vice presidental debate tonight - katie curic interview

boyohboyohboy wrote: I am very interested in the debate tonight. I first want to say that I have never voted in an election before. I have never found politics interesting.
This year I certainly do.Although I cant say for sure that I know who I am supporting, tonight will make a big difference in that decision, I have found it interesting as someone new to this arena, that the news people are really mean.I totally understand that if news was just straight facts, and no one really caused controversey we probably wouldnt watch it..tv needs to be exciting.
but the last few days, I have seen them attack sarah palin to no end. Not so much on her political issues, where she stands and for what, but more on a personnal level.

There was a guy on tv this morning, who apparently had run against her in the past, and he made this totally uncalled for statement. He said something to the effect that he was in a debate with her, and although he didnt understand a thing she said, he felt that if people wanted to watch her for public interest and not public policy then so be it.. it was pretty much him saying that she is nice to look at but what ever comes out of her mouth isnt interesting..

It just reminds me that even though some people grow older, they certainly dont alway grow up. I mean how much more adult can someone be then to be involved in government, wanting to make a difference for our world, whether its as mayor or president, I mean its not something we all certainly aspire to do, or can do, but to attack someone like they are in highschool, well it just seems so childish.

I am more interested in politics, but as far as media, that is something I think I am totally against.

I honestly until about a year ago just assumed that everything on the news was fact..I mean how can you lie on tv right? i was naive, I admit. I have learned my lesson. I also find it hard to know where to turn for facts since someone in every corner seems to have alterior motives for printing or saying what ever they want.

I intended this post to be about how media treats people..not about sarah palin, and not to spark a debate on whether sarah is or isnt qualified to be in this position...

luvbug00 replied: I was soo stoked to see it but my dad is having a poker turniment at the house tonight and so he will be in the room with the tv...

cameragirl21 replied: I think the issue, Stacy, is when someone is very conservative or very liberal, anytime someone sways very far to one extreme, everyone is looking for a hole in their beliefs and actions and the media is a shark when it comes to that sort of thing.
I consider Palin to be very conservative and the media probably does too so they are looking for somewhere where she didn't follow her mantra so to speak.
Imagine someone like me running for office...and while I am rather liberal, I don't consider myself very liberal but I bet most people here would. If someone like me runs for office on a platform of saving the environment, minority rights, etc then the media would be eagerly looking for that one time I threw away something that was recyclable because that is what sells--scandals.

boyohboyohboy replied:
yes, I think what you said sounds right on the mark. but it just makes me feel worse about the world I live in.
can you explain to me (because I like the way you word things)
what does it really mean to be conservative and liberal as far as politics are concerned?

and are there any other positions then these two?
and what does it mean when some one is " far right"?

or a left winger?

these are terms I am not familiar with.
and am tired of being to afraid to ask.

cameragirl21 replied: sure, I'll be glad to explain and anyone else feel free to chime in if you feel I have left anything out.
It's a bit of a complicated question--one can be conservative socially, fiscally, with regard to foreign policy, or all three.
Far right winger means someone who is very conservative. Far left winger is someone who is very liberal. If you say you're left of center or left wing moderate, which is what I consider myself to be, it means you are closer to being liberal than conservative but are not entirely in line with traditional liberal thinking.
Traditionally, a conservative is against abortion, against gay marriage and often considers the gay lifestyle to be immoral, they are supporters of capital punishment and big fans of the second ammendment, which refers to the right to bear arms, aka guns. They are usually opposed to govt based welfare programs for the poor, favor strict punishments for criminals and believe that the wealthy should not be taxed anymore than anyone else, in other words, they don't like to tax the upper class so as to pay for the lower class. They are also in favor of looser business laws. In foreign policy, they love the military, believe in a strong nation with sufficient weapons and like US influence all over the world. Usually but not always, conservatives are proponents of Christian based laws and the one arena in which I always pretty much agree with conservatives is their strong support for Israel which they consider usually to be fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
Liberals, on the other hand, are usually big fans of women's rights, minority rights and affirmative action in some form. We love the environment and consider it paramount whereas conservatives are usually more interested in the least costly way to obtain energy, liberals prefer the most environmentally friendly even if costs more. This is not to say that conservatives don't care for the environment, they just don't see it as the number one issue. Liberals are less fond of guns and usually in favor of stricter gun control laws. Most liberals support gay rights and the rights of all minorities. We strive for equality among everybody, at least as much as possible. Fiscally, we tend to favor govt spending on welfare programs and other social programs to benefit those who need them. When it comes to foreign policy, we support our troops just as much but are not fond of war and prefer to avoid it at all costs. We would generally prefer our nation solve its own problems and not meddle with the affairs of other nations.
This is just a snapshot, I may have left some things out so anyone feel free to chime in.
ETA--one more thing I forgot to add is that liberals often prefer to educate with regard to sex education and most liberals would probably prefer kids have access to birth control than deal with the consequences of this lack of knowledge and lack of bc. Conservatives usually prefer abstinence only or abstinence based programs and would not be impressed with condoms being handed out in high schools. This is not to say that liberals think that kids should have as much sex as they want but rather we take what I think is a somewhat more realistic approach and say that kids will do what they will and we'd rather they be safe and protected than sorry.

Danalana replied: Stacy, I agree with you. I hate the media in regards to most things. They will spin it any way they want to. And the more "moral" someone is, the more they want to try to make them look bad.
Here's a good example from over 2,000 years ago. Whether you believe the Bible as the book of your faith or not, Jesus was someone who was targeted by legalists. He was labeled an extremist--a phanatic. That's why leaders were constantly questioning him ("Why are you healing on the Sabbath day?", etc...). They wanted so badly to tear him down and poke holes in his words/beliefs. I know this isn't a religious or even political topic, per se, but I think that's a good example. It makes me sad but, if she's true blue, she'll stand up under the criticism and pressure. I can't wait for the debate tonight!

lisar replied: I cant wait to watch it.

mammag replied: Though cameragirl had a lot of good points there are a couple of issues that I would like to chime in on. She stated that liberals are more interested in minority rights than conservatives and I strongly disagree on that. The Republican party came in because of the opposition to slavery. They formed in 1854 because of their opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska act which would have expanded slavery. For example here is a section of the Democratic Party Platform of 1856...



Republicans were also the first major party to support women's right to vote and the first woman ever elected to Congress was a Republican.

I think the difference goes back to the old saying "Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime". This is proven by the amount of people that improved their lives when they were forced to go off the welfare system. We also strive for equality and would prefer no benefits or punishments regarding race, gender, etc.

I'll stop there because I know I'll just go on and on and on and on and on......

mammag replied: Wanted to add to above post in regards to VP debate tonight. I'm very diappointed that they have a moderator who is so obviously in the tank for Obama....between the book she wrote and magazine articles. Oh well, lets hope she will be professional.

msoulz replied: Stacy, ITA with you about the media. IMHO they are pretty much useless. As well as the advertisement we are seeing when they bash the others. What is fact, what is used out of context, we don't really know.

That is why to me the debates are so important. We can hear straight from their mouths what they believe and what they intend to do.

Now whether or not they are telling us the truth is another area for debate . . .

my2monkeyboys replied: I can't wait to see it!!! I just hope the republican coaches haven't stuffed her with so much information that she loses her own voice. I'd rather someone say that they are still studying a situation or a problem and haven't come to a concrete decision than to regurgitate the same ol' rhetoric, regardless of what side of the aisle they may be on.

boyohboyohboy replied:
stephanie you are so right! I would much rather my vice president not know about other people's policies and voting poles, and shoot from the hip and do what her conscious says not what others who have bought her or people she owes tell her what to do.