Over the past two weeks, I, and you, I hope, have watched parts of both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. After watching, I feel as if I’ve gained a little insight on both parties’ plans and their “subtle” attempts to get you to vote for them on Nov. 6.
At the Republican National convention, the Romney campaign tried to convince us that yes, Mitt Romney is a real person, despite those pesky rumors that he glues his hair on every morning, and to solidify his credibility as a businessman and decision maker. A week later the Democrats attempted to put our nation’s confidence back in Obama, pushing the idea that we need to move “forward” to see his policies continue in the right direction.
Both conventions stressed the idea that the nominees came from humble beginnings. Both Michelle Obama and Ann Romney spoke about how they and their husbands had experienced economic hardship when they began their careers. We know that both families are actually very well off, but they want you to think that, because they were once in your position, they know what decisions to make in order to benefit you.
Each candidate also discussed how to fix our economy. Romney said that he wants to create a “system that is dedicated to creating tomorrow’s prosperity rather than trying to redistribute today’s”. He touted a five step plan that is said to create 12 million jobs, but according to Moody’s Analytics, a well-respected economic analysis company, no matter who is elected this term, those 12 million jobs will be created by 2016. Obama didn’t directly state his economic plan, but instead responded negatively to the ideas of millionaire tax breaks, and cutting national educational spending.
If I was a voter watching these candidates, I was really told no specifics. Looking at the facts, Romney believes that jobs can be created through trade agreements, and that money can be made in utilizing our nation’s fossil fuels and cutting taxes on small businesses. Obama believes that economic growth will come by rewarding small businesses when they create jobs and use green technology and energy sources.
Romney’s plan relies on a middleman: countries to trade with. Why are we asking other countries to do our work for us? We need to fix our own problems and create goods internally, not outsource jobs to the other side of the globe. We should avoid using fossil fuels because it will further damage our already fragile environment and worsen the global energy crisis.
Overall, I think the Democrats did a better job of informing the undecided voter. I felt the speakers at the RNC just threw facts and figures at viewers and left them alone to form their own opinions without really explaining themselves. The DNC speakers also tossed around statistics and evidence but stayed with viewers to make sure their point got across.
Though I’m already pro-Obama, I realized, from watching the conventions, that both candidates used the exact same tricks and were really just politicking. They both stood there and said what their supporters wanted to hear but this doesn’t mean that the promises they made will actually be followed through in the next term.
