Jennifer Casal Assignment Three

1.) In reference to Palin hits "change" Theme, it talks about how Palin and McCain came down to Colorado Springs to make a speech in front of a gathering of Republicans at the airport. Palin was “attacking” Biden and spoke about how the people would not be able to call him an agent of change (I’m guessing she’s the better candidate for change). I think that Palin is somewhat correct in that argument and is possibly the better VP for when John McCain may get elected. I think since McCain sometimes teds to be indecisive she will help him make a firm decision. Palin is down for business and that’s a quality needed for this election.

2.) “McCain has slight edge on Obama”. This article talks about how the amount of viewers that tuned in for Obama’s speech during the DNC were in the same number range as the viewers that tuned in to see McCain’s speech the opening day of the RNC. The edge they are talking about that McCain has on Obama is that he slightly got more viewers. Although numbers are solid facts you still can’t imply that all those viewers are republican or even intend to vote for McCain. I myself have watched both but I am not a voter at all. Numbers are numbers we’ll see what happens during the votes. When numerical value actually counts for something.

3.) I had more time to watch the DNC than I have to watch the RNC. Not because I haven’t made time for it or that I am more democratic that republican but because I happen to just be busier. Between the candidates for the Democratic and Republican Parties I am kind of at a stale mate of whom I would vote for if I was registered. Obama and McCain’s speeches were both strong and enlightening yet they both make very great points on the topics of America which concern them the most.

kurt, hall ASSIGNMENT 3

I find that mcain's speech was not the great but he spoke with feeling and do not talk down about the other to much more about how they were different and more about his past i did find that they talk alot about him being a a kong camp alot and i really find that to have been push a little much and it great that he stayed there with his man and he was there for such a long time but they dont have to say it a million times.
one thing that i find sick is that with palin is google more about the bikki pic. then about her take on things it seems like they want to see more of her nude then want to know what she about and when i heard that from is mr. page, and i with him thats just not right.

one more thing is how Oprah denied Palin an interview on her show. then moms and other people that watch her show get mad about her supporting who she wants to and is expressing her opinion through this. It's not cool how those people are boycotting her show. thats just not right

Mead, Danny ASSIGNMENT 3

Plain Hits "Change" Theme and Criricizes Biden
In this blog, Elisabeth Bumiller points out that Sarah Palin is now attacking both the Democrats on the ticket. It is showing that she is not afraid to challenge a seasoned politician and not a fellow relative newcomer. As she has now called out both Obama and Biden on their slogan for change, they will indefinately come back looking for dirt, although politically 'clean' dirt, and anything and everything when it comes to debates. It will be very interesting t osee how this pans out for the next few months as Election Day nears.

Ratings: McCain Has Slight Edge on Obama; Could Be Decided by Supreme Court
This article stated that McCain's speech had 38.9 million viewers, where as Obama's speech had a little less at 39.3 million viewers. I felt like it was just showing the amount of people who unintentionally voted in a popularity contest. On the same note, the RNC this year was the most watched TV political event in over forty years. I think this was just a preliminary polling as there has not been ample time for there to be any other evaluation.

Palin Good for the Democrats, Too
Michael Luo's article implied that support for the Obama/Biden campaign for the Democrats was less popular to the that of the Republicans with McCain/Palin. However, Senator Obama's campaign was expected to reach $10 million in donations by the time McCain gave his acceptance speech. The McCain campaign took in $10 million after Sarah Palin's speech at the Xcel Energy Center. I found this a very intersting point. However, the fact that Republicans have more money is not a new event. So I feel like this record breaking day for Palin is still somewhat reasonable when it's coming from millionaire oil families and not minimum wage families for the Democrats.

Grimmett Assignment 3

McCain's Speech: What to watch for

This article was written before McCain spoke at the convention. It was about things that they thought McCain will and won't say during his speech. I didn't really like the article because it made it seem like he would say all the wrong things. It did though point out the fact that Palin is a strong conservative and that she will be McCain's strong side of being a republican because to me at least it seems like he can swing either way sometimes.

Live From St. Paul: McCain's Big Night

I thought this was a good article. I liked how it talked about how Palin has a more presidential tone than McCain himself has. I thought that was funny how she can kinda outshine him in ways because she has such strong views and well might just be a good speaker too. I like how it talked about how McCain talked about not giving away money to countries that dont even like us because i remember watching him say that part when i was watching the RNC. 

I didn't really watch the RNC either but i was able to catch a little bit but not much. I saw the part when the lady was protesting in the middle of his speech which was completely ridiculous i thought at least. I also remember him speaking of savings money in ways such as not giving it away to countries we dont like. Other than that i really didn't watch any of the RNC either but i should have and i kinda regret not watching more of it!!

K Mead, Assignment 3 RNC

"Oprah says no to Palin, and gets an earful"
This article shares how much Oprah is against Palin on her show. People are particularly upset with Oprah because she wont let Palin speak on her show. Palin is telling Oprah's fans to say something about why she wont let her on her show. Some people are even deciding to not be an avid Oprah fan anymore. I think Oprah should just go with the flow and let her on her show, because this is just hurting Oprah's reputation. But on the other hand, if she held her ground on an issue that was truly important to her, she has the popularity to make a HUGE statement.

"McCain has slight edge on Obama"
About 41 million Americans watched John McCain’s speech, which is about the same number of viewers that Obama had, which was about 38.3 viewers. McCain, as suspected, had more viewers than his runner up, Sarah Palin, who only had 37.2 viewers. It’s interesting that this convention is the most-watched one since 1960. Overall McCain, though, has had more viewers which could mean he is as of now more popular but it’s hard to decide. On the flip side, one could argue that the number of viewers were higher because Democrats wanted to see the Republican reaction to the DNC speeches. Without knowing what percentage of these viewers were Democrats, or Republicans, or Independents, or any other partiality, these numbers really do not show too much about the candidates.

I watches the RNC whenever I could this past week. I truly gained a sharp dislike for the 9/11 Governor of NY. Gullianni, though incorporating witty humor into his speech, really said nothing more significant than a deer's dropping rolling slowly down a hill. Mudslinging really does not sit well with me. The Democrats' Keynote was inspirational, it rallied the troops, it pointed the voters in the right direction...but the same cannot be said for the Republicans. Even if Bidin had similar attacks, he had a point, not just aimless ranting and raving. The speech of Palin did not really do the same. She had an exact pattern to her speech as Bidin: talk about my family to get people to relate to me, then attack the opposing platform. the only difference was that she said, "John McCain is the right man for out country,"but she never said WHY!!!!
So, to all the hell-bent "right-wingers" or "left-wingers" out there, I advise you to use your God-given brains, even if out candidates seem not to. Although insults are amusing, they have a place in Shakespearean plays, but not out nations ruler's rhetoric. The gloves are off, and the real question is whether or not we are ever going to find out who the best candidate is...right now I am leaning towards the "undecided" column.
My best regards to the readers of this blog. Yes, some emotion was included, and I hope you did take offense...and I do mean "did". Maybe you defending your beliefs at school will enlighten me better than out lovely candidates did.

Happel, Jeff Assignment 3

1.) In the blog Palin hits " change" Theme, it talks about how her and Mccain came down to colorado springs and made a speech in front of a bunch of Reoublicans at the airport, Palin was attackin Biden and she said that people would not be able to call him an agent of change. i think that she is right on that matter and that she will be a great VP when Mccain gets elected. i think that since Mccain tends to lean one way or the other that she will be able to keep him in line and make sure that he makes the right choice for our country. She is a tough lady and thats what we need, not a celebrity.

2.) In the blog Ratings: Mccain has slight edge on obama, it talks about how Obama and Mccain both got about the same number of viewers when they gave their speeches at the RNC and the DNC. Mccain has a slight edge on Obama because he got a little bit more viewers than Obama did and Sarah Palin almost got more viewers than Obama did. It just goes to show that Mccain has an edge over Obama and that maybe people are starting to realize that this country needs a President and a VP that actually know whats best for this country instead of just being a celebrity.

3.) I watched more of the RNC than i did the DNC beccause i am more interested in the VP sarah Palin and John Mccain than i am Obama and Biden. I think that Palin and Mccain would just be the better of the two and they were. Their speeches were alright from mccain but palins was really good. I am looking forward to the election and when Sarah Palin and Mccain get elected what they will do. Also since my parents are more conservative the RNC was on more in our house.

Assignment Three Rojas

Oprah says no to Palin, and gets an earful
This blog was about how Oprah denied Sarah Palin an interview on her show, and how all these moms and I guess other people too are all super pissed about it. I guess I think that it's good that Oprah is supporting who she wants to and is expressing her opinion through this. It's really lame how all these people who used to worship her and take her advice daily are now unsubscribing to her magazine and boycotting her show. These people feel like she's not respecting other people's opinions and really it's just her having an opinion, and them not respecting her's.

The next blog is about how Obama finally decided to point out one of the many lies put out there by McCain/Palin. This one was about how Palin was accusing Obama of wanting more earmarks and how she was all super anti earmarks but really in the past couple of years she put like $500 million into earmarks for Alaska. I think that this sort of lieing is done a lot in politics and campaigns, but I feel that McCain and his party are really going overboard.. I mean, you see all these commercials that are like "The only thing Obama wants to do is raise your taxes and eat your babies, but I, John McCain, want to like take away taxes and give everybody ice cream." Maybe that's exaggerated a little bit, but that is what it's starting to sound like. But I think that Palin shouldn't be making remarks like this to her crowd, it's very hyprocritical, but at least Obama pointed out the falsity in it.

I think that since these blogs started I have actually grown to have a real opinion in this race (thanks a lot stahley), that's why most of what I wrote are mainly about how I don't like McCain and his party. I didn't watch the RNC at all. I was playing video games while my parents watched it in the other room, so I heard nearly all of McCain and Palin's speeches. I was not impressed. Almost everything that I heard was like what I mentioned before; instead of talking to the crowd about what they have to offer, it was more about how evil their opponent is. I suppose that's how it's always been, but I don't see Obama pulling this stunt half as much or as bad as I see McCain pulling it. I think that what McCain has been doing is really unprofessional and kind of immature, and everything that I've been hearing, and reading all of these blogs is making me like Obama more and more.

Assignment 3 Nook

1. Blogtalk: Pregnant Pause
This article talked about news that Vice presidential candidate Palin's teenage daughter is pregnant. From this news, the article became a spin off of a thousand different Republican ideals such as pro-life, family values, etc. as the daughter is deciding to have the child. Frankly, who cares? It's not Palin's daughter that is McCain's running mate, it's Palin. Sure, family values can be a factor in choosing who to vote for, but Obama agrees, they shouldn't be dwelled upon so harshly.

2. Ratings: McCain Has Slight Edge on Obama; Could Be Decided by Supreme Court
This article was basically a comparison of popularity between both the DNC and the RNC. It seems as if McCain's speech had 38.9 million viewers, where as Obama's speech had a little less at 39.3 million viewers. Also, the RNC was the most watched political event on television since 1960, but had to be cut short due to Hurricanie Gustav. At this point in the race, the odds seem to be about even for each candidate according to the viewers.

3. Politics; not a word often used in my vocabulary. I am a very stubborn person when it comes to my values and morals, and I don't let anyone take my power to think on my own away, but when it comes to politics, I just don't have the desire to know everything I can about them. I am 17 years old and I miss this years election by one month, turning 18 in December, and I think that does have something to do with why I am not quite as politically active as the rest, but honestly I think politics are boring in some ways and I don't exactly want to spend my time getting to know which candidate has which values and who's better than who. I didn't get a chance to watch the RNC this weekend because I had other plans, but if I did in fact get a chance to see it I probably would've turned off the TV ten minutes in.

Wright Jeff RNC post 3

1. "McCain Has a Slight Edge On Obama" talks about the number of veiwers who watched McCain's speech on Thursday night. It was about the same as Obama's, one week earlier, reaching over 41 million Americans. McCain acctually reached abouut 38.9 million which edged out Obama's 38.3 million, on three networks including 2 spanish-language channels. All this statistic is saying (to me) is that there are more Republicans in America. Or it says that more people were more interested in what McCain had to say after haering or reading about Obama's speech.

2. "Palin Family Welcomes McCain to Twin Cities" talks aabout the welcome McCain got as he got off the plane.It talks about how Senator McCain was very open toward the Palin family. He stoped and treated the Palin family like his own. He paid special attention to Senator Palin's daughter pregnant Bristol who made national news. She stood with Levi Johnston, the man she intends to marry. Then McCain moved on to little sis Piper and older bro Track and his two sons Jimmy and Jack. The MMcCain-Palin family is 16 strong. This shows that McCain is a family man and is very family oriented. Why else would McCain be so happy to be around the Palin family? It also shows that around family or people considered family he gets emotional.

3. Once again I did not pay that much attention to the RNC. I did hear some of what Palin said in her speeech and i do have to say that it was good and it was what the people wanted to hear.I could tell that because I could hear my dad cheering for her. I also heard a good portion of what Guliani said before Palin's speech. Guliani gave a good opening speech and got the people ready for Palin. Idid pay alittle more attention to the RNC than i thought. I should probally pay more atteneion to polotics because soon my vote will matter in selecting any type of political leader.

Morein Assignment three.

I think its interesting that more people were into McCain's speech than Obama's speech. McCain had around 41 million viewers. And Obama had about 38.3 million viewers. In my opinion, Obama still has most of the population's vote. The most interesting thing i read in this artice is that this is the most watched convention since 1960. This is truely a large point in history. It throws me off a bit that more people were into what Palin had to say than her mate, McCain. I honestly think Palin could be a good vice president, but she may be very unexperienced. But on the other side, Obama may also be too unexperienced. This is why i stay independent. I've never really been into politics ever. So i didn't watch any of the speeches. And kind of let the rest of the popultaion deal with the politics.

Arellano assignment 3

Okay I am going to wing this one. I can't figure this blog thing out yet. My opinion is still the same. I don't pay attention to politics I don't want to vote and I don't follow any of this. Maybe my mind will change and I will follow poiltics better. But to talk about the RNC I haven't really heard about McCain at all. I just know taht he is old and that I do feel like he should be elected but I am so lost with who does what and who believes what. I did not hear very much about the RNC at all, or do I hear much about McCain.

I do think that when I can vote maybe I will change my mind in thinking that it is my America as well and I should be apart of what happens in it an maybe I should pay more attention to what happens in the world. But at 17 I just feel like ther are more things to worry about, Honestly!

Olivas, Ashley Assingment 3 RNC

1.) Obama, Palin create must-see TV; I found it interesting in the article that 37.2 million people tunned in to the RNC speech of Sarah Palin, 85,00 people witnessed Obama's speech from the Invesco Field, 38.4 million watched Obama on television, and Obama's speech received the highest ratings ever for a convention. I believe Sarah Palin had an amazing speech but I am not that interested in the Republican side of the convention. I didn't watch Obama's speech but I heard that he went above and beyond with his inspirational words. This article has made me think more about the dedicated speeches that take place at the conventions every few years. I think all politicans have the same advantages in the campaign but one has to be choosen to run our country.
2.) McCain : "Fight With Me"; I disagree with all the choices McCain is planning on changing. First of all, many people can find their own jobs but some do need more help than others. We dont need the government to help us decide what we should do with our lifes as we grow up. Secondly, we can stand up for ourselfs and dont need the government to be by our sides every minute of every day and hold our hands until we have gotten to the end. With Obama wanting to reduce taxes, ending the war with Iraq, eliminating capital gains in taxes, in 10 years ending our dependence on oil, and making fuil efficient cars to help the environment be safer, the world will eventually become a better place for everyone to live if Obama gets elected.
3.) I really didnt pay much attention to the RNC because I am more interested in the democratic side of the election. I think that McCain is going to keep us where we are in the world today and Obama will make a huge difference. Plus im not allowed to vote in this election. I cant believe that more people would vote for McCain instead of Obama. I think I would possibly consider myself a democratic but I'm not quite sure.

RNC 3 Carter

Ms. Palin's Pregnant daughter, Bristol.
Palin announced this past week that her daughter, Bristol, was pregnant. Palin, 44, just recently had a child of her own, 4 month old, Trig. Rumors on the Internet circulated that her daughter, Bristol, was actually the mother of Trig. This is the reason Palin made the effort to announce Bristol's pregnancy, in order to silence the rumors. I believe that people were making a big deal about Ms. Palin supposedly attempting to cover up her pregnancy. What's the matter with your daughter having a kid or Palin having a kid? It doesn't effect what she believes in because she was recently pregnant.

Two Conventions with no shortage of contrasts
The racial contrasts between the two parties have become present these past two weeks. 95% of the years Republican voters are white compared to only 65% of Democratic voters. White republicans have grown since the RNC in 2004 yet the amount of white and black voters at the DNC have stayed around the same. This surprises me because i would think more African Americans would attend the DNC because of Sen. Obama. This tells me that black voters aren't just voting for Obama because he is black, but rather the whites are voting McCain because Obama is black. My thoughts were not aimed to offend but if they did somehow I'm sorry.

I missed both the RNC and the DNC unfortunately due to other commitments, I really did want to hear what both McCain and Palin had to say even though I'm not old enough to vote, I think it is still important to understand what both parties are saying because one of them will be running again in 2012 assuming ceteris paribus. Politics will be a big part of our future and i believe it's important to hear and give each party a chance.

Assignment 3 King RNC Post

1. Blogtalk: Pregnant Pause
The media has lost control after the news of Sarah Palin's pregnant teenager. It is not right for people to be criticizing Mrs. Palin and calling her a bad mother. Parents can't only teach their kids right from wrong they can't control what they do. Just because her daughter is pregnant doesn't mean that Palin's beliefs are no longer valid. At the same time I believe it was selfish of her to drag her daughter through this. Going into the election she knew her daughter was pregnant and accepted the VP position anyway. She knew the media would rip her and her family apart because of this "scandal" but she accepted the VP position anyway for her own selfish wants. If people are going to be criticizing Palin it shouldn't be because she is a bad mother who can't teach her kids right and wrong it should be because she put her wants in front of the needs of her daughter. It was her daughter's mistake, but her daughter didn't chose to be paraded around in public.

2. What Might have Been
Personally I believe Mit Romney would have been a much better VP choice than Sarah Palin. I am still trying to figure out why it is that Romney wasn't picked. He has much more experience and would have brought in a lot of conservative voters. After the release of Palin's daughter conservative voters might be thinking twice before voting for McCain. A lot of people see Palin's lack of Washington experience as a good thing; which to a point it probably is considering all the corrupt Washington politicians, and all things considered McCain has enough Washington experience for the both of them. People are looking at Palin as a good compliment to McCain, and a good VP choice. However if you consider McCain's age is she the best vp choice? This is where I believe Romney would have been a better pick. I believe if old age caught up with McCain during his presidency Palin is not ready to lead the nation as a president. People are worried about Obama's experience, well she has even less. If need be Romney would have been ready to be president.
3. I paid attention to the RNC, but not as much as I did the DNC. However I did watch the speeches Wednesday night giving by Rudolph Guiliani, and Sarah Palin. It's obvious that public speaking isn't something new to these politicians, as they had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. I've always thought Guiliani was a great speaker, and I thought his RNC speech was outstanding, but a little provocative. His clever little jokes were good for his audience, but I believe he took a couple of cheap shots at the democrats for example his "if I was Obiden I'd get that VP thing in writing." It irritates me when politicians are called "flip - floppers", I believe you need to be able to take a definite stance of certain issues, but as the United States grows and chances your views should as well. What was good for the economy ten years ago even five years ago certainly isn't good for it now. So although I thought Guiliani gave a good speech I believe his cheap shots were immature, and pathetic. Palin as well gave an outstanding speech, although I didn't really get a sense of what she wanted to do for our country. I felt as if she just outlined her experiences and talked about how she was qualified for the job despite what the democrats thought, however she didn't give anything to back it up. She gave her experience but past experience means nothing if you don't have any ideas for the future. However it became obvious Wednesday night one of the reason's McCain picked her was her outstanding public speaking abilities, although it highlights his poor public speaking
abilities.

Norris Assignment 3

MccCain has slight edge on Obama
Alot of americans watched McCains speech, but its the same amount that watched Obamas. McCain of course had more viewers than his vice, who only had 37.2 viewers. This convention is the most watched because Bush messed up the country so much, that who ever follows him has to be willing to fix the country. Thats why it is the most watched since the 1960. At theis point McCain has more viewers, making him more popular.

"Oprah says no to Palin, and gets an earful" is about how much Oorah is against Palin on her show. People are really mad with Oprah because she wont let Palin speak on her show. Palin is telling Oprahs fans to say something about why she wont let her on her show. Some people are going to the fiets of not being Oprahs fans anymore. I think Oprah should just go with the flow and let her on her show, because this is just hurting Oprahs reputation.

I didnt watch the RNC because i was at work but when i read about it i made up my find of being a democrat just because of Palins speech but it doesnt matter because i wont be able to vote anymore.

Assignment 3 RNC O'Brien

1)

More than 41 million Americans watched John McCain deliver his acceptance speech Thursday night, essentially reaching the same number of viewers that Barack Obama did last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.

In a closely-watched ratings race, Mr. McCain edged out his running mate Sarah Palin, who reached 37.2 million viewers on Wednesday night.

Mr. McCain’s speech was watched by 38.9 million viewers on the three broadcast networks, three cable news channels, and two Spanish-language channels, according to Nielsen. That figure is slightly ahead of the 38.3 million who watched Mr. Obama last Thursday on those eight channels plus BET and TV One.

I think that this comment post makes it very clear that McCain does stand a good chance and maybe even a better one at becoming president. Considering how many people were also watching his vice president speak and the comment you hear about her, I think it is proven McCain has a better chance in the elections and in my opinion go McCAIN!!! We need someone with experience and the country has shown by this television percentage that more people care about what McCain has to to say and not Obama, by a small amount yes, but this is a close race after all.

2)

This election is going to be the tale of two strong women. One who Obama didn’t chose for VP, and one who McCain did.

When I hear this comment I think of the swing votes that McCain wants to pick up. When I say that I mean the Hillary votes. He elected his vice president because of the fact she is a woman and show of his political agenda in Canada for oil. But I believe his main goal was to appeal t0o Hillary supporters so we can steal those votes from Obama. Thsi leaves McCain with a great opportunity to turn the tides.

3) My opinion on the Republican convention is that there , in the beginning, was way to much bashing on Obama because now they have fuiled his campaign and teh democratic cause. However.....I think they satnd a good chance with his vice president choice. She is very smart and will bet eh first to ever allow drilling in Alaska if it means getting rid of the reliance on foreign oil. This I believe also appelaed to not just republicans but democrats as well. This also shows he is taking it seriously and not jsut spitting words out saying waht he will do but how he will do it. I think the the Republicans with her have more than evened it out and if I could vote they would have my vote.

White, John RNC Post Three

1) The Early Word: Understanding Palin by Michael Falcone:
This article tried to tell people more about Senator Palin of Alaska. McCain has just recently chosen her to be his running mate, so not many people know much about her. The writer was clearly biased and tried to point out all of her views that are those the same of President George Bush. There are a lot of critics out there, not fond of this. I don't agree with the content of this article. I watched the speech of Senator Palin on national television. She has a son in the military, a daughter who is pregnant, and a child with down syndrome. I honestly don't know how she manages to keep the house maintain, but she has. Not many democrats are giving her a chance to show what she could do in office.

2) Palin Good for the Democrats, Too by Michael Luo
I found this article shocking beyond belief. The support for the Obama campaign was clearly inferior to the that of the Republicans. Senator Obama's campaign, was projected to reach the 10 million dollar mark in total donations, by the time John McCain was going to make his speech. The McCain campaign took in 10 million dollars following Palin's speech at the Xcel Energy Center. That is said to be a one day record.

3) I did watch the RNC this week. I really was shocked as how much I could learn about the 2008 elections just by taking an hour out of my day. The intensity of the speech given by both Sarah Palin, and John McCain, sent chills running down my spine. After the RNC was over, I realized why my mother and father raised me in a Republican household. After every comment I could just feel myself saying "Yes" after every statement. I am anxious to vote, but it wont happen for me this year. I found the conventions to be more interesting than boring, so I even shocked myself.

Boyle, Chase RNC Post Three

In the blog, "Oprah says no to Palin, and gets an earful" is an article describing how Oprah declined to have Palin on her show. And many of Oprah's fans are outraged that she won't have her on her show. Since Palin isn't allowed on the show, Palin is calling for Oprah fans to complain on Oprah's website. Even some women in Florida are boycotting her show and cancelling their subscriptions to her magazine. I think that is kind of biased that Oprah won't let a republican on her show, when she backs Obama so strongly.

In another article, "Ratings: McCain has slight edge on Obama" it speaks of the TV ratings for both of the parties' conventions. McCain and Palin's speeches reached 41 million viewers while Obama only had 38.3 million viewers. I, personally feel that these numbers are irrelevant because the difference is so small and i'm sure that there was a lot of the population was busy at the time, but could have read about it later, or even watched the speeches on iTunes.

I personally didn't watch any of the RNC, because I was busy doing homework and i didn't feel the desire to either. Partially, because I won't be able to vote this election but also because i am more interested in the Democratic side of the force.

Huffman Tessa RNC Post 3

In the aeticle "Palin Hits ‘Change’ Theme and Criticizes Biden" Palin addressed the fact that Obama doesnt always do what he says. After reading the article she had some pretty good points. The fact that Obama's campaign theme is "change" and then elects Biden as his running mate contradict eachother. Biden is a very average normal guy that had been a chairman for all didfferent aspects of government but he has tradtitional views and ideas so how would that pair led to the so called "change" they are promising? Also I thought it was a cool idea that McCain and Palin arrived to speak in Colorado SPrings to the Elvis song "I little less Conversation" it shows that they can add a little fun to a campaign and not just talk at the American people everyday.

I read the article "McCain and Palin Kick Off Post-Convention Tour" it showed how Palin has really boosted the republician party. More people are supporters of Palin than of McCain. At first I thought that was strange but when I kept reading I can totally see why. Ms. Palin is just like an average person. Her family isnt perfect and people can relate to her. They can see themselves in her even though she is a political figure she is down to earth and doesnt feel or act like she is above other American citizens and people trust her judgement. Palin was the best choice McCain could have made with her and her views the democrats have something to worry about.

The last article I read was "Two Rivals, Together on 9/11." The article talked about how the country in times of election are divided republician or democrat but more important than different public views we are one American family.“All of us came together on 9/11, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans,” this quote somes up the whole article for me. I think the joint speech on 9/11 is a great idea and it will bring all Americans even closer. This article made me realize that in the end of the election we will all still be Americans and that this election has gotten blown way out of porportion.

assignment 3 sulkowski

Ratings: McCain has the slight edge over Obama: Over 41 million people watched McCain's acceptance speech, compared to the 38.3 million that watched Obama's. McCain's speech also had more people watching then his vice-president Palin's speech had. With her speech having 37.2 million watchers. What really surprises me about this artical is that according to it, Obama barely beat out McCain's Vice-president's speech let alone McCains. It shows that McCain has either a lot more support then Obama or at least that more people care what he has to say.

Palin Fund-Raises by Slamming Democrates: In Palin's letter thanking her and McCain's supporters she talks negatively about all the demorates taliking badly about her personal life. Including things such as her 17 year old daughter's pregnancy. But at the same time both Obama and his running mate Biden, have said that a candidates personal life should be off limits, and not be included in the voting process.

Once again I didnt even make an effort to watch any of the speeches, even though that I see myself as a Republican. Pretty much for the same reasons that I did not watch the Democratic convention. I just see these speeches as lieing to us, to get our votes. But once they get in office its back to their own priorities. I did catch a glimpsh at one of the speeches (not even sure whose) while on my way to turn on the tv. But all it was was a guy on stage saying "McCain wants to do this..... but his oppenent wont!" and then a bunch of people that most likely didnt even know what was said screamed "YEAH MCCAIN! GO MCCAIN!". After seeing this I just cared even less then I did before. Good luck to who ever wins.

White Assignment 3

McCain and Obama Plan Ground Zero Appearance

In this article it said that McCain and Obama would go New York and make a joint speech and honor all the people that were killed and all the people that helped with the rescue process. I think this is a great idea, I think it will show the American people that during that day we came together as a nation and during that time of crisis we came together as a country. I am very proud that our two leaders are going to get together to honor the past and put their differences behind them and help us unite as a country.


Ratings: McCain Has Slight Edge on Obama; Could Be Decided by Supreme Court

In this article it was said that Mr. McCain’s speech had slightly more viewers than that of Mr. Obama. I think that it is good that the country is so involved in this election and that the speeches are getting so much public attention. It shows what a hard decision it is going to be for America this election. Both parties are very knowledgeable and both of them have a big chance. Also the fact that this election could be decided by the Supreme Court is crazy. It is crazy to think that it is that close of a tie that it might have to rely on the Supreme Court.


Unfortunately I did not see any of the RNC. The night of John McCain’s speech I was on a bus back from boulder. But due to the good reviews I heard on both of the speeches I might look them up on you tube and compare the two. But I did not get to see any of the speeches for the DNC or the RNC so I don’t have that good of a formulated opinion on this year’s presidents but this assignment has made me want to learn more and become more involved in the politicians next election.

Assignment 3, Borner

Live from St. Paul: McCain's Big Night
I thought that this article was well written. It was interesting to find out that McCain rarely mentioned his stance on the worsening economy and really had nothing to say about it. I think that is a big deal with all the commotion going on about the gas prices, global warming, etc. and to not hit on that topic is very unreliable. Also during the RNC McCain was outshined by Palin, his number 2, who is supposed to be the runner up candidate in the Republicans. From this article it would seem like Obama has a better chance of getting elected if McCain does not step up.

McCain has slight edge on Obama
About 41 million Americans watched John McCain’s speech, which is about the same number of viewers that Obama had. McCain, as suspected, had more viewers than his runner up, Sarah Palin, who only had 37.2 viewers. It’s interesting that this convention is the most-watched one since 1960. Overall McCain, though, has had more viewers which could mean he is as of now more popular but it’s hard to decide.

Once again, I have not really paid all that much attention to the RNC or the DNC. I don’t really have a reason for not getting involved it’s just I haven’t had interest or the time to really sit down and watch the speeches. I know it’s important to grasp what is going on in the world around me but I just don’t find the convention all that interesting. And again, I am not able to vote so I don’t really specifically need to know everything about Obama and McCain but hopefully I can learn a little more about what is going on.

Assignment Three, Allen

1) The Early Word: The Home Stretch by Michael Falcone discussed McCain's speech from last night. I thought it was interesting how he noted that McCain used the word "fight" 43 times in a single speech. I find that surprising. McCain wants to fight to be nominated as President of the United States, but are there other things that he wants to fight for? Does he want to continue to fight in war?

2) Hundreds of Protesters Arrested: Colin Moynihan talked about Thursday afternoon's protests that occurred just an hour before McCain's speech. I find it astonishing that there were so many protests during the RNC rather than the DNC, or at least that we've heard about. Hundreds of marchers were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly.

3) I paid attention to the RNC much like I did the DNC--both as a want to understand each party. The RNC to me seemed a lot more spirited, but in a negative manner. The republican party seemed to discriminate more against the democratic supporters and Obama himself. I think that they could have been a little more classy and focused more on uniting America as a whole, rather than republican vs. democratic.

Stahley's Reaction for DNC commentary

One of the reasons that I became a teacher was to light fires in young minds. This is a new thing for me, this blog, but I can tell it is already making a difference. I enjoy the fact that you are reading your peer's blogs. I feel as though you are connecting in a new and exciting way.

For those of you who have not had a "giant" experience with politics, I want to say a few things.

I may come off as one who has been greatly involved for many years. This is not at all true. I was once, and I do not think this is a strange place for a teenager to be, oblivious to the world around me. In fact, I still have lapses of judgment where I consider myself to be a typical member of society, and I think this is fine.

If I was assigned this exact topic as a 17/18 year old, my response to question three would have been something alone the lines... of most of yours frankly. I would have had to explain why I didn't pay attention, and I wouldn't have felt sorry about keeping my priorities elsewhere. You are kids, and by all means, you should enjoy your adoloscence.

When I read your responses now, and mind you, I am only 10 years your superior, I am happy that you even took time out to consider, or even acknowledge that someday, something of this magnitude will effect you. For this consideration, you owe yourselves a giant pat on the back. It shows maturity, and unfortunately, I don't know how often teens your age get to wear the threads of a thoughtful, mature human. Wear them with pride.

As I become more involved (reading articles by respected sources, watching the occasional news program, speaking to elders who I think "know their stuff") I have realized something: I enjoy being not just a typical member of society, but an informed and even intelligent, outgoing member, who isn't afraid to voice an opinion. It feels good to get into a respectful conversation with a stranger and exchange ideas. It feels good to be able to wear a shirt that displays my political beliefs and have wanderers stop me and comment. This goes for those who agree with me, and for those who don't, because anyone who is intelligent can still learn to respect those who do not agree with their opinions.

I am 27 years old, and I have voted in every election since 2000. Until now, I voted based off of minimal understanding. I hope that when you decide to vote, that it is done with intelligence. Do your reading. Read about the people who represent you. Criticize even those who you support. Search and define what it is that makes you an American citizen. Not everyone in the world shares your right to decide, so don't waste your decisions, and certainly don't take them lightly.

I got into a deep discussion with a dear and intelligent friend of mine who tried to convince me that he was not going to vote because he didn't feel as though his vote mattered. I was disturbed. But it taught me something that I want to share with you.

It isn't the vote that counts. It is the opinion that you hold within yourself that is displayed with a vote that matters. If we were a nation of followers, the word "Independence" would drastically decrease in value. Being independent is truly something to be proud of, and by voicing your valuable opinion, you express your right to be free on a very large scale. Your vote may seem small but remember, "No single raindrop feels as though it is to blame for the flood." If everyone loses sight of what a vote means, we could be in the midst of a very scary drought.

Stahley

Assisgnment 2 Rojas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first blog that I'm responding is one that talks about Obama being the first Afro-American presidential nominee. I think that it's great that we are getting more diversity in all aspects of our country, but I still am for some reason surprised at how people take factors like race into their lives. I guess the generation that I grew up in is one that truly began to treat everyone the same, so its hard to judge people from their race like that. There are some people that discriminated against him for not being white, and I think that at this point they need to get over that fact and focus on his beliefs and what he stands for.

The second blog I read about is one that was discussing Hilary's speech and her part in the convention. I don't really care that much about politics themselves, I honestly don't really know what the difference is between republicans and democrats, but I'm glad that Hilary is finally doing something to support her party and has decided to help Obama.

As for my involvement with the DNC, there isn't really any. I'm sorry but like I said before, it's not the actual politics I care about, and if I do feel like having a political opinion, it's not going to be based off of what the nominees say or promise because a lot of it probably isn't true-and I don't blame them for it. I just like who I like based off of who I feel has better morals I guess...it's hard for me to put it. I'm sorry Stahley but I'm not really going to watch tv for some people talking if I'm not even going to watch it for interesting shows and cartoons hah.

Assignment Two Sulkowski

38 Million View Obama’s Speech; Highest-Rated Convention In History: As the the first ever African American accepted the nomination for president, 38 million viewers where watching. This is a huge number compared to any other nomination acceptance. Obama's viewer count was huge compared to John Kerry's who had 24.4 million people watching, and George Bush's 2004 acceptance which was watched by 27.5 million viewers. This means that more people watched Obama's acceptance, then did the final American Idol, and even had more American viewers then then opening ceremony in Beijing.

The Early Word: Tonight’s the Night: This was the day that Obama would accept the Democratic nomination. It was said that Obama's speech had been created around other huge speeches including John F. Kennedy's in 1960, Ronald Regan's in 1980, and Bill Clintions in 1992. Obama's speech was being held on the 45th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech as well as on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. 2004's Democratic nominee focused in his speech on Obama patriotism, in being American, saying that "This election is a chance for America to tell the merchants of fear and division: You don’t decide who loves this country. You don’t decide who is a patriot.”

I honestly dont care what so ever. I sat down the first night for about a whole 30 seconds before I was bored to death, and either had to leave and do something, or fall asleep right there. I guess a reason that I dont care is that Im more of a Republican but that still doesnt really make sense, because I wont be watching the Republican convention either. I have no desire in listening to some old guys telling (lieing) me about what their going to do to make the world and the United States better, when as soon as they get into office, theyll just forget everything they told us now, and continue with their original plan. In the end I believe that no matter who wins, in the end they lose. The way I see it is that the president's real job is to give us someone to blame, when something doesnt work out. So good luck McCain and good luck Obama. Just give it a few months to a year, and everyone will be talking about how horrible you are of a president just like with Bush.