A View From the Fence Show 7: 2008 Presidential Conventions, Campaigns and Election
Hello all,
Here is show 7 all about the Presidential Election for 2008.
Show Notes
- Intro by sketkar
- Entire show is open forum discussion on 2008 presidential election, democratic and republican conventions
- Include discussion on roll of media, internet, responsibilities and new exposure
- Campaign issues and candidate stands: Economy, Foreign Policy and Energy Policy
Enjoy!
1. September 2008 at 15:16
A few comments about Show 7:.
First, I am in the same boat as many of the people on the show. I don’t know who to vote for - I don’t like Obama or McCain. I keep hoping another option will pop up, but that isn’t looking very likely.
Foreign Policy - The discussion was very interesting, but I noticed it sounded like the United States under George Bush was invading countries at whim. That is not accurate. We have invaded exactly two countries under Bush II - Afghanistan and Iraq. I don’t think anyone would argue that we weren’t completely justified in going into Afghanistan to get rid of the Taliban. That leaves Iraq. Whether you think invading Iraq was right or wrong, it can’t be said the decision was made on a whim. There were months of diplomatic attempts (not very successful ones) to build support both here at home and internationally. The invasion itself came only after years of attempting to work with UN sanctions and inspectors. While it can be argued whether the decision was right or wrong - it is not accurate to say it was done lightly.
Also, while the speakers correctly pointed out the damage that George Bush has done to our relations with our allies in Europe, I feel that in the interest of fairness it needs to be pointed out that our relations to other parts of the world, especially parts of Africa, have never been better. The United States under Bush has contributed more money than ever to Africa to fight AIDS.
Energy: The discussion on an energy policy - both by the candidates and by the podcast - seem to mingle several very distinct topics. First, there is need for the United States to become independent from foreign oil. I agree with this whole-heartedly. It was pointed out that we could move to nuclear or solar power. While moving to these forms of energy may be a very good thing, it wouldn’t do much to make us independent of foreign oil because that isn’t what we use oil for. Most electrical power in the US is either hydro-electric, nuclear, or coal-powered.
The biggest use of oil in the US is in the gas tank of our cars - over 40%. The eventual move to electric or hybrid cars could dramatically reduce the amount of oil we need, but even the most optimistic projections would show that it would be at least a decade and probably several decades before most people could move away from our current gas guzzlers. Think how many 1990s and 1980s model cars are on the road today and calculate how long it would take for new (not yet available in most cases) energy efficient cars to cycle through the economy. It’s not enough that an electric car, for example, exists - people also have to be using it. And not just the few hundred early adopters that can afford to spend $100,000+ on a Tesla Roadster. There is also the matter of infra-structure. We have huge networks of gas stations right now. We don’t have anything for hydrogen, electrical charging stations or whatever we will end up needing. I have no doubt that we will solve the issues in time - but it will take time.
Where that leads us is the fact that “Manhattan Projects’ aside - we are going to be needing oil for quite a long time. And, if we want to be independent of foreign concerns on this key part of our economy - we need to develop domestic resources. Yes, it will take several years before domestic production can take the place of foreign imports - but we will still be needing the oil at that time just for cars. That doesn’t even address the many other uses of oil - including making everything from paints to plastics.