Change Is Coming
November 4th, 2008 is the date of the election that could change the lives of all Americans. Barack Obama and John McCain both came to the podium with different promises on the issues that are tearing America apart. Whom do we turn to? Who will build us back up? The election will make a big difference in American policies.
John McCain, 2008 Republican, was born at Coco Solo Navel Air Station. He spent his childhood and adolescent years moving between Navel bases. He graduated in 1954, from a private boarding school. McCain soon followed in his fathers footsteps. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958. When the Vietnam War began, McCain volunteered for combat duty, and began flying carrier-based attack planes. On October 26, 1967 during his 23rd air mission, McCain’s plane was shot down during a bombing run over the North Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. He broke both his arms and one of his legs during the crash. McCain was taken to Hoa Loa Prison. His captors soon learned that McCain’s father was a high ranking officer in the navy. They offered McCain early release, but McCain refused, not breaking his military code. John McCain spent the next 5 years in various prison camps, where he was repeatedly beaten and tortured. McCain earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. 1981 is when John McCain retired from the Navy. John McCain was elected to political office, easily winning a seat in the House of Representatives. McCain also wrote “Fathers of My Fathers”, the story of his family’s military history. Now he is running President, and has goals for success.
Barack Obama, 2008 Democrat, was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, HI. Obama grew up herding goats with his father. Obama was reared among Muslims, but soon became an atheist. In the fifth grade Obama was enrolled at Punahou Academy, graduating with honors in 1979. He was one of three black students at his school. Obama struggle with his heritage, and the death of his father in 1982 put him in a depression. Obama admits to using alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine during his teen years. Obama graduated in 1983 from Columbia University with a degree in political science. In 1985 Barack Obama moved to Chicago where he worked as a “community organizer” with low income residents.
John Allen Muhammad, also known as John Allen Williams, was born on December 31, 1960 in Louisiana. After the passing of his mom when Muhammad was the age of four, his aunt, Baton Rouge raised him. After Muhammad finished high school he married Carol Kaglear. They had a son and named him Linbergh. He then started a military career that was promising at first. His commanders described him as personable and outgoing. By the early 1980’s his cracks were beginning to show. He failed to report for duty and hit an officer, resulting in trouble (Biography, par 1, 2, 3).
Michelle attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (1981), Princeton University (1981-1985) and Harvard Law School (1985-1988). Early Life, Childhood and Adult Life Michelle Obama grew up in Chicago, Illinois, which was where she was born. Her father, Fraser Robinson III, was a pump operator for the Chicago Water Department. Her mother, Marian, would stay at home and it was her number one priority to raise Michelle and her younger brother Craig. Michelle’s childhood was a happy one.
President Barack Obama has been a well-known political figure for just over 8 years; he has served two terms as the President of the United States. There has been controversy surrounding the first African American president, after his first term Obama failed to prove to America that he would fix all the things he promised to fix upon election. With his second term he has set in place his views and goals for the country. Obama’s views have been trying to benefit the overall population of American, from the poor all the way to the rich with a few subclasses in-between. During the Inauguration of his second term, won against Mitt Romney. His opponent stood for many things that were conflicting to Obamas platform, while Obama stood for rehabilitating the poor after the recession, Romney wanted to focus on tax breaks for the rich. Throughout the speech given by President Barack Obama, he outlines necessary changes in the system to benefit the people and the need for people to come together as one to have an effective country.
Barack Obama came on to the political stage in 2004 when he gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Before this momentous occasion very few people had heard of the Junior Senator from Illinois – he had only been in the Senate for eight months. He titled the speech “The Audacity of Hope” to highlight the strength and resilience of the country and to encourage people struggling to rise out of poverty and despair and help them believe in a better future for themselves, their children, their families and their country.
For the 2004 presidential election, Republican president George W. Bush is attempting to defend his post and reassure the American people that his political choices are the best for our country. His opponent, Democratic senator John Kerry believes that his political ideas will be better for a changing America. Four main topics debated on by the candidates are: Homeland Security, Civil Rights, Education (no child left behind), and the Economy. The two candidates have differing views on most of these topics. President George W. Bush believes that we need to stay our course. With military action in Iraq, Bush is confident that in the next four years as president he will strengthen Homeland Security, improve our schools with higher standards for teachers, and boost our economy. John Kerry however, believes that he has a better plan for “strength and security,” “world class education for all,” and “a stronger economy.” Never before have preliminary polls shown a closer presidential race. With this paper I plan to separate the candidates and prove that there is a better candidate.
Senator McCain has been a United States Senator since 1986, and he was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1982-1986. His father and grandfather were admirals, and he served in the U.S. Navy from 1954-1981, retiring as a highly-decorated Captain. Senator McCain believes that our military is the finest in the world, but has serious readiness problems due to declining budgets and increased deployments. He proposes to increase military pay and retirement benefits while reducing money spent on regional pork-barrel projects, and Cold War relics that do not meet modern threats.
A platform of “A Vote For Every American” should pass the lips of every elected official until this problem is rectified. Americans must work together to solve this problem, allowing a new and better system to give way to a fair and just system of electing the next United States’ President. Bibliography Beck, Paul Allen, and Hershey, Marjorie Randon. Party Politics in America? 9th Ed. -.
Little McCain might have gotten his toughness, revolting manner from his father and grandfather. John McCain I was a hard-nosed man, a man born to be in the military. When he was a young boy, he would nonchalantly talk about the Navy, but knowing more about it then anyone else his age. Though he wasn't good in the classroom he was unmatched when it came to knowledge on Navy aviation and tactics for employing attack carriers. He was an honored Vice Admiral, who was on the USS Missouri the day Japan surrendered. He died four days later, and was reported on the New York Times front page. Then came John McCain II. McCain II had an awful high standard to live up to brought by his father. He had thoughts of going to Princeton to study history and literature, but that was a pipe dream. He always knew he would be going to Annapolis, to become what his father was, and to keep a family military tradition. At Annapolis, McCain II viewed rules and regulations stupid and most importantly made to be broken. However, he graduated and worked his way up to rank as an Admiral for the Navy.
Michelle Obama is a very successful person that has done many things for our country that you probably never even realized. Read more to find out more about Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama was born on January 17, 1964, in Chicago, Illinois. Michelle was the first African American First Lady can trace her ancestry through five generations of history, from slavery to the White House. Michelle’s challenges shaped her into who she is today which makes her a very successful person.
his future life is finally result of what he is today, he grew up to become a dedicated veteran, a
In the beginning of the speech Barack Obama reflects back to where his parents and grandparents came from and what they did as their occupation. Obama shows pathos, logos and ethos many times throughout his 2004 keynote speech. He also spoke on why his mother and father gave him the name that they gave him. By doing so, Barack Obama showed pathos throughout the speech and got his audience to know him a bit before pursuing the Democratic Party to vote for John Kerry. He appeals to his audience by mentioning that his parents are both passed away, and from the look of things that did not stop him from standing where he was that day with pride and sadness:
Ronald Reagan was born February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. His father was John Edward “Jack” Reagan, and his mother was Nelle Wilson Reagan. He was born into a happy, well-disciplined family, and had a very happy childhood. Before Reagan held office, Reagan was a radio announcer, and became the voice of Major League Baseball in 1932. Reagan also had a 7-year contract with Warner Brothers, and made about fifty movies. Reagan then put all the fun and games aside, and joined the Army Reserve and was called to active duty shortly after Pearl Harbor. “ He was in the Army from 1942-45 rising to the level of Captain. However, he never took part in combat and stated stateside. He narrated training films and was in the Army Air Force First Motion Picture Unit.” (Martin Kelly, n...
John Trudell was born in Ohama, Nebraska on february 15,1946 where he was raised in small towns in Northern Nebraska near the southeast corner of South Dakota. The tribe he associates himself with is the Santee Sioux tribe (Nichols). In 1963, John was 17 years old in high school when he was called up to the principals office and was told that he had a lot of potential but that he needed to study hard to make something of himself. John felt disrespected because he felt like he had already made something of himself so after he left the meeting, he dropped out of school and this is when he joins the U.S. Navy. He served during the early years of the Vietnam War until 1967, where he would then go to college at San Bernadino Valley College in San Bernardino, California to study radio and broadcasting (Nichols). Years after that he will become a Native American Activist while joining two organizations named The Indians of All Tribes and the American Indian Movement.
He reviled both his personal and family history stating, “I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas, “I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slave-owners”, and, I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents”. As Obama is telling his family background, He shows how and why he has an authority to speak on race issues. It then supports the remarks he later makes about the race issues that are affecting America. By Him revealing his own personal history it allows him to gain ethos by creating a personal connection with his audience. This allows his audience to be a lot more inclined to trust him, and support him if they can make a connection to his speech on a more personal
Obama’s father left him and his mother when he was only 2 years old. Obama then talks about the family he grew up with, his mother and grandparents, and the racism they dealt with at a time when few accepted interracial relations and even more so marriages. He recalls being made fun of as a young child when other kids would make monkey noises when it was discovered his father was from Kenya. He then moves to Indonesia when his mother remarries, but then at 10 years old moves back to Hawaii where he spent his early childhood. It was with his grandparents that he developed much of his character and learned how strongly education was emphasized in his family.