McCain VS. Obama

After so much time not knowing and not caring about who becomes our president I finally find myself curious about the process. I didn't feel the need to watch Obama's speech because I felt like I knew what he stood for. McCain's speech was one that I wanted to watch because I really didn't know what he stood for yet. I am proud to say that I Tivo'd his speech last night.

My first thoughts on his speech: He is NOT a good speech giver. He might even write his own speeches because what he said was simple and muddled, but almost to the point. He often looked as though his teeth were going to fall out and he had no idea how to speak with the flow of the audience.

I was not very interested in his "Service to his country", but I did appreciate how he incorporated it into the idea of a Bigger Peace. I was glad that he took time to speak about the energy crisis and his ideas about how to change that. I was not happy that he left it to the end of his speech-like an after thought. He said a lot of good things about lower taxes; a better health care plan than the country-wide plan that Obama talks about; about how he understands the everyday person needing a better job, a better education, and lower oil prices; he even talked about drilling here in the US instead of overseas. But then things went off on a weird tack: I'm sure he brought up the whole Russia thing to show that he was also worried about foreign policy, but it didn't work with the flow of his speech.
And then there was the idea that the government needs to be more responsible. The government needs to be able to support the people of its country and change things so that the government runs for us, not just the people who are running the government. That sounds good...

So, I had to watch Obama's speech because I wanted to see if all the things that McCain said Obama wasn't going to do were true (he won't bring in new teachers, he will raise taxes, he doesn't want to bring back nuclear power, his health care plan sucks, etc).
My first impressions of Obama's speech: He is a GREAT public speaker. He knows how to work with the audience. He is passionate. He is full of a need to get his point across. And he has numbers: unlike John McCain, Obama gives himself 10 years to get the energy crisis in order. He offers 5 million new jobs, and tells us that he will spend specific amounts of money, but will save this money in other places. He is specific about ending this war and FINISHING the Taliban, specifically. He talks not about abortions vs. life, but about reducing unwanted pregnancies to begin with! He talks about immigrants taking American jobs because they will take lower pay and how that is NOT okay...He points out the differences, but shows the path around those differences of opinion.
Obama talks about the country working as a whole-not just money wise, but every individual person working with the next to make a bigger, better impact. He gives us the responsibility that we should be taking to help make the country a better place: "Mutual responsibility". I Like this (too many people live off of the hard work of others). He also brought up the things that John McCain never mentioned. Obama talked about the fakeness of speeches, the lack of faith in the government, and so many other things that I have said make it hard to decide who to vote for...McCain never mentioned any of this.
The only thing I didn't like about Obama's speech was when he pulled the Martin Luther King Jr. card.

My last concern is: who has been voting for what while in the senate? Did Obama and Biden really vote against the English language as the official language for the United States? Did McCain really vote for all the tax cuts for the oil companies? What else don't I know?

CONCLUSIONS: Both candidates said that the other one wasn't going to do this that and the other thing. They really accused each other of NOT doing the same things. SO who is really going to do it and who isn't? Who is more believable? The real question is "who is more TRUTHFUL?" Barack Obama can speak. He brings up the hard points. He makes the specific promises. He knows how to speak WITH the audience...and he has a DAMN good speech writer.
John McCain is quiet. He talks about some of the right things. He sometimes makes himself heard with passion. He really DOES want this job. But he can't speak in public. So, should I believe Obama because he seemed to mean it? Because he was more passionate? Because he is a better public speaker? What if he just has more charisma? Can we really base our presidency of the next 4 years on CHARISMA?
My feeling right now is that maybe Obama IS being truthful. So, YES. When Obama brought up all my own reservations and concerns at the end of his speech it left me with such a small percentage of dissolution with his campaign that I am considering him to be my candidate right now. John McCain didn't do that. He didn't inspire me. He didn't make me nod my head at the computer screen without even realizing it. McCain has some good ideas and I think he does want to try to follow through with them, but haven't we had enough years of old men who can't speak? Let's go for the younger man, the more passionate man, the man who can verbalize his specific promises, the man who wants to fight back and get results (to make the waste of lives worth while), the man who is willing to admit the downfalls, the hurtles, and the mistakes. If nothing else, at least we will know that we can understand his addresses for the next four years instead of turning the TV off and going, "HUH?" like we have so many times with George Bush.
Barack Obama, I'm giving you a shot-for now.:)