So…Watched the Republican convention this week. I have long felt leanings toward the republican party, but I’ve not been inspired to pay that much attention.<\/p>\n
Until now.<\/p>\n
So I watched, and I was duly inspired. And then I hit the internet hard to see what other people thought. I read the columnists and the head bloggers.<\/p>\n
And then I read the comments.<\/p>\n
“Chris, everyone keeps saying that the candidates didn’t talk about the issues. But both McCain and Palin did bring up a bunch of issues!”<\/p>\n
He is more jaded, having been in tune with politics for longer than I. “People hear what they want to hear. They have an issue in mind, and if the speech doesn’t mention their<\/em> issue, they say ‘they’re not talking about issues!'”<\/p>\n Hmm…Good point.<\/p>\n But a speech is only so long. And everyone wants the speeches to be full of energy and dynamism. I’m sorry, but issues are not that interesting to listen to. Percentages and statistics make people go for a bathroom break.<\/p>\n So it’s not fair to criticize a candidate for not talking about issues in a speech. Speeches are not the medium for that.<\/p>\n What is?<\/p>\n THE WEB.<\/p>\n So I hit their respective websites. Oh LORD, there is a lot of information there. Both Obama and McCain have put up a ton of positions on various topics. It would take a week to sift through all these.<\/p>\n Knowing that the mention of a topic does not indicate a pro or con position, only that the topic deserved some attention, I made a list of what these guys listed on their websites.<\/p>\n These are taken from McCain’s website<\/a>\u00a0and Obama’s website<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0Overlapping issues<\/strong><\/span> Obama unique<\/strong><\/span> Mccain unique<\/strong><\/span> There is good overlap, but the differences are interesting. The amount of information on these is staggering. It’s a LOT of reading, and I am somewhat ashamed of neglecting my duty as a citizen because I didn’t start researching this sooner.<\/span><\/p>\n The “Faith” issue on Obama’s side was interesting, so I clicked on that. Disappointing. 2 quotes from other people about the importance of a speech he gave, and then a YouTube of the speech. <\/span><\/p>\n I believe this is atypical of\u00a0Obama’s entries,\u00a0though.<\/span><\/p>\n McCain’s National Heritage this was also intrigueing, since Chris and I just got back from Yosemite National Park. He and I want to visit all the National parks in our life together. McCain says he thinks national parks are important, and he also brought up Fish&Game as a tool for conservation. Wetlands and Open Space are something he wants to preserve. Nice.<\/p>\n And the Space Program! Mccain specifically mentioned the Space Program! Exciting, since I will never forget the year I worked for NASA<\/a>.\u00a0 McCain is pro space program. For two purposes: advancing reseatch and to keep national pride. huh. I wouldn’t have been so sentimental about national pride, but perhaps as a military guy, he has a keen eye for the practical usefulness of high morale. But as far as the research part, i am SO for that. Two things that came from the space program, without which our lives would be unthinkably poorer:<\/p>\n Microwave ovens<\/a><\/p>\n The internet<\/a><\/p>\n I started to read their respective takes on the economy, but it was complicated. That will take more time. I’ll report next week what I find.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So…Watched the Republican convention this week. I have long felt leanings toward the republican party, but I’ve not been inspired to pay that much attention. Until now. So I watched, and I was duly inspired. And then I hit the … Continue reading
\nEconomy<\/span>
\nEducation<\/span>
\nEnergy (Energy & Environment per Obama<\/em>)<\/span>
\nEthics (Ethics Reform per Mccain<\/em>)<\/span>
\nHealthcare<\/span>
\nImmigration<\/span>
\nIraq<\/span>
\nRural (Agricultural Politics per Mccain<\/em>)<\/span>
\nTechnology<\/span>
\nVeterans<\/span>
\nNational Security<\/span> (Defense per Obama)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
\nDisability<\/span>
\nFaith<\/span>
\nFamily<\/span>
\nFiscal<\/span>
\nForeign Policy<\/span>
\nHomeland Security<\/span>
\nPoverty<\/span>
\nRural<\/span>
\nService<\/span>
\nSeniors and Social Security<\/span><\/span>
\nUrban Policy<\/span>
\nWomen<\/span>
\nAdditional Issues<\/span><\/p>\n
\nClimate Change<\/span>
\n2nd Amendment<\/span><\/span>
\nJudicial Philosophy<\/span><\/span>
\nFighting Crime<\/span>
\nNatural Heritage<\/span>
\nSanctity of Life<\/span>
\nSpace Program<\/span><\/p>\n