The Volante's Political Blog

Friday night’s debate was a success no matter who you ask.  Political pundits from both sides of the isle have been claiming victory for their candidate since it ended.

I feel I can say it was a hard fought debate by both. It seemed to be a back and forth slugfest. It was apparent that McCain had the upper hand on foreign policy. It’s no secret Obama doesn’t have the foreign policy experience his adversary has.

Obama fared better when discussing the economy which shouldn’t have been a surprise either. McCain himself admits he’s not an economic expert, and the economy isn’t his strong point.

Both candidates did a descent job at playing to their strengths.

I found it thought provoking when both men told stories of receiving bracelets from the mothers of fallen soldiers. McCain said the soldier’s mother told him to make sure his son didn’t die in vain by ensuring “victory” in Iraq. The viewpoint is understandable.

Obama responded with his own bracelet story. Obama said this particular mother asked him, “Can you please make sure another mother is not going through what I’m going through?” This, also, is an understandable position to have.

What I’m getting at is, on issues such as Iraq, neither candidate did anything to persuade anyone, as far as I could tell. They simply reiterated the partisan platform they’ve been standing on since the campaigning started, and reaffirmed already held viewpoints by the viewers and voters. So…, if there isn’t any ground gained on the issues during the debates, are they even debates?  

Because of the recent events on Wall-Street and in Washington, presidential hopeful John McCain said today that he is going to “suspend” his campaign until the financial situation is stabilized with legislation and urged Obama to do the same. He also asked call for postponement of Friday night’s debate in Mississippi.

 In response to the Arizona senator’s statements, Obama said he would go to Washington to discuss and pass the bail-out legislation, but doesn’t find it necessary to stop campaigning or postpone the debate.

“We’ve both got big planes… that can get us from Washington to Mississippi fairly quickly,” Obama said.

Obama also said he thinks it’s important for Americans to hear what their presidential candidates have to say about the situation.

McCain said the situation is too dire to have the debates and in doing so legislation could be passed by the end of the weekend.

“I’m confident that before the markets open on Monday, we can achieve consensus on legislation,” McCain said.

I’m not an economist or a financial expert by any means, but anyone can see something needs to be done to stabilize the economy.  Hell, even Democrats and Republicans can agree on that, but I can’t help but think both candidates are politicizing the situation just a bit. The attack ads are flying. Both men are blaming each other for the problem. As said previously, I’m not an expert; but it’s obvious that this problem is much larger than two men. Millions of taxpayers are being affected by whats happening in Washington and on Wall Street, and all these men can do is pass the buck.

Maybe they are both to blame. They are in fact senators. Maybe their culpability lies in congress’ failure to act sooner. Either way, it’ll all come down to what the public thinks on Nov. 4.

Hello all. I am, of course Joe Sneve, senior political writer for The Volante. This semester we at the paper want to expand our coverage, especially political, beyond the weekly print and deliver more information to you through the powerful medium of the internet. Throughout the fall I will be making posts concerning the current political environment and atmosphere. I hope to discuss many different viewpoints and campaigns. This election season should prove to be a very exciting time for political buffs.

I suppose I will begin this virgin endeavor by telling you a bit about myself. I am a junior political science and mass communications major and have been with The Volante for roughly nine months. I graduated from Dell Rapids Public High School in 2003. After graduating I took a couple of years off to sew my wild oats and get my head on straight. In 2006 I decided to enroll here at the U and have loved every minute of Coyote life.

I understand as a journalist and a citizen the responsibility the media has in offering fair and just news coverage. I have always felt that the media is basically the forth branch of government. It can be argued the media is the most important keeper of checks and balances.

I look forward to covering and discussing the events surrounding many of the campaigns this fall.