Finally, after I finished putting my groceries away and made a sandwich for dinner, I tried to find some follow-up news on antenna TV. There was NOTHING ! So I finally went to the computer to see if there was any after-debate information and, shock, it was still on!!
I don't remember exactly where I started listening, but I think I was able to hear about 2-3 question rounds and the final speeches. I watched it some time after 7:30 PST to the end, which was about 8pm here.
It is definitely a different debate with only 5 candidates. Personally, I am only familiar with Hillary Clinton because of all the years she has been in national media. And I only know Bernie Sanders because of all the recent headlines about him. The other three are total strangers to me.
From my seat, it looked like Hillary has the nomination pretty well captured, but I don't know if that means she will win the Presidency. Because I don't know anything about Bernie Sanders, her only perceived competition, this opinion is really just a speculation. He may be getting all the current attention because he would make a good Democratic president.
In the media popularity polls I have heard about (and the brief one on the debate program), along with something I heard about two past failed attempts, I think Biden entering the race at this time would be a bad move for him. I understand he is a Catholic, so I hope GOD has some meaning in his life, so I want to add that ONLY GOD knows what is ahead, but I don't think this is a good time for him to carry the burden of a campaign.
I know it's his decision, I am just adding my two cents to the conversation. I am assuming he is praying about it, but I keep seeing the media hounding him to run. I suspect part of their motivation is to find that election battle to make headlines with. I understand election years are when the media make most of their profits...... and I understand that media organizations are suffering along with the rest of us. I know it must be hard for everyone in the Biden family right now... even when you know someone is going to die, the pain and need to grieve and heal still happen.
Like I mentioned in a previous post, it seems to me that the Republicans are at the pivot to win the next election. This may be GOD's time for the Biden family to rest. Naturally, this is only my small and ill-informed opinion, but it is what I see through the little bits of media news I am able to access in the midst of my own life.
Back to the debate...
The topics of every debate seem to focus on the topics of the party more than the topics of the nation. I suppose that is what political party debates are about. I haven't followed politics that closely in my life. My attention was usually elsewhere, or I didn't have access to the sources.
It is always interesting to see a seasoned politician move the focus of a question onto something more positive for them... you hardly know it is happening, especially when they are really good at it. They move to a crowd-pleasing comment that will get claps and hollers and whistles. I suppose they teach that in public speaking... I need to take that class ! :-)
I guess I will share a brief look at what I think the two parties stand for, based only on what I hear in the media ::
The Democrats are for higher taxes, mandated national medical insurance, abortion and Planned Parenthood, Climate Change, Welfare benefits (and Social Security, I think), increased government and regulation, huge debts, and anything at the expense of the "rich."
The Republicans are about business issues, which include Big Oil, Wall St. and energy companies that were established many years ago. They promote subsidies, want less government regulation (tied with the slogan of creating jobs), support big industries (including GMO companies) more than small business, are anti-welfare and food stamps, are something about Social Security (I can't remember what their view is right now), and want to decrease the already excessive taxation levels.
I suppose that is my impression of the two parties in the view of the media.
I think America is somewhere in the middle, but losing their ability to affect the voice of government and the reach it has into their lives. We don't have much of a voice in the decisions that are made, and the Supreme Court has now taken that voice away with decisions on healthcare and the meaning of marriage in America. With the way things are going, the only ones who will have any rights will be the gay community. I don't think that is the best solution for the whole country either.
The voice of the people, the vote,
should always override the voice of the minority...
that is why America exists,
because of the power of citizens to vote on issues and leadership.
We still have a long way to go until our November ballot for President... I always hope there will be some improvements in how things are decided, but I don't really see anything happening in those directions. We all think our answer is the best one... When someone gets elected after promising us to change the world, they discover the web that is politics... one person can't change much of anything. We still have to deal with all the other people who don't agree with us.
American has a lot of problems, but I would rather be in America than some of the other countries that exist. At least, so far.
