Endorsement can matter - a personal testimony

I will confess to being influenced by an endorsement four years ago. I come from a strong Republican family and had worked as a legislative assistant for the Republicans in the Ohio State Senate and had always voted Republican in presidential elections up until 2004. By 2004 I had become disillusioned with the unilateralist approach Bush had taken to foreign policy but still thought of myself as a good Republican. When asked about my politics, I would often describe myself as an Eisenhower Republican meaning that I was a fiscal conservative but one who valued professionalism over ideology. I was generally more liberal in most areas of social policy and a strong internationalist in foreign policy. I was undecided about which way to go in 2004 until reading a strong endorsement for Kerry written by John Eisenhower, President Eisenhower's son. I found his argument that Kerry actually shared more of Eisenhower's values than did Bush very convincing and ended up voting Democratic for the first time in my life.

Second Debate

Little new was said at last night's debate. What stood out for me were the visuals. The town hall format was one that McCain wanted, but as I watched McCain move around to the different questioners in the audience, I found myself thinking more about how old he looked rather than what he was saying. Obama just semed to move more gracefully and confidently to me. Maybe it is not fair to attribute McCain's awkwardness to age; he remains physically limited in several wasy because of the injuries he suffered as a prisnor in Vietnam. Maybe I was just focusing more on appearance last night because I had heard most of the words before. There were a couple camera shots of Obama answering questions where you could see McCain sort of walking around behind him like he wasn't really sure where he should be. How candidates look can make a difference. I always thought bringing Carter and Reagan together on the same stage during the presidential debates in 1980 benefitted Reagan before any words were spoken. My guess is that if someone who knew nothing about the campaign had watched the debate without sound, they would have picked Obama as the more presidential.

Video: Bruce Springsteen Highlights - Campus

Video: Bruce Springsteen Highlights - Campus

Palin Biden Debat

I've had a hard time coming up with anything to say about the vice presidential debate. Maybe the reason is that I could not really take seriously the exchange that took place between Biden and Palin as a debate. Palin did not bother to answer questions or respond to Biden's charges. She stuck closely to her talking points and played up her image as a small-town hockey mom who would cut taxes adn reform government. While not as incoherent as she was in some of her ealier interviews, I did not find that she offered any evidence that she had the type of qulaifications or the judgment that we would want in a national leader. I was surprised that so many commentators were declaring her the debate winner, or at least declaring the debate to be a draw. I need help in understanding her appeal - why are so many voters so excited about placing this woman one heartbeat from the presidency?