Take that, candidate!

Wednesday September 3, 2008-- The BBC, like most news sources were not talking about the issues. This week hasn't been about the issues. Yeah, they've been throwing around words like economy, global warming and Iraq War in the speeches, but this week the issues that the media have focused on has been Sarah Palin, her daughter and the Republican convention.

On Friday September 5, they made an article about the election at a glance. In this, the BCC showed what they really thought was important. That, of course, was 'trooper-gate'. It turns out that the ethics report will be in three weeks before previously thought (October 10). They also briefly mention where the candidates are this weekend; Michigan, Wisconsin, & Pennsylvania. They also talk about the current numbers, and how EXPERIENCE is affecting the vote. The BBC can say that this amount of Republicans feel that Sarah Palin has enough experience to run the country. It doesn't mention her record of reform, or Obama's Blueprint for change. No, instead, we look experience--in years, not accomplishments-- and character.

But is that a bad thing? I think about my aunt. She is a Republican. She is, not because she's rich, or because she hates paying taxes. She's a teacher in West Virginia; she is not rich. She wouldn't mind paying more taxes, if that's what our country needs. She's what was dubbed as a patriot after 9-11. She stood beside George Bush, and will still say that going to Iraq was the right thing to do. She does cling to her religion, and she looks at character when deciding on who to vote for. When Obama's preacher was discovered by the media, her decision had been made. Her beliefs were reinforced when things made it around the internet--i.e. when he misspoke and said he had been to 57 states, the same amount of the Islamic states that apparently attend the Islamic conference. She will vote for McCain because she doesn't believe in abortion; because she feels that disagreeing with the war is not appreciating the troops; because she believes that you should be able to keep your guns. She is a teacher; she has a four year degree, and is capable of thinking-- yet these issues (guns, abortion, and war), that probably won't matter within the next few years will be what decides her vote. Even though John McCain won't change these issues, she knows that their values line up. Because, really, we're already in Iraq. No president is going to jerk everyone out; we still have troops in South Korea. Since banning partial birth abortion, McCain nor Obama are likely to make great strides in this area; and no one wanted to take the riffles out of the trucks of the West Virginians.

I think that character is important, and it should be something that we look at when we elect a president. But like the economy and the environment, it is a part of the election; not THE election. Of course, each person decides how much each of these issues make up their decision, but it should not be up to the media to decide that character or speaking skills or charisma should be the deciding factors.

Now that we're passed the conventions, I hope that we get to really focus on more of the meat; actual issues. I feel that the Republicans have focused on character, and that maybe that has further lead the media into this direction. I look forward to seeing how the BBC looks at the debates coming up.