Barack Obama's DNC Speech

After listening to Obama's speech, I was a little bit surprised that I was agreeing with most of the things that he was saying. Obama's main point was that America is in turmoil because people are losing their jobs, having trouble paying their bills, as well as having difficulty with giving their children a good education. He said he was going to fix these things by cutting middle class taxes, and eliminating programs that do not work effectively anymore, which should help create new jobs. I agree with his reasoning, but I think that it is easier said than done. By cutting middle class taxes (which takes up most of America's population), the government will have less money to create those new jobs.

I also agreed with what Obama had to say about the war in Iraq, but only to a certain extent. Yes, the war has gone on for longer than everyone had expected, but the middle east will never be considered non threat to America anymore. I think that if we pull out ASAP, that they will turn around and attack us again, thus leading us back to 9/11. The other thing to think about is: since 9/11, have we had another terrorist attack? I think I am just a little concerned about what will happen if a different person with a different perspective about the War will lead us to in the future.

One thing that I disagreed with Obama's speech was his statement that "in a few weeks the Republicans will ask you to reward their past eight years with another four." I think that Obama is getting a little caught up in the "category" situation. Everyone has different ideas, and just because Bush hasn't been the most successful president to date, it doesn't mean that McCain will do any worse just because he is a Republican. Now, I realize that this does go both ways, and I am not saying that only the Democratic party does this. I just think that putting everyone into a category is what sways votes.

Overall, I found Obama's speech interesting, and I am intrigued as to McCain has to say in response to Obama's speech.

Slick Willy's DNC Speech

After listening to Bill Clinton's speech about Obama's dedication to making a better America, I was not surprised by what I heard at all. I figured that Bill Clinton would support Obama's campaign because of their mutual desire to change what is wrong with America today. Clinton mentioned that since the Republicans got control of The White House and Congress simultaneously, that health care, as well as availability of jobs have decreased dramatically. He then went on to say that because of Obama's past personal experiences, that he was ready to take on the role of president and change everything (according to Clinton). I can see where Clinton is coming from, but at the same time I think that his argument was a little one sided. All Clinton talked about was what the Republicans have done wrong, but not what the Republicans have done right. Clinton should have mentioned how he thinks the Republicans have succeeded in the past eight years, and if Obama was willing to keep the same policies going. I think that because of this, Clinton is a little wrapped up in categorizing Democrats/Republicans. For example, if he were to agree with some of the Republican views, he might cause Obama to lose votes because he is admitting that Republicans are right in some areas of their campaigns.
I am not saying that Clinton's speech was utter garbage. I did agree with him that the new president does need to do something about the rising poverty, but I think that he should have touched on what was going right in the country, as well.