Racing toward the finish line

[alyssaostroff]

Citation: Riber Hansson, 09/05/2008

In the political cartoon, Barack Obama and John McCain race toward the Presidential Finish Line on bicycles depicted as percentiles. The race on the percent signs indicates the close proximity in the polls. Obama and McCain are only a few percentages shy of each other, hence the race. Obama was leading in the polls way ahead of John McCain in the past few months, and so there was really no challenge presented by McCain. However, after McCain’s announcement of Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice President, the race for President has become exceedingly close. Using the poll results from elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/whos-ahead/polling/index.html, you can easily the latest poll trends. From August to the present time, the race between the two candidates looks like the graphs of sin and -sin. The two candidates’ poll results fluctuate on a daily basis. Some days Obama is in the lead and on other days, McCain is leading.

I admit that I expected people not to take to Palin as they did. I thought that she wouldn’t win over the women/Clinton votes just because she was a woman. Apparently I was incorrect in my conjecture. From the moment she stepped onto the platform to speak at the Republican National Convention, she could hardly get a word in edgewise. The crowd’s raucous cheers erupted through the air. No one knew very much about Palin before the election. It was because she was a woman that she received that tumult of applause. I was shocked. In the weeks that followed, McCain moved up in the polls while Obama fell behind. Then campaigns came out in favor of the Republican Party, and they began to smear Obama’s name by the use of misconstrued information. Obama doesn’t want to make this race one that plays dirty like all the other Republicans have done. That is admirable, but Obama needs to send out more campaigns countering McCain because John McCain will only keep rising in the polls if Barack Obama continues to take what he is dishing out. I’m not saying to smear McCain’s name, but he needs to portray Republicans in an unfavorable light. Our country needs Barack Obama; I’d hate to see another Republican further tear our economy to shreds.

[hinas23]

In this cartoon, as you said, Barack Obama and John McCain race toward the Presidential Finish Line on bicycles depicted as percentiles. I was amused by the comparison on the sin and -sin graph you made with the results of the poll trends. By provided a link to the poll results, you were able to support your analysis of this cartoon. Palin's entry into this campaign has definitely affected the results of the poll trends. As you said, because she was a women, she was acknowledged very quickly. Nowadays, its hard to predict what will be the outcome of this campaign. Sometimes Obama is in the lead, and sometimes McCain. All we can do is hope for the best. Like you, I don't want our country in the hands of another republican party. Very good analysis Alyssa. =]

[samuellajsupercool]

While I am an Obama fan I must admit that John McCain was clever to have chosen a woman to be vice president. As you mentioned McCain went up in the polls after he chose Sarah Palin.However, I believe that his hasty choice will backfire. Once voters start to get over the prospect of a female vice president and start to really look at Sarah Palin then McCain will start to fall behind. Hopefully people will see that Sarah Palin lacks the knowledge and leadership to lead this country. Obama doesn't need to step down to McCain's level because when McCain starts to lose voters it will only make Obama look better.

[Mr. Wells]

Great work, Alyssa. I enjoyed reading your argument.

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