Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

Everyone seems to be saying Biden was a good choice for Obama’s V.P. Why then, according to a recent poll, is Obama not seeing a bump in his approval rating?

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

Did Barack Obama choose wisely when he picked Joe Biden to be his running mate? Well, for me, that remains to be seen. If they win, he chose wisely. If they lose, damnit why didn’t he join forces with Hillary??

Regardless of what I think, everyone else has an opinion too. At whereIstand.com, those opinions are collected and very few people have come out against the choice. Researchers at the site have compiled a list of what public figures- elected officials, newspaper columnists and editorial boards, etc.- think of the pick. They wholly support the choice.

Why then, according to a recent Gallup poll, did Obama’s Biden choice do him no good?

According to the poll, “Barack Obama has received no bounce in voter support out of his selection of Sen. Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate.”

Even conservatives are hailing the choice, so why aren’t the voters?

On the site you can see who said what, and which conservatives are crossing the line. John McCain and Chuck Hagel, Republican Senator from Nebraska, say it was a good choice. Even more interesting are the conservative pundits and columnists who backed the choice. Glenn Beck, the conservative political commentator and radio host, went so far as to say the McCain camp might have a problem if they don’t pick as skilled a debater as Biden for their V.P.

The Washington Times, known for being conservative also praised the choice. A “solid pick,” they said.

After the convention this week we’ll see how the numbers are. Will Biden’s speech draw people in? Will Obama’s convince those who are unsure? It all remains to be seen.

Race and Obama

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

Race is the big issue with the election this year. Will Barack Obama win because he is black? Will he lose because he is black? Is American ready for a black president? It’s on everyone’s mind.

Of the 28 public figures on whereIstand.com with opinions on how Obama’s race will affect his candidacy, five are black. What i found particularly interesting was that four of the five said race would negatively affect Obama’s chances of winning the election.

What does that say about our country and whites and blacks in general?

Polls have suggested that whites are saying America is ready for a black president, while according to the public figures on whereIstand, black people themselves think racism will get in the way.

Al Sharpton, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Sylvester Brown Jr., Democratic Party strategist Donna Brazile and sportswriter Stephen A. think race will negatively affect Obama. Robert L. Johnson, the successful businessman and founder of Black Entertainment Television is the lone abstainer.

Beyond recognizing how race is understood by blacks and whites, this information shines a light on, perhaps, how people in business may view things as opposed to activists and journalists.

whereIstand also aggregates the opinions of its many users on the issues. Of the 50 user opinions, 14 say race will have no effect, 16 say race will positively effect his candidacy and 22 say negatively. Because users are often anonymous and don’t post pictures it isn’t possible to determine whether race has any affect on the stand they take on the issue.