http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/07/politics/2008debates/main4508400.shtml
John McCain appeared to be stuck between a rock and a hard place Tuesday night. He was not able to go negative on his own for fear of his reputation, yet he was also unable to introduce any radical new policies because he didn’t want to upset the conservatives or independents. As a result, he was unable to achieve an edge in the independent voters, and it will hurt him. Tuesday was one of McCain’s last chances to really impress undecided voters, and because of Obama’s current edge in the polls, a tie in the debate was not good enough. No one will change their minds because of this debate, and if McCain wants to have any hope come November, he will need to pull off something big. However, neither candidate started to talk about anything new, both Obama and McCain simply stuck to campaign rhetoric.
McCain’s campaign is at its wits end. They need to come up with a new strategy for winning in November, and it needs to help both McCain’s reputation, and his shot for the presidency. As Mr. Ververs points out, independents are unsatisfied with what they saw out of both candidates, and currently that helps Obama. Right now, McCain can’t stick to the same old Republican rhetoric; he needs to be visionary, yet wise, with his vision for America. Enacting an RPS might be a good idea. Or he could suggest that we send conditional aid to Pakistan, instead of blind money. He should try to move away from his deregulation stance, and slowly shift to more economic support. Or, perhaps, McCain could move back to why he is even in the running for president: because he’s a respected war-hero, because he’s a maverick, and because he stands for American values.
The debate would have been a great chance for McCain to introduce a new plan to the people of America. As Mr. Ververs points out, independents were very unsatisfied with what they saw. They were unsatisfied because they didn’t have to watch the debates to learn anything new about the candidates; it’s all stuff their campaigns have been saying all along. Mr. Ververs seems to think that McCain should have gone more negative. I disagree. It is better to run a positive, respectful campaign than to wallow in the mud and try to drag the other candidate down with you. It would also permanently tar McCain’s reputation, which is something he should try to avoid at all costs. As Mr. Ververs points out, McCain needs to show the American people they can trust him; going negative gives them nothing to trust him on.
The presidential elections decide who will be the most powerful man in the world for four years. It is in the hands of the American people to decide who they think will best lead the United States and keep it a powerful and respected nation.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Ishtar
Ishtar is quite the character, in every sense.
Ishtar is one of the first characters to try and gain knowledge of how the world works, with no regard of the cost. She proceeds to the underworld in an attempt to learn more about why things work, and is willing to give up all her material possessions in order to gain knowledge that might transform her. She was also willing to give consequences to the rest of the world in her quest, as when she died, everyone lost the ability to be fertile. However, it was not a very serious case of death, so she got better.
Although Ishtar is called a goddess, and treated as such, she is not one. She childishly complained to her father after Gilgamesh rejected her. She acts like a child to get what she wants. And, she is unable to see the effects her actions have on other people. Ishtar is the first of this type of character, and is excellent at it.
On a personal note, I'm surprised that the ancient people of Mesopotamia would link fertility and war. I know that looking at it through a modern lens, there appears to be no distinct connection between the two. However, perhaps there was some tradition back then that would explain this, although I doubt that modern humans would ever discover it.
I wish we knew more about this creative ancient character, as it would provide helpful insight into how mesopotians think.
Ishtar is one of the first characters to try and gain knowledge of how the world works, with no regard of the cost. She proceeds to the underworld in an attempt to learn more about why things work, and is willing to give up all her material possessions in order to gain knowledge that might transform her. She was also willing to give consequences to the rest of the world in her quest, as when she died, everyone lost the ability to be fertile. However, it was not a very serious case of death, so she got better.
Although Ishtar is called a goddess, and treated as such, she is not one. She childishly complained to her father after Gilgamesh rejected her. She acts like a child to get what she wants. And, she is unable to see the effects her actions have on other people. Ishtar is the first of this type of character, and is excellent at it.
On a personal note, I'm surprised that the ancient people of Mesopotamia would link fertility and war. I know that looking at it through a modern lens, there appears to be no distinct connection between the two. However, perhaps there was some tradition back then that would explain this, although I doubt that modern humans would ever discover it.
I wish we knew more about this creative ancient character, as it would provide helpful insight into how mesopotians think.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Things you guys would find interesting...
Hmm... This is a tough one. nothing comes to mind immediately, except for a few chat rooms. Reading CNN is always good, and listening to NPR never hurts.
I guess it's hard to say what websites everyone would find useful because everyone has different preferences. A website I find great might seem impossible to use for someone else.
The best advice I can use is just to look around the web a lot so you can get a sense of what type of sites you like and don't like.
Jacob,
Signing out.
I guess it's hard to say what websites everyone would find useful because everyone has different preferences. A website I find great might seem impossible to use for someone else.
The best advice I can use is just to look around the web a lot so you can get a sense of what type of sites you like and don't like.
Jacob,
Signing out.
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