it is my primary goal to raise a generation of students that are able to think differently without being fettered by other people's thoughts or agendas. The first step to becoming a legitimate free thinker is learning to read, write and think on a critical level. Once you have assessed the nature of the world around you, then you can begin to formulate opinions about the world. It is only then that you can truly begin to understand the world – it is a path that many of us have only started to walk down.
In speaking of opinions I must quote the great Voltaire, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." So please, do not let a young teacher die defending poorly supported arguments that merely parrot the shadow of other people's opinions.
Think differently. Think for yourself - your thoughts are the only thing that cannot ever be taken from you, treat them like the precious things that they are.
i think that since all of this war and economic failure the US citizens are favoring the democratic party over the republican... but the thing is (correct me if im wrong)that i believe the Congress right now is democratic so they are the ones that are making these final desisions not president bush, the republican
yes, both houses of congress of democratic majorities, and yes in many ways the legislative branch ultimately has more power than the executive, and yes congress currently has an incredibly low approval rating too (although this is often forgotten), so yes mr. short that is a good thing to point out.
I have also been reading this blog for sometime but have not posted anything until now. After reading the posts, it seems to me that you guys are ill informed. Hopefully after a year of ap world you guys will learn to get your news from numerous sources and be able to view the world from a global perspective. Personally, I highly recommend several news sources from within the United States and several from outside the United States such as BBC(in my opinion the best, or the Economist which I have a subscription to). Outside news sources help you understand how people outside the country are think about global issues and can open your mind to new ways of thinking.
Now back to the map. It does not shock me that much that Obama is up by a large margin. In my opinion, Obama appeals to the international community because he offers a foreign policy that the current administration has not even attempted and it seems that mccain will also not try.
I really hope that you guys begin to keep up with the news and begin to uses several sources. Also, I hope that you guys become more informed on the facts because if you get coach shells for ap american gov't or ap comparative gov't he will set you guys straight if you guys are ill informed.
Wow, everyone is for Obama, at first the race seemed close, at least to me, and now it is totally dominated. Well, I guess we'll find out if the world gets what they want real soon..
I agree with Yong Park. None of the canidates are good. This is going to be the biggest election ever.
Definitely the biggest thing that angers me about the election, is when I ask people who they would vote for and some of the responses that I get. I don't care who you want to vote for, but you should have a valid explanation and inteligent list of reasons to support your decision. When somebody says I want to vote for Obama because he's black, or sexy, or God, that really ticks me off.
I don't believe that the world is "misinformed" about the two candidates anymore than Americans are. The world is obviously for Obama, and there is a reason for that. They have obviously seen faults in the way this country has been run, and they believe that Obama will change things if he becomes president. It is interesting however that the only country that is strongly for Iraq is McCain. I wonder why that is...
thanks mr prill its a toss up basically its like the world series best out of seven it being 2:1 i think its not the end untill the end right?
I had no idea that the world was in favor of Obama. I think that the world will vote for whoever they feel is best for the job because when the United States does well, it has a ripple effect on the rest of the country. I think that one of the main reasons Obama is winning is because he looks like he is the best for the job and people want a change. It will be interesting to find out who the winner will be next Tuesday.
I agree with many people who have already blogged on this topic. I think that Obama is very popular because he preaches change and since he has made history already for being the first African American man to even run for office he has already made a change. I think if the world got to vote for the president of the U.S.A. they would chose the person who they thought would have the worst effect on America, so that we can fall and they can become more powerfull from it.
I saw the title and already started freking out..
Our own country doesnt even pay attenetion to the important things in the election, its out and known that Obama spends over a million dollars A DAY.. and yet his vote still favors.. just seems ironic to me..He is spending our parents and everyone elses tax dollars and yet the US gripes about how our tax money is being flung around...and yet his vote is still favored..
So if our own nation cannot come to realize, why should we let the whole world vote? Its not there tax dollars being thrown to waste..why would they care
i've already said my piece more than enough on this topic, but let me just say one more thing. obviously nothing personal ladies, but i must agree with miss stucke over miss kempshall regarding your recent comments. i am a world traveler, and when i travel around the world, i talk to people, and i get their input on tons of issues, including american politics. in a global society such as the one we live in, unilateral thinking simply does not work, and often does more harm than good. i am constantly reminded of two things as i talk to my fellow global citizens: 1) sadly, people outside of this country know and understand politics, including american politics, much better than your average american. sorry, i'm not trying to be negative, but it's just a fact. there's no excuse for this, considering that we are a world power, but maybe that's the issue. the burden of being of being a world power is heavy, and oftentimes citizens of world powers throughout world history (including our own) are convinced that they are an island that the world revolves around and it's unnessessary to develop a world view and understanding. folks, do you realize that the united states is currently ranked #37 in the world in geographic knowledge?!? 37! seriously? being a teacher of social studies though, this comes as no surprise to me. i've had students that can't even find china on a map, and can't identify most states in their own country! what are we doing to improve this situation? folks, geography is an elective! it's optional! but this is why i went into teaching, because i'm committed to turning this thing around by fighting ignorance with tolerance and knowledge one student at a time. 2) anyone that thinks the world wants the worst possible candidate to be the american president so that america will fall has obviously never traveled. when you travel you learn that most people are able to separate the difference between a society and a government. i find, while out of the country, that many that have a problem with the american government but desire positive change because the majority clearly understands that what is good for the united states is good for the world since the united states is still the leader in globalization. people are not lining up waiting for the united states to fall. in fact the reality is the exact opposite. people around the world still desire to invest in the american dollar because, although it's not as strong as it used to be, is still one of the world's strongest and most stable currencies. i also am generally overwhelmed by the hospitality around the world that is shown, and yes including americans (even those that are critical of the american government, usual welcome american people with open arms and love to talk with us). in fact we have much to learn about hospitality as i regrettably must say we are some of the least hospitable people towards immigrants and visitors in the world. sorry, it's true, and if you travel you know what i'm talking about. foreigners are usually very eager to talk to me about our culture, our society, and our government, and i'm always thrown aback to know that most follow american news VERY closely, and that i can have a better conversation about american politics overseas than i can with my next door neighbor. the reality is the reality, you can beleive what you want, but here's the absolute truth: the majority of the people of the world want what is best for america because the majority realizes that what is best for america is best for the world. you are free to disagree with the world, but let's not think that the world has it out for us. travel, and you'll find that's just not the truth.
miss grady, presidential candidates do not have access to taxpayers dollars to fund campaigns. that would be perposturous! neither john mccain nor barack obama is spending taxpayers money to fund campaigns, it doesn't work that way! campaigns are funded by public donors for the most part. Under US law, regulated by the Federal Electoral Commission (FEC), individuals can contribute up to $2,300 to a presidential candidate's campaign, although contributions below $50 can be made anonymously. Since his bid for the White House began two years ago, Obama has raised $579 million, with $290 million listed as coming from people who gave less than $200 a head, while McCain has only managed to raise $195 million. In truth, the figures only offer part of the picture, since Obama refused state financing for his head-to-head battle with McCain and thus has not be been confined by spending limits. McCain has taken state money - which Obama once said he would do - leaving the Republican limited to spending just $84 million since he was selected by his party in September. the reality is this: 90% of obama's money has come from individual contributions, 0% has come from federal funds. 54% of mccain's money has come from individual contributions, and 24% has come from federal funds. you can read all about the rules of getting federal help in campaigning by going to the FEC's website at www.fec.gov. i don't know where you heard what you did miss grady, but again, those are the FACTS. all it requires is a little bit of research. i hope that sets the record straight on that.
So the map really does show how the world favors Obama. I agree with tori on how Obama's slogan could be partly the reason why he is so largly favored. We are going through tough ecomonic times not only in the US, but all over the world, and 'change' is what we need. Ultimatly, i will not be surprised if Obama gets elected. He seems to me, the right guy for the job.
Newsflash: most of the world is liberal. Democracy is a liberal idea - the whole idea of allowing everyday citizens to voice their opinions.
I've read numerous comments which cite Obama's race as the reason as to why he is so popular with the majority of Americans. Senator Obama has never made mention of becoming the first biracial president. His mother is caucasian, his father is African. Since Obama is biracial, I don't think that he qualifies as being the first African American President. To quote much smarter than I, "Isn't he just another white president too?" If it was an issue of race Al Sharpton would have won in primaries, as he is African American.
I also think that Cythia McKinney, who is the Green Party candidate for President during this election would be quite offended to hear that Barack Obama is the first African American to run for president. She is both African American and female.
http://news.google.com
Read, think and then write.
I love that you guys are so passionate and concerned for the well-being of our nation. It makes me proud to be a teacher, but I must again, plead with you guys to always be reading and researching your opinions.
I certainly believe that the United States presidential election has a huge effect on the rest of the world. As the principal financial and military power of the world, our leader's policies about the economy and foreign policy directly affect the rest of the world.
With that said, there are definately two sides I see to this. There is the economy side, and the foreign policy side.
1. Foreign policy- I believe that most of the world wants the U.S. to be strong in their foreign policy (mostly for the reason that we will do their business for them), but the countries that we pressure to suit our needs (such as OPEC countries and nuclear power wanna-be's) they may not want us to as tough in our foreign policy. The GOP has built a stigma of tough foreign policy thanks to bush and regan. Because of this, I do believe some countries are more for Obama. Mccain may not even have a strong policy, but the stigma of the Republicans has already handed him this image.
2. Economy- The last YEAR with Bush has disastrous on Mccain's credibility about the economy. I would argue that much of this blame is misplaced because the highest point avg. the DOW had ever seen was in 2007, which was a direct result of the 2000-2004 congress and president working together (the effects of a term on the economy are seen in the next term). The dis-functionality of our current GOP president and Dem. congress have led to some of the falling stocks (it was going to fall anyways however). No matter whose fault it was, the result has been a stain on the GOP's image. Since it seems Obama will be more responsible with our economy, everyone will vote for him because almost everyone in the world is affected by the U.S. economy.
Prill:
Global Warming? I do not personally believe in global warming. Keep in mind that our planet is 3.4 billion years old. 11000 years is by no means a large amount of time. Right now we are coming out of an ice age still (cool huh?).
good post bates. good substance here. thanks for the reminder of the planet's age too, i always talk about looking at things in a historical context of 10k years since the birth of farming, but of course, the earth so much older. interestingly though, there have been several societies (the mayas being a good example) that were irresponsible with their environment, leading to eventual collapse. whatever the case may be, nothing wrong with being kind tenants of our planet.
as discussed in our hilariously awesome academic team practice today...it is sad that the world knows more about us than we really do. I'm not singling anyone out, but i mean in general, the U.S. Population does not get the fact that yes, other countries, in fact, DO know about the election and about our economy and so forth. The world closely follows this, because if our economy fails, the world economy fails. the U.S. is the world leader in trade and economics, and so it would greatly affect the world. And as a young female once said: "in THE Iraq and South Africa...And such as..."
and just a little off topic...but i havent been caught up on news, and i just watched BBC 1-minute news...and Palin did what while the gov. of Alaska? just keeping up to date...sry for the off topic post.
it has to do with something that is being called the "troopergate scandal." you can read about it at this link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7662182.stm
David, its more like what did palin not do? but to help you, I'll compile a recent list of links for you :)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27310999/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z75QSExE0jU
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/21/palin-vp-senate/
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14805.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html?ex=1379131200&en=dd4449ce3310ba6e&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1318541.aspx
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Troopergate-Alaska-Gov-Sarah-Palin-And-Husband-Todd-To-Give-Evidence-In-New-Abuse-Of-Power-Probe/Article/200810415127477?lpos=World_News_News_Your_Way_Region_0&lid=NewsYourWay_ARTICLE_15127477_Troopergate%3A_Alaska_Gov_Sarah_Palin_And_Husband_Todd_To_Give_Evidence_In_New_Abuse_Of_Power_Probe
theres some nice reading for tonight...hah pretty much all her controversy...btw the 2nd and 3rd are video links that are prettty funny
it goes to show you that we're less than one week from an election when we start talking about how much a campaign spends on wardrobe. seriously news media? i ask you all to please stick to POLICY when talking about these candidates... i trust that all those involved in the election process are well dressed, and i'm sure that the obama campaign has spent its fair share of cash on clothes also. i don't really see where this should be discussed. some of the news stories on governor palin are worth considering, but clothes? again, let's keep this conversation on policy issues if you choose to discuss. i don't really see where her daughter should have to do much with this either. facts on policy folks.
dang mr prill you wrote ALOT and i think that if everyone could vote , sadly oboma would win because the kids think that it would be cool that a black man would be president when etnicity does not matter. the only thing that matters is their plan to better the United states economy.
What makes me mad most of all is that most people are making this race about skin color. Which doesn't make alot of sense because skin color shouldn't mean anything towards your views. The thing that scares me the most is that riots might start breaking out across america and call racism on the entire election. This could cause the US to take some "hits" socially. On top of it all these polls on the website might not be very accurate. Also the people that voted are probly rich in their countries and might be not exactly in line with capitolism. I just don't think this is right to survey only people who know about this website and not a set amount of people in each country so that it could be accurate. Some of these countries are communist and they want to see the US fall. I'm personally not a big fan of Obama because of his tax ideas. They're just not american. He just knows how to "smooth talk" Americans. He's a great speaker but just not president material because he is suggesting things that are unamerican.
my final thought on this post, and then i'm done... mr. swanda, yes, you're right, the map is not a scientific polling. that's why i said take the map with a grain of salt. it is a polling of economist readers, which tend to be your more upwardly mobile, more politically informed, educated, and intellectual people. that's their reader base, usually the college educated. but not in line with capitalism? the economist is the voice of capitalist economics if you've ever read the magazine, so that doesn't make sense. plus, it's the rich that are almost always "most in line with capitalism," as you put it. also, there ONLY FIVE countries that are communist in 2008- china, vietnam, north korea, cuba, and laos. of those five, if you actually look closely at the map, laos and north korea aren't even counted, and cuba is 50% for mccain, so again, i don't follow your reasoning. i do agree with you mr. swanda that no election should be about race, but regardless of the outcome of the election i trust americans will keep their calm. we have a tradition in this country of turning over power from one president to another in a smooth and orderly manner. even in the worst of times, even in the most vicious of elections (and if you know you're u.s. history, you know the elections of 2008 comes nowhere close to the most heated and vicious elections this country has seen), in times of war, and in times of peace, power has always been handed over smoothly since washington handed the presidency over to adams in 1797 (and many were quite nervous as to how that would go by the way). you can't even make an arguement for lincoln's election in 1861 because the fact is that 7 states had already seceded from the union, so to make any comparisons to the time period would be unfounded and a bit ridiculous. the point is this: fear of riots? seriously? i've been hearing this a bit, and i'm wondering where the faith in the sanity of the american people is. i'd like to think that the majority in this country are better that, and i truly believe, and i could be wrong, but i'm quite sure it will be back to business as usual on wednesday, november 5th. finally, to accuse senator obama's tax plan of being unamerican is bit (1) insulting to strong patriotic americans that favor it, and (2) shows a lack of knowledge of past presidential tax plans. if you actually read the obama tax plan, it is very much in line with two past presidents, both of whom served two terms. i'm of course speaking of teddy rooselvelt (a republican) and bill clinton (a democrat). all three tax plans are quite similar, in fact senator obama's entire economic plan is quite clintonian. bill clinton unamerican? teddy roosevelt unamerican? seriously? that's unfair to their presidential records, and that's not a good term to use to describe any presidential candidate, and it's not fair to their supporters since you also imply they're unamerican. ok, that's it for me. i still endorse no candidate on this blog or in my classroom, but i feel like i need to be a fact checker on here.
I see ur point Mr. Prill but it's just my oppinion. I have traveled before, but it was only when I was born in Japan and lived there for four years. I understand that people around the world are not out to get us. But I guess my mind wasn't really on the what the presidents are going to do for our country facts, but rather on all the terrorist threats that will most likely be made the 6 months after we r in presidency. idk i cant wait for this whole thing to be over.
I think that both canadates have there up's and there down's. It will be interesting to see who wins. I don't really see why the whole world would vote just because they are not voting for their leader like the US is. If they did we would have a clear leader, but who knows.
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