On Katrina
Gov. Richardson says that rebuilding New Orleans and surrounding areas should be under the direct authority of the President. He says that the state shouldn't have to match funds as they can't afford that and need the resources.
The webcast is a bit buggy, I'm sure because of the high traffic, so I am missing a few bits here and there.
Most of the Katrina discussion was relegated to popular opinion soundbites. Nothing unusual, new, or that thoughtful to tell the truth.
On Outsourcing Jobs
I heard on the radio today (NPR) that some of the jobs being outsourced are: engineering, medical testing, technical drawing, basic science, computer design, software, all the supposedly high level jobs that some of us thought were safe. They're not.
An expert on outsourcing mentioned on NPR that there could be 45 million jobs lost to outsourcing in 10 years.
So far the candidates aren't exploring this extreme problem, and the answers given to the question on outsourcing are lightweight.
Gov. Richardson says he will build 250 science academies to solve the problem and would invest in high tech industry to keep the jobs here. He has promoted this in New Mexico. Again, though, in my opinion, this is a simple answer to a complicated and deep problem. Lightweight.
Crisis in Darfur
Most candidates promote a no-fly zone, more European and Chinese support, etc.
Sen. Obama brings up the ways we can help nurture Africa, including more trade, training, help for children in African countries. Look at Africa as a complete entity, not a series of problems.
Rep. Kucinich gets the laughs with a comment how if Darfur had oil we'd be all over it.
And the forum ends on a note of incomprehensibility from Mr. Gravel.
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Comments: 25
The real problem isn't a matter of competition, the real problem is sustainability. We go to school for 12 years, Indians go for 6. How can we compete? Large parts of the world, people can live and will live for far less than we do. Thanks to the internet and next-day air, anyone can work on any problem.
We need an internet, sustainable economy. It's not about trade.
dang typos!
Age of Terror-Prologue
First, I want to preface this by saying my picks have nothing to do with electability or what I think outside of tonight's forum.
Sen. Obama:
Sen. Obama was articulate as always, never got rattled or flustered. He seems to take a big picture approach to most topics, but not in a "losing sight of what needs to be done" way.
Sen. Edwards:
Sen. Edwards gave clear, comprehensive answers, didn't talk like someone who was too slick or polished, he seemed quite genuine. He was able to answer any question without hesitation or uncertainty.
Sen. Clinton:
Sen. Clinton, like Obama and Edwards, was able to answer any question with agility and intelligence. I found some of her comments to border on soundbite and rhetoric. She's not spontaneous, and she lacks warmth. She's quite smart, brilliant even, and I feel that the forum format of short answers didn't serve her well.
Gov. Richardson:
Gov. Richardson was much less sure-footed than the above candidates, but sometimes seemed to know what he was talking about from experience. Personally, he's likable, and I feel that the audience at Howard University responded to him.
Sen. Biden:
Sen. Biden simply wasn't animated enough. That might seem like a silly thing to say, but warmth, likability and personability are important things for a President to have in order to get across his or her agenda. He was able to dance around the questions in a decent way, but his ideas weren't presented as new or novel or even doable.
Rep. Kucinich:
Rep. Kucinich is outside the box and brave for sticking to what he believes. He prefaces all of his answers, or nearly all, with something to get a laugh, a joke. This makes the audience respond, but after the joke, you start to hear the rest of his words as a joke, too. It's a bad setup. I think if he loses the comedian routine and the propensity for soundbites intended to generate applause, then his ideas might get more respect and play.
Sen. Dodd:
Sen. Dodd was forgettable, frankly. He doesn't stand out, he's quiet, and his ideas were echoes of what we heard from every other candidate.
Sen. Gravel (ret.):
Sen. Gravel has an illustrious and courageous background. But tonight he was off, sounded angry, and came across as older than the other candidates. Some of his answers didn't quite make sense. It may be that the forum format was too fast for him, he may be someone who needs to process before he gives an answer.
Ellen, I was an Avon Lady until a few weeks ago. One thing that Avon did this year (and contributed to my leaving the business) was start outsourcing customer service outside the country. It's happening everywhere. I bet that man in India has never been to a Drury Inn, ha ha!
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Complete incompetence to be honest.
I don't know for sure, but Rice is playing the game that she has to now, but she does have a history of having a damned good head on her shoulders. I feel she might actually be a good president, but she does not want the office (another good point in my book).
Basically we could use someone that is very smart, a good thinker, and dose not really want the office. That lack of power greed, would make them more of a thinker, and do what needs to be done, and not someone looking for a power trip in that office
William, Clinton has been attacked for her wealth many times as well. I think what some people concern themselves with isn't the amount a candidate owns, but how that wealth was accumulated.
I will be blogging the Republican version of this debate in Sept. and am curious to see how some of the hopefuls perform.