Thursday, October 09, 2008
Debate 2: The Log, part three
On October 7, the candidates for president faced off for a second time. After a couple of weeks of mudslinging, John McCain and Barack Obama participated in a Town Hall style debate from Belmont University. Here is a log of the notes written down from one Valley voter during the debate.
PART THREE-The end of the Debate
Question-What don’t you know, and how will you learn it?
PART THREE-The end of the Debate
Question-What don’t you know, and how will you learn it?
Obama-I learn from my wife, who would tell you all that I don’t know. A presidency is defined by things you don’t expect.
McCain-What I don’t know is what all of us don’t know. What will happen. I won’t know the unexpected. I have experience. I know what it’s like.
Valley Voter-This was a nice final question. Kind of goofy, because how are the politicians supposed to answer it. On this question, Obama joked about his wife knowing more than he, and that she let him know it. Typical relational jesting. McCain and Obama both acknowledged the unexpected. For all the planning and policy statements that go on in campaigns, we all know it may be completely different in the actual presidency.
Obama was right. Presidencies are defined by the unexpected. The George W. Bush presidency would have been markedly different had it not been for 9/11 or hurricane Katrina. The same could be said about Clinton’s inability to pass a healthcare reform package, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait during George H. W. Bush’s presidency, or the Iranian Hostage Crisis that effectively put Carter out of office in favor of Reagan.
As this debate ends, voters are left with a number of economic and entitlement questions to ponder. These ideas by the candidates may never come into fruition, as the Congress or pressing monetary issues may stop them. Even more scary, the need to respond strongly to an international crisis in an increasingly volatile world could sidetrack the next president from many of the changes they both desperately want to make.
Anyways, five minutes after the debate ended, this Valley Voter settled in and changed the channel. Enough of politics for the night. Now it was time to watch the King’s first exhibition game against the Trail Blazers. That’s a different (and sad) story.
McCain-What I don’t know is what all of us don’t know. What will happen. I won’t know the unexpected. I have experience. I know what it’s like.
Valley Voter-This was a nice final question. Kind of goofy, because how are the politicians supposed to answer it. On this question, Obama joked about his wife knowing more than he, and that she let him know it. Typical relational jesting. McCain and Obama both acknowledged the unexpected. For all the planning and policy statements that go on in campaigns, we all know it may be completely different in the actual presidency.
Obama was right. Presidencies are defined by the unexpected. The George W. Bush presidency would have been markedly different had it not been for 9/11 or hurricane Katrina. The same could be said about Clinton’s inability to pass a healthcare reform package, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait during George H. W. Bush’s presidency, or the Iranian Hostage Crisis that effectively put Carter out of office in favor of Reagan.
As this debate ends, voters are left with a number of economic and entitlement questions to ponder. These ideas by the candidates may never come into fruition, as the Congress or pressing monetary issues may stop them. Even more scary, the need to respond strongly to an international crisis in an increasingly volatile world could sidetrack the next president from many of the changes they both desperately want to make.
Anyways, five minutes after the debate ended, this Valley Voter settled in and changed the channel. Enough of politics for the night. Now it was time to watch the King’s first exhibition game against the Trail Blazers. That’s a different (and sad) story.
Labels: Barack Obama, Election 2008, John McCain, Sacramento Kings
