A Heated Debate Indeed!

As the election grows ever closer and closer, I am sure all of you are asking yourself, which of the two candidates should I vote for? Which one's ideals align most to mine?


And who would do the best job at leading our country in the next four years? On one hand, you have present incumbent Barack Obama, known for his likeability and speaking ability, while on the other hand, you have Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney, known as the "successful businessman" and father to five strapping young men, is also considered to be strong when it comes to debates. According to the Pew Research Center(PRC), Romney did a better job in the October 3rd debate, and the American public is starting to gain more trust in him.
In a poll taken by the PRC, Romney is now even with Obama in the sense of being a strong leader and having willingness to work with leaders of the other party. But, Romney has surpassed Obama in the category of having 'new ideas'.

Romney has indeed made headway in the following months though and continues to gain support the further this campaign goes. But, there are many areas that are considered to be strong for Obama as well. As expected, Obama still connects more with 'ordinary people'; as Mitt Romney is worth over $250 million, it is not surprising whatsoever that Obama has won this category.

HOWEVER, Mitt Romney has indeed been said to have a large advantage when voters were asked who would do a better job when it came to fixing the deficit and healthcare system. In my opinion, these, along with the economy problems, are thee most important issues in the campaign and will decide the election. Romney has gained voters among women and young people, which was definitely Obama's strong point in 2008, as he was seen as the 'hip, young' candidate that matched many of their ideals.

October 22, 2012 Debate and how this ties into what we are learning!-
As the debate goes on tonight, I will be keeping tabs on the happenings of what I see and my opinions on them. :)

Right as I begin to watch, I see they have decided to MODERATE the debate. This made me laugh to myself a bit, but right from the start, Mitt Romney has brought up the issue of  "moderation" in his answer; not only in Libya and Middle East, but within our country and among our people as well. He believes we need to reject our extremism towards other countries in order to provide stability in our own nation and for the future of our nation.

This is what is ironic about the debate; This debate is supposed to be 'moderated', but in fact, Mitt Romney has already been interrupted multiple times by not only the moderator, but President Obama as well. If moderation is 'attacking one another and changing the subject in order to stray from the real issues', then there is something seriously wrong with our nation. And by no means am I saying the President is only at fault here; no matter what side you're for or against, there is no respect towards either side and this is sick to me. Why can political figures not have any respect towards each other and just have a civilized debate?; if not for themselves, then why not for the American people, who they are supposed to be looking out for?

As the debate goes on, the candidates and moderator continue to get more and more intense and rude towards each other; attacking each other personally and their political party as well. The issues are becoming less important, and making the other candidate look ridiculous and catching them off-guard is what is taking priority right now. The thing that gets me is the look on the candidate's faces when the other is speaking and making a point. There is a smugness in their faces and I think this will have an effect on what voters of America think of them.

So how does this debate and previous debates tie into what we are doing in class? These political debates are truly a prime example of polarization at its finest. Polarization, described as "a sharp division, as of a population or group, into opposing factions", happens in every aspect of politics today. I would challenge someone to find me a debate in politics where the two candidates are not bickering and not polarized towards one another. Here are some funny examples of some polarizing(some not so smart) political guffaws.

I also had another video; I will post the link, but not the video because I thought it might be a little inappropriate. If you want to watch this, here's the link...you'll find it quite entertaining I think. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX_1B0w7Hzc&feature=related

So why are politics so heated toward each other....? As a rule, people in today's world are becoming more polarized; not just politics, but politics happen to be more public with their polarization. According to the NPR news forum, Republicans are the most conservative they've been in over 100 years. But don't take this the wrong way, they also believe that Democrats are in fact, becoming increasingly polarized as well. These NPR experts believe this is due to the fact of their use of identity politics, appeals to race, ethnicity, and gender.

As a close, I will leave you with a recap of the final presidential debate and let you decide which candidate, in fact, is better for you and for the nation.

Romney vs. Obama

Which will you choose?

The days are counting down.