Oral Exam

Bush made a million mistakes and now my husband is sufferring for it in Iraq. Its time for a change. McCain is another one of the good ol boys. We need fresh, new ideas. Obama's speech last night was hope for all of us military families and middle class families.

As a black (technically mixed) professional woman and mother, I was inspired by Michelle Obama speech. The moral authority of the Obama's - that promote American values of hard work, commitment, strive for excellence, respect for all human beings moved me deeply. I am struggling in business and must deal with not being able to get credit, racism, male chauvinism, selfish opportunism. We get weary and discouraged, when we need to be united with our community and work mates to move beyond all obstacles.

I was disappointed in Hillary's speech. I believe her comments during her campaign re: hardworking white Americans and inferences that white America is not ready to vote for a Black or Latino President hurt America. Many Americans refuse to vote for Obama because of his race. Hillary and McCain tapped into that to win an election - when American leaders need to address racial fears head on. This is not about Hillary or Obama. It is about strengthening America.

The comments that Obama is elitist, usually termed uppity ***, is inherently racist. I know because I have had to deal with this so many times as a professional black woman. The bitterness I have felt by some whites who resented the fact that I had stronger skills, and at times got higher pay were made apparent. I am sure non-whites dont want to believe that when Black professionals strive high, there are conscious efforts and conspiracies to knock us back down off of our high horse. But, if a working class white person was to pick himself up by his own boot straps and excel, graduate from Harvard and become a Presidential candidate, that person would be respected as a hero - as he or she should be.

With the obesity in this country, we should applaud the healthful practices of the Obamas. We should all limit television time and try to get our children to read more books. Its about making America a stronger better place; more competitive in the global economy. The stakes are high, and we need someone experienced in life that against all odds can reach the top!

I am ecstatic that America picked the stronger, unifying Democratic candidate and that a large number of white Americans were able to see the bigger picture, and put personal preferences and prejudices aside for the larger good. I too was too young to feel the impact of MLK and JFK during their time. So the people of Iowa are my heroes - they have lead America to change the self-righteous, arrogance of a supposed superior white race - to begin to respect our diversity.

Thank you Michelle for your inspiring words and example ??? that if we work hard and commit to achieve our goals or hopes, respect all human beings, we will succeed, despite hard times or personal challenges. When money gets tight we tend to fight each other, lose our focus and give in to despair. She touched my heart and encouraged me to keep pushing. I thank God that Obama has a strong loving woman behind him. And that he is proud of her accomplishments.

Alright, now if you people cannot see that the neocons foreign politics have been a disaster, you must have a brain as big as a pea. The situation in Pakistan, who has nuclear weapons, is terrible and we are loosing the war in Afghanistan which if we loose it, will affect all of us, be sure of that.
We need a president who uses diplomacy to solve world problems, and a president who respect other cultures and has knowledge of other cultures.

BRAVO! I was very pleased with Bill Clinton's speech. His words unite diverse people of America and the Democratic Party. What Hillary did not do. Bill Clinton made us proud that he was our president. We gladly forgive any destructive comments he made. We can now chalk them up to say he was trying to win a campaign, but he fights in the interest of American people when it counts.

Michelle, Barack and Biden advocate that we mean what we say and their example follows suit. Even when their opinion could be viewed contrary, they put their positions out there ??? and fight for what they believe is right. Not flip flop to win an election. Sure they will make mistakes, but they admit them, not justify them. So, we know where they are coming from.

I thought Biden did a tremendous job! He made the distinctions of the candidates crystal clear. Now no one can say with conviction that McCain has better judgment then Obama. I loved when he referred to McCains words about Afghanistan. The contrast he made that Obama was right and McCain was wrong, was very effective. I loved Bidens examples of working hard, and words that we may fail, but we should never quit, which is critical to us in such trying times. They inspired me, as did Michelle the other day. I also love his words on the importance of education and making America competitively strong in the global economy.

We have a lot of work ahead of us as a nation. Success is not a given. We need every ounce of positive encouragement ??? not divisive tactics or superiority complexes. Biden said eloquently - every man or woman is equal! Obama and Biden provide leadership America needs that unite us and make us stronger.

The inferences that the Clintons did not mean what they said are unsettling. I truly believe Bill did. But, if Hillary didn???t, it speaks negatively to her character. I thought she failed to address possible consequences of a divisive campaign strategy that pitted Latino against Black, Black against White, Woman against Men, and old against young. Perhaps, she cannot see beyond her own ambition to understand the damages caused in her campaign ??? that may still prevent whites or woman to vote for Obama. I do think she believes in the Obama program, much like hers, but in her quest for personal power, she essentially did nothing to rectify the divisiveness. I am sure she is saying *I dont know why* people doubt me. The fact is Hillary ??? you may want to run again in 2012, fine - but we have work to do now. McCain will set us back another 10 or 20 years.

Obama won the democratic nomination. A large number of hardworking people, White, Black, Latino, Asian, Indian, Black, woman, men, old and young voted for him. No more business as usual. Obama doesnt claim to represent one race or class of people ??? he intelligently and compassionately put forth a call for action that all Americans can unite behind to move our nation forward. Bill Clinton and Biden effectively help to get that agenda acr

(self explanatory copy follows and is offered as truthful answer to HollyRoller, debunked, sharenews, retiredmarine and all of the other garbage offered to try and avoid the issues)

Dear Family & Friends:

I am breaking my own rule by sending this letter but after being attacked personally and directly I feel compelled to do so. This is about politics and I do ask that you simply take the time to read this as I have no intention of bothering you further.
My wife and I live on our entitlements and depend on my Veterans Administration benefits and now the Republicans, including John McCain, are advocating privatizing both Social Security and VA Benefits. The private accounts for Social Security will likely break the system (affecting everyone), raise the deficit by a couple of trillion dollars and no doubt see Social Security eventually converted to just 401Ks. The VA medical benefits would be all but eliminated, except for treating service connected problems, and veterans would just be given an insurance card. In neither case does it sound like anything near the same level of care now offered.
Over the last eight years we have witnessed the performance of the worst, the most dishonest presidency America has ever seen. There is no doubt that they have been boldly focused on benefiting Special Interests and a select few (action they label as being conservative) who return both overt and covert support, contributions and then promises for kickback compensation after leaving office. George W Bush has even arrogantly bragged that he will pass his father and Bill Clinton in wealth shortly after he leaves office. All of that being done while they simply give only apathy, the costs and subterfuge (lies) to the average (Republican, Democrat and Independent) American (their style of conservatism). They simply label everything they don???t want to do as liberalism, even when it benefits the majority of people or is aimed to pick people up and make them more productive, benefiting the whole economy ??? including the wealthy. They literally try to con everyone, from conservative Christian to the high middle-class, to the Katrina survivors and of course the vast middle-class about everything from their honesty, about education, immigration, bringing drugs back into the US, Global Warming, whether they exposed the CIA agent???s identity, and on and on as it is unending. Check anything they have done or proposed and see who would greatly benefit, what they said to sell it and what it really cost America and the average American. A great example is of course the Iraq War which was falsely justified, has cost us dearly and has only greatly benefited a few insiders. Wouldn???t it have been far more rational to have kept after the al Queada in Afghanistan and then to seek to make a democracy there and in Pakistan? But of course the Special Interest people then wouldn???t have been satisfied.

Now you see the puppeteers in action, and I thought only the terrorist hide behind women and children and called foul when attacted, while their psychology is revieled I would suggest fighting the position not the person, We know how he is, he is immoral in what he tell's women to do if they are raped, a scumbag for cheating on his first wife and leaving her when he took an oath to stand by her "in sickness and in health" how many other oaths will he break? and he believes in capitalism over Humanism, He and his republican party have damaged their brand and lost perspective of what comes first, that to me is Anti-Americam, Americans come first, it's their will and labor that made it strong and to have some capitalist sell it out from under us, well like I said that's Anti- American and as for Palin, that person is being used, the puppet
masters are at work.

Mr. Gerson did not listen to the same speech I and 90,000 others in Denver and millions acorss the country heard. You wrote speeches for Republicans and we're supposed to believe you still don't have an axe to grind? Mr. Obama spoke to unity in the face of devisiveness, but all you heard was the devisiveness. It is obvious you heard only what you wanted to and therefore are not qualified to comment on the speech.

To me the speech was a little like a state of the union. It promised a lot of programs including a tax cut for 95% of the people but said nothing about the exploding debt and has we're going to pay for it. If the people are going to get tax cuts what's left? While I'm not a fan of big business, it obama taxes them too much, more people will lose jobs won't they. And we certainly can't do this by borrowing more money from China. They almost own us as it is. I would be so grateful for someone to say, "look, we can't do anything until we get rid of this debt and the threat of Chinese control". Instead we get what we want to hear. Which I believe is pie in the sky. Idealism is fine until it gets in the way of realism. Neither one of these candidates are worth anything. I'm not impressed.

GREAT SPEECH!!! I agree with Jon Stewart. Basically he said no mater what Obama does he will be trashed by the pundits. It's clear to me that is the truth. After months of watching & reading every thing I can to be well informed I am appalled at the comments made about Obama. John McCain on the other hand seems to be able to say anything no matter how stupid and no one calls him on it. IN MY OPINION Barack Obama's speech last night was GREAT!!!! As for me CNN is off my watching list forever! Keith Olbermann's Countdown will be the only show of it's kind that I will I watch. Sorry Chris but it's obvious to me your ego is way out of hand. Joe S is clearly another narcissistic run away! In my opinion the guy is a jerk. And please tell me why Pat B. is allowed to speak. Please give the viewer a break and get him off the air.

I would have voted for John McCain in 2000 but that guy is gone. The one that replace him is scary! NO WAY will I consider voting for him.

This is one 71 year old "white" woman (Mom, Grandmom & Greatgrandmom) that will vote for Barack Obama. People read his books if you want to get to know him. I agree with whoever said he is a once in a life time candidate! It is time for Obama/Biden. My heart will break if we get 4 more years of Bush.

The pathetic efforts of Michelle to look like a first lady FAILED...no matter how hard she attempts to look "feminine"...it NEVER works, she looks more like a football player....Now, we can see "what should have been"....The presentation by Hillary tonight will be honest, patriotic, and AWESOME....She looks like a human being with integrity,wisdom, and genuine LOVE for her country....Hey, I heard that somebody said that Sasquatch was missing....I think she may have been at the podium last night in Denver...looked at lot like Michelle Obama.....Her speech was BORING and DISINGENUINE....just like her and Obama....Pathetic effort to look like just a good old gal....Hillary was robbed of the nomination....Everyone knows it, even Pelosi played an important part in seeing Hillary's loss because she didn't want to have another woman to be more powerful than her...what an ego,...she and Obama have a lot in common...Just say NO TO O

I didnt ever say it wasnt an impressive speech...Thats what a candidates speech at a nomination party is supposed to do is sound good..Im sure McCain will give a good speech also...Doesnt mean is wasnt edited or rewrote to sound better than they intended..Facts are his speech DID NOT come off the top of his head IT WAS written for him as ALL speeches are for ALL politicians. Otherwise they would say things and make promises that they cant keep as they wander through a long drawn out made up speech. But if Obamites want to pretend that he came up with this off the top of his head without any help (as some are implying) then go on pretend..Im sure you believe the image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast should be worshipped to.

I bet Ms. Clinton has a wonderful speech, then blows it with a tongue-in-cheek insult. Then she'll say she was just kidding, then the "victims" will splatter: No she wasn't - all over the board.

Hillary would have been a shoo-in and this divide wouldn't have happened. When you attack an institution and well-loved personality like the Clintons, you turn-off a great deal of people as well and your own party. It just wouldn't reconcile and this lesson of mud attack by Obama's camp will continue to hound him win or lose. He had it coming....Pelosi will also come down to history as the least respected in that position.

Something to look closely at is the immensely large ego of this presidential, yet unaccomplished , candidate.
Since when do Americans wave posters of any leader or candidate..Is this China, Russia, Iraq or North Korea? Is this an American or a Che Guarvera type leader? Very scary for someone with so little to show but canbeleader of the greatest country in the world. If he is thatbold now just imagine what he will be like when he is president with no checks and balances and no John McCain to have to answer to for the American people. Just think how many times he has changed his mind with the polls. We don't know him, his real views or what his sorted past really means. How can we take such a chance. We should watch the change we wish for.

I thoroughly enjoyed Michelles speech. It was moving and I think to the point. Actually I was very impressed with her. I understand her compassion. The way the media speaks about her being a mean and angry person is because they don't understand her or they wont take the time to get to know her. When you are chosen you are set apart from others and most often misunderstood. Listening to her speak last night about her family and getting to know where she is from and what her purpose is in life impressed me. I actually have made up in my mind to do the things that I have been called to do in the community. I had been putting off things that I know I am to do, being a procrastinator. I saw a lot of her in me last night and it is good to take the positive and use to your advantage. We need to stop being so negative about situations and people and look for the good. Maybe this world would be a better place. When you are not happy with yourself how can you be happy for someone else. I hope Michelle just look at all the NSA (negative self esteem) in other people and let it continue to motivate her to be the best FIRST LADY there ever was.