What I know / What I want to know
Hi, everyone. This is the blog we’ll be using to share our ideas, reflections, and questions about the 2008 Presidential elections as events unfold.
To begin, we’re going to do a short writing exercise. To respond to this prompt, click on “Comments.”
Here’s the prompt for this first exercise: What do you know about the 2008 Presidential election, as of today? What are some of the things you want to know about the election? Feel free to phrase the “things I want to know” as statements or as questions.
There is really not much that I know about the election. I do know that almost synonymous with Obama is change. I know that he is appealing to the middle class worker and that he want change. What type of change I am unaware. I wish I knew more about Hilary Clinton and is and what her stances are. I do not know anything about her all.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoThings I know: As of today, I am aware of the candidates for both parties in the upcoming elections.
Things I want to know: I would like to be more aware of the issues that each candidate supports, and things they are trying to change.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoAs of today the things I know about the presidential election are extremely limited and mostly consist of funny soundbytes from shows like Best Week Ever on VH1. I recently learned that Hilary Clinton was older than I had initially assumed and that many people feel as though this year’s nomination is somewhat make it or break it for Hilary. I also learned that John Kerry is supporting Barack Obama instead of his running mate Edawrds and that many people are wondering how involved Oprah will be in the campaign of Barack Obama. There are so many things i hope to learn about this election. From the policies of each candidate and not just for the democratic party, but also the history of these candidates in politics as well as other ventures, such as one of the elections most surprising contestants Fred Thompson.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoI honestly do not know as much about the 2008 Presidential election as I should other than the controversial headlines about each candidate. For example, the statement that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the “uproar” that ensued. The media focuses more on the controversial statements made by each candidate more so than the platform of the candidate (unless their stance on a certain issue is able to spark some sort of controversy). I would like to learn more about the platform of each candidate so that I can make an informed and accurate decision, instead of making a decision based on all of the he say/she say that is presented in the media.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoTo be honest, the only candidates’ platforms that I am aware of as of today are those of Obama and Hilary. The reasons why I’ve only been focusing on these two candidates are not only because I am a Democrat, but I also believe that a change needs to be brought to the U.S. government. Having a woman, regardless of her race, or a black man as president would surely bring about this change. But this election is not simply a matter of race and gender, in fact its MUCH deeper than that. Its about what is best for our nation and the people.
Some things that I want to know about the election are how people are reacting nationwide to Obama’s popularity. Do you think America is ready for a female or an African American president?
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoAdmittedly, I don’t know much. I know the candidates and what happened in Iowa, and something about Hillary shedding alligator tears at the last one. I even know that various high-profile people like Bob Johnson have repeatedly stuck their foot in their mouths. I guess my question is, what else is there to know? There should be a quiz called “What An Educated Person Should Know About the 2008 Election,” in which you can see if you have everything pretty much covered. Just an idea…
If there was a way to get a basic, not so stuffy but still accurate version of what’s going on in the election, i think that would make things easier because I think people want to be informed, but I know I get intimidated when I swing by cnn.com and there are terms I don’t know about people I don’t recognize at a function that I didn’t know even took place. All that political jargon can be weary to a newbie, enough to say “Forget it,” as opposed to looking stupid when you ask your poly-sci roomate what a “Primary” is. Once we take that away, I think people will be more open to admitting how much they, in fact, don’t know.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoThe presidential election of 2008 is one election that can change society’s view about race and gender in regards to power and prestige. I know that for the democratic party whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama wins the world will change. I want to know more about the candidate’s positions on different topics and issues going on in the world.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoHonestly, I really don’t know that much about the candidates at the present time. So I think the main thing that I want to know is the background on the candidates. Meaning what experience do they have? What have been their previous job titles? This is due to the fact that I have been hearing many people say that due to their previous jobs and obligations that one person is more entitled to the poisition than another. However on another hand I have heard that you shouldn’t base one’s vote on background such as previous jobs what does the world have to say about this?
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoWhat I know about the presidential election as of today is that there has been some controversy involving Oprah’s support of Obama’s campaign. Many black people have been criticizing Oprah for choosing her race over her gender.
What I would like to know are the details of Hilary and Obama’s campaign strategies. Although I have been hearing a lot of the contraversies, I don’t know much about what each of their stances are.
This is an exciting election; perhaps more exciting and controversial than any other election in the history of America. I am excited that I will be able to contribute my vote, but I would like my decision to be as informed as possible.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoHonestly, I really do not know any of the candidates platforms, because much of what I hear discussed in the media are controversies or negative comments about the candidates. I would like to know where each of the candidates stand on healthcare (whether they feel that it is a human right or should be allotted based on employment). Another issue that I would like to hear the candidates speak on is housing issues (such as fair housing, etc.) and underpriviledged citizens basic rights to affordable housing. One last topic that is really hot now that I would like to hear debated between the presidential candidates is the rights (or whether or not they deserve rights) of “illegal aliens”.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoThis election is, IMO (in my opinion), a gateway election. At least I hope it is. By gateway I mean hopefully in 10 years, it will be the norm for candidates to be of various races and genders. It’d be cool if a black man and white woman running were just the tip of the iceberg.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoThe 2008 election has, in my opinion, confused many citizens. The primaries have shown that the Americas young adult population has come out of hiding and decided to take matters into their own hands. Unfortunately, I know in many of the conversations that I have taken part in and listened to, many people believe that this is an election between Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, which is not the case. Yes, Barack Obama is an African American, and Hilary Clinton is a woman, but that does not mean that they are guaranteed a vote due to commonalities. A presidential candidate’s platform should be the reason they get the vote, not their race or gender. The final vote will be chosing either a democrat or republican, not between a black man or a woman. It is our duties as citizens who want the best for our nation to be familiar with every candidates platform and what they can do for our country and who can do it best, because if a preferred candidate does not make the presidential ballot, we cannot just stop and give up, we still have to choose who will run our country the best.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoThere are very few things that I know about the 2008 Presidential Election. The last piece of information that captured my interest was the New Hamshire Poll votes and the very small percentage of voters that pushed Hilary over the top. I would like to know more about Clinton and Obama’s positions on issues that matter to me as a woman such as employment, abortion, and the war in Iraq. Both have changed their minds about their positions on the war, if I’m not mistaken, and if I could just get a clearer image on their position on how these two view issues such as those previously stated then my decision would be so much easier to make.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoIn response to candace88’s post, You mentioned that you’ve heard that people are wondering how involved Oprah will be in Obama’s campaign, and therefore maybe even how involved she or how influential her opinions may be in his presidency. Do you think that Oprah’s influence on Obama, being the powerful figure that she is in America and all over the world, would count negatively against Obama’s campaign? didn’t America fall in love with Hilary because we knew that she had such great influence over her husband, as he was a great president? Is it so bad, you think, that Oprah is so involved? If so, why?
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoDespite all of the media attention granted to this year’s upcoming presidential election, I find myself knowing very little about the candidates, their various stances, and even the election process itself. What in the world are caucuses and what do they have to do with anything? Or perharps, does anyone know who the Republican candidates are? Over the course of these past few months I’ve come to the realization that the only questions I could possibly answer if posed to me is who are the three leading democratic presidential candidates and what are their races/genders. While this may seem sad, when I ask those around me who I believe may be able to answer any of my questions they too seem oblivious to any possible answers. As if this is not bad enough, the media has solely focused on the race and gender of both Clinton and Obahma as if that too is all they know.
I would really like to know the various components of the election in terms of how candidates are elected, etc. However, more importantly, I would like to know ALL candidates, their individual stances, and how they plan to change the future of this nation in areas that exceed being the first of their gender and/or race to hold the position of presidency. While issues of race and gender are important matters, there are other issues that deserve equivalent attention.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoAfter looking over everyone’s response, it seems as though a major issue with the campaign is that people are focusing on the controversial topics because that is all that is being put out there. The media keeps stating how important our generations vote is to this election but they fail to put out anything that will help our generation to make a more informed decision. It’s sad to say that it is up to us to do serious research aside from what we see and hear on the news in order to make an accurate decision.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoI know that recently a lot of concern has been directed toward’s statements made by Gloria Steinem over her support for Hiliary Clinton on the basis that she is a woman in an article for the New York Times this month. In response to her article have been several articles appearing in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and I feel that that we need to hear more responses from Black women, seeing as this issue immediately concerns them and the upcoming election will make their unique position as both African-Americans and women even more difficult and their views more complex. What I would like to know is to whom is the black woman’s vote most likely to go? And what do they feel that Obama or Clinton can do for black women? And most importantly, what do these politicians believe they can do for us?
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoWell, althought it doesn’t make me feel proud to say I can honestly say that I dont know much about the election. To me, what has been overcrowding my interest in the campaigns of canidates is the idea that America has a real chance to be ran by a woman or African American. While I know that may sound superficial, it is the truth. It seems as though converstaions about who I will vote for, being that I am an African American female, are way more common than questions as “Which candiates view on education do you favor?”. However I also understand that in order to vote in the most effiecent way possible that I should become more aware of the platforms that ALL (including republican canidates) of the candidates present. And so I guess my new goal is to have an understanding or at least an overview of what each canidate is attempting to do for America.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoRegarding the 2008 presidential election I have tried to follow and stay as current as I possibly can. I don’t have cable so I try and look at CNN.com everyday and it seem s as though that the main points of interest are Hillary and Obama. When I speak to my family they say it’s because “America has had enough of Republicans and the economic dismay they have caused Americans and that we are ready for a change.” Which happens to be Barack Obama’s leading slogan “We are ready for change.” Also in my opinion I think that it’s sad that some women are only going to vote for Hillary because she’s a women and African-Americans are only going to vote for Barack because he’s black. That’s ridiculous. You should vote for who you feel as though personally is going to make a greater impact FOR THE GOOD and who stands for what you personally believe in. Not because of who your parents are voting for, your girlfriend, boyfriend, or friends. It should be an independent decision.
Then next when I go onto CNN.com like I did today and I see comments like the one from Huckabee saying “I think the radical view is to say that we’re going to change the definition of marriage so that it can mean two men, two women, a man and three women, a man and a child, a man and animal.” That’s just crazy to me? Is he equating marriage between two people of the same sex with some form of bestiality?
I just think these guys Republicans and Democrats included with Hillary’s comment on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. get going and they get entrapped in their own mind and the truth comes out. Which don’t get me wrong is a good thing because they say when you meet a person you really only meet who they want you to see and in the end the real person comes out. Not going to name names but i.e. someone current that we all know.
Now what I would really like to know is HONESTLY what every candidate is going to do differently from the next that is going to have a positive change for everyone? I understand that you can satisfy everyone but fro example rather than currently forcing the middle class into the lower class because of economic trends what are they going to do to make things better? Not just play it safe and say what we want to say.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months agoRegarding the 2008 presidential election I have tried to follow and stay as current as I possibly can. I don’t have cable so I try and look at CNN.com everyday and it seem s as though that the main points of interest are Hillary and Obama. When I speak to my family they say it’s because “America has had enough of Republicans and the economic dismay they have caused Americans and that we are ready for a change.” Which happens to be Barack Obama’s leading slogan “We are ready for change.” Also in my opinion I think that it’s sad that some women are only going to vote for Hillary because she’s a women and African-Americans are only going to vote for Barack because he’s black. That’s ridiculous. You should vote for who you feel as though personally is going to make a greater impact FOR THE GOOD and who stands for what you personally believe in. Not because of who your parents are voting for, your girlfriend, boyfriend, or friends. It should be an independent decision.
Then next when I go onto CNN.com like I did today and I see comments like the one from Huckabee saying “I think the radical view is to say that we’re going to change the definition of marriage so that it can mean two men, two women, a man and three women, a man and a child, a man and animal.” That’s just crazy to me? Is he equating marriage between two people of the same sex with some form of bestiality?
I just think these guys Republicans and Democrats included with Hillary’s comment on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. get going and they get entrapped in their own mind and the truth comes out. Which don’t get me wrong is a good thing because they say when you meet a person you really only meet who they want you to see and in the end the real person comes out. Not going to name names but i.e. someone current that we all know.
Now what I would really like to know is HONESTLY what every candidate is going to do differently from the next that is going to have a positive change for everyone? I understand that you can satisfy everyone but fro example rather than currently forcing the middle class into the lower class because of economic trends what are they going to do to make things better? Not just play it safe and say what we want to say.
| Posted 1 year, 10 months ago