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Question 1: Why is your plan for the economy better than his?
McCain was first to answer this question and he responded by mentioning his plan about tax cuts to all citizens so they can progress in America by expanding or starting new business. He mentioned and average person in the US called joe the plumber that wanted to expand his plumbing business but couldn't because of all the taxes. He claimed that his plan was for all people in joe's situation because he was going to levy taxes for everyone.
Obama answered this question by mentioning his plan which is to basically distributing the wealth, only cut taxes to people with less income than a certain amount of money. For example tax the rich and not the poor. He mentioned his friend and supporter Warren Buffet and how he is going to be taxed to give to the less fortunate.
I believe that Obama's response was better because he realizes that the gov't needs money and cannot just cut taxes on everyone and especially those that dont need taxes to be cut on them. Obama's plan will give more money to the government and will only cut taxes on thos who really need it.

Question 2: Are you willing to tell in each others face what has been going on with the negative advertisements done by yourself and others in your campaign?
McCain answered this question by telling Obama that every time some one crosses the line about him he intervenes and doesn't support it. He also mentions that Obama does not do anything when some one crosses the line with him. McCain also says that Obama's campaign has spent the most money in history on negative ads.
Obama answered this question by saying that in McCain's campaign they call him a terrorist and many other bad things. He then mentions that he doesn't mind political attacking for three more weeks because he wants to focus on the real problems that the nation is facing, instead of being offended and basically wasting time like McCain was doing.
I believe that Obama's response was better because he doesn't care about what they say about him he just cares about the nation. McCain was talking about how he was offended and just talking about things that really don't matter.

Question 3. Which of your vice-presidential candidates is better and why?
Obama answers first to this question by basically saying how Joe Biden is loyal to him and to the country. He also mentions that Biden has excellent foreign policy experience and that is something the country needs. Obama mentions a lot the Biden has been his right side forever and that they are very much alike in almost all issues. Obama basically says that if anything were to happen to him it wouldn't be a lot of change because Joe Biden and him are very similar.
McCain answers this question by saying all the things that Palin had done in her political career. he mentions how honest she is because she did not support corruption and returned tas-payers their money. McCain also puts in how Sarah is an excellent reformer and supporter of giving to families with special needs children what they need.
I believe that Obama's response was better because if anything were to happen to the president, the vice-president immediately takes over and some one like Joe Biden who is basically the same as Obama it would be a lot better for the nation. McCain only talks about how honest and dedicated Sarah is but does not address how she would handle if anything happened to him. He mentions how good a governor she is but not which views they have in common or anything like that.

1- Why is your plan better than his?
McCain was the first presidential candidate to address this question; he started with the Wall Street economic crisis. He proposed a 2 billion dollar plan that includes new tax cuts on capital gains and tax breaks for seniors as many other things. “Americans are angry” is what McCain constantly repeated saying that he wants to help make the United States the country it once was. He also proposed short term fixes which include a 750 billion dollar plan, which will separate 300 of those billions and use that money to people who really need to pay their home mortgages. This will allow Americans to stay in their homes. Obama’s proposed plan includes 60 billion dollars in tax cuts and a rescue package for the middle class. This includes four steps, first, end tax breaks for companies who are shipping overseas and provide tax credit. Second, help families by creating a tax cut for people who make less than 200 dollars, they will be allowed to access the IRA account without penalty if experiencing a crisis. Third, Obama agrees with McCain that people need to renegotiate their mortgages, but disagrees on the way he proposes this done because this could be a giveaway to banks and may waste the tax payers money. Lastly, he wants to help address the long term challenges like the Energy Policy, Education, and the health system. With this question, the candidate who best answered this question was Senator Obama for he stated how McCain’s plans were not going to work as he thought. He doesn’t agree with him on his mortgages plans, even though it sounds like a good plan, what will McCain do with the rest of the people who are in an economical crisis as well? McCain had a good plan but he didn’t elaborate more on how he was planning to solve his issues. Its sounds like a dream plan, he won’t be able to actually help people with 300 billion dollars. Also, Obama’s plan looked a lot more prepared and organized. I give this one to Obama.

2- What programs will you cut to cover the deficit?
So the audience knows the risks with each of the candidates programs, he tells the viewers how each of the candidates programs may load more than 200 billion dollars to the deficit. And by next year, it may go up to a trillion. Obama was the first to address this question he proposed a 700 billion dollar package. If this is structured properly, Obama says that the tax payer can get their money back. He wants to cut net spending, with a plan called Pay as You Go: every dollar proposed proposes an additional cut. He also wants to check the federal budget and cut unnecessary subsidies. Obama wants to invest in medical treatments and energy policies because it will help the US not be so dependant on foreign countries. McCain proposed that they needed to be Energy Independent; this will stop the United States of sending 700 billion of dollars a year to foreign countries. It needs to have other energy sources like nuclear power, which can also create millions of jobs. He wants to cut across the board spending frees; he believes government spending has gone out of control. McCain wants to create a marketing assistance program. Also, he wants to cut subsidies for Ethanol, because he believes it will distort the market and create inflation. He proposes to eliminate the tariff on imported Sugar-based ethanol from Brazil. Both candidates may increase the amount of deficit added to the economy but McCain has a better policy. He wants to get rid of across the boarder spending frees which is causing the United States to stay the way it is. The pay as you go system that Obama is offering doesn’t sound so secure; therefore I believe McCain did a better job when answering this question.

3- Are you willing to say to each others faces what your campaigns and the people in your campaigns say about each other?
McCain started by saying how congressman John Lewis accused Senator McCain and Vice-president candidate Sara Palin of being associated with segregation, death of children in church bombings, and George Wallace. He commented on how Senator Obama didn’t repudiate those remarks that were made by John Lewis. He also accuses how Senator Obama has spent a lot of money on negative campaign advertisement, and how the ads speak badly about his medical and immigration plan. On the other hand, Obama accused McCain by stating that 100 percent of McCain’s ads are negative. He addresses the issue that McCain said of Congressman John Lewis and how it was said without his campaigns awareness. Another issue that Obama states was how on McCain’s rally campaigns people yelled “terrorist”, “kill him”, and how McCain didn’t to anything to prevent them from saying all those things. With this question I thought that McCain did better in expressing his feelings on what was said. The topic about Congressman Lewis came up, Obama stated that neither him nor his campaign were aware of the things he said. But how can we know he was telling the truth. And concerning the negative advertisements that are aired, both presidents allow them, making themselves equally guilty. McCain spoke about an issue he was truly bothered, he answered much better.

The first bit in the debate which is interesting to me is not a direct answer to a question but part of the discussion which followed:
Question: Why is your plan for the economy better than his?
The candidates went on to explain their plans for the economy, which they have been regurgitating for a weeks now, but what was interesting was the short discussion which followed; namely, talk about Joe the plumber and the differences between either candidates' tax policy. McCain makes a big deal out of a guy named Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber who will be put into a different tax bracket because of his annual income, which is higher than $250,000...a significant amount of money. McCain says that he should not be taxed for realizing the American dream, after working for years, 10-12 hours a day, trying to purchase a plumbing company. Obama replies that he is not being taxed for realizing the American dream, but for making more than $250,000 a year, which essentially makes him "rich'. McCain attacks Obama for wanting to raise taxes on Americans, and Obama replies that he is not raising taxes on all of Americans, but on the 5% or so who make more than $250,000. He goes on to explain McCain's tax reformation which gives large tax breaks to large corporations, most of which have the majority of their workforce overseas. This is likely the most important difference in the candidates, and this discussion highlights the benefits Obama's tax reformation will provide for Americans; McCain attacks it for being socialist, or for "spreading the wealth around" -- but what McCain does not mention is that the whole idea behind taxes is intrinsically the spreading of weatlh -- not in cash, but in infrastructure, and this kind of thing.
In my opinion, Obama had a stronger answer for this question.

The next bit of the debate which I thought was interesting was the bit about the negative nature of the campaigns in recent weeks. The question asked by Bob Schieffer was something to the effect of "Are you willing to say the things your campaigns have said about each other face to face?"
McCain spoke first, and made some very interesting comments about the huge amount of money Obama has spent on negative ads, about Obama's broken promises relating to campaign advertising and campaign nature (town-halls, etc), about how he regrets some of the negative things from both sides of the campaign, etc. He makes factual statements, and puts forth a strong argument. Obama retaliates by saying that all of McCain's ads have been negative, and makes a parallel between not making an apology for Congressman John Lewis' comments about Palin and McCain's campaign rally crowds, a parallel which I thought was a bit contrived. Obama's defense is quite well-worded, but fairly insubstantial, and I think that McCain did better on this bit in the debate.

Finally, i'll talk about the question on abortion
Question: Could either of you ever nominate someone to the Supreme Court who disagrees with you on this issue? Senator McCain?
This question was double-sided in that it asked both about the basis on voting for Supreme Court justices, and about the beliefs about abortion. McCain here made some claims about Obama's record on abortion-based votes. The most troubling of these claims, to me, was when McCain said that Obama voted "no" on treatment for a person who had survived abortion and was in severe health because of it. I don't know enough about this to make a judgemento on it. However, Obama came back and broke down every accusation (except the just-mentioned vote), and explained the circumstances of the votes. He defended his positions very well, explaining that, for example, in the vote which required the senators to pass legislation on something concerning a ban on late-term abortions, there were no clauses talking about the health of the mother; there were no clauses which proposed exceptions to the ban. After this information is brought up, it is clear why Obama voted no on this, and he goes on to say that many pro-life Republicans did so as well. Obama continued to say that the Democratic party has said, "We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred and that they should not be engaged in cavalier activity, and providing options for adoption, and helping single mothers if they want to choose to keep the baby," or something to this effect, and that this is something both of them can agree on. He goes on to say that he doesn't think anyone is "pro-abortion" per se, which i think is a fair comment.
On this issue, I believe Obama performed better.

Every four years, the better of the two major parties come together and sit in those chairs with a paper in front of them. They face their opponents, they face the people, and they face their futures. As they prepare to sit in these chairs in front of thousands of live viewers and millions of television viewers they are looking for victory. Not only a victory in ratings, but a victory on the election ballots that is taking place on November 4, 2008. It was on October 15, 2008 where John McCain and Barack Obama joined at New York to get their last word out. The third and last presidential debate which turned a nation’s eye to the television and now all they can do is wait for results.


1. There are many issues addressed at the presidential debate which are currently problems in not only the United States but around the world. Right now an issue that is greatly devastating the American people is that of economy. Money is scarce and price tags are leaving the shelves at one number and coming back as an increased statistic. In the debate, a question that goes hand in hand with such issue is that of, why do you think your economic plan is better than your opponents? McCain declares how the American people are angry over five times and that he understands why. However, these citizens don’t need someone who will agree with them, they need a leader who will stand for them and make a change. Then McCain goes on to say how he has a short and long term plan. The short term plan which has to be dealt with now is that of home owners. Want to take money out of the financial package and give it to the people for them to be able to own a house. With this ownership, he supposes that the homeowners can then realize the American Dream. How are they suppose to realize the American Dream if once they leave their home on a daily routine, they have no money to survive? Obama then gives a much more detailed answer where he goes on to also state that this is the worst economic crisis the United States has ever encountered, and how it needs change. He wants to help the middle class and below by giving them jobs and tax credits. Those families that are making less than 250,000 dollars a year will be in better hands and have more money in their pockets on a daily bases. Obama also agrees that they have to have home ownership but disagrees that the government should buy them and just allow renegotiation to occur because there are other issues that should be prioritized. When talking about “Joe the Plumber” I think it backfired on McCain. He says that Obama will increase his tax if he wants to buy a business. However, Joe the plumber has become the 5% of Americans who are making over 250,000 dollars. Obama goes on to explain how he will be helping the majority,95%, of Americans by giving them tax relief and shows that his plan gives three times the amount of tax relief as McCains plan. Three times McCain says that Obama will prohibit Americans from living the American dream, but what John needs to realize is that right now with the crisis no one can live that dream, the fight is for what leader will dig them out of the ground to then be able to pursue that American Dream. I think Barack Obama clearly won that question as he gave more insight and examples about his plan and proved McCain wrong.


2. America needs a leader who will get right to the point. Change direction from nightfall to sunrise. When asked about, how each president will be able to cut spending, I truly think Obama won this question by a long shot. I believe this because McCain was asked twice to redirect to the question because he would rant on about things that had nothing to do. This shows insecurity and not enough knowledge. I think the American people need someone who is sure and confident and a man who is not afraid of answering a tough question, don’t you? Obama then goes on to explain how there is a 750 billion dollar rescue plan. This plan can either go two ways, extremely disastrous or successfully. If it is structured properly, which he says he will make sure it is if labeled as President, the tax payers will get their money back, which essentially is what every individual needs in the U.S.A: as many dollars as they can get in their wallets. He explains how the people are living beyond their means, and how we are giving too much money, 15 billion dollars, for subsidies to insurance companies which are not working as senior citizens are not getting better. Just one example out of the many that aren’t working. Obama assures that he will go page by page eliminating those programs we do not need and make the ones we do need better. When this was suggested, Obama was a winner in my book. He has analyzed the true situation that the United States is having and beginning to attack it from its roots. McCain then goes back to ownership which he has already addressed. Says that by investing in the home owners, the values of homes will go up, however, that should not be a priority in the US. He says that we should execute offshore drilling because with Obamas plan of investing in energy sources we will become to dependent on them. John McCain needs to realize that the USA already is dependant on oil and needs to stop this addiction, and by trying to find more oil which is currently scare, he is feeding such addiction. He does mention he wants to eliminate programs, but he didn’t mention which ones, until they repeated the question and all he could come up with is the ethanol tariff. I just feel that John McCain isn’t going to attack the problem from the roots, as he is also addicted to such things which got America to where it is today.


3. When it comes to school, sports, or life on your own, they always tell you to focus on one thing: consistency. Consistency is what makes close to perfection, or better yet, success. Barack Obama talks about how his running mate, Joe Biden, has been consistent his whole infant and career life. One thing that he exposes is that both Republicans and Democrats commend Bidens Foreign policy plan, which means it is very good as they both agree. When it comes to where Biden has come from, he hasn’t forgotten that he came from nothing, and is consistent as to this day he still fights for working families. As he saw that his father lost his job, to this day he also fights for the underdog, such as the violence against women act and other examples. Obama says that they both believe in the same things, such as energy independency. Something that has been declining in the United States and needs to increase is that of education. Obama is the only one of the two that mentions it and his running mate Joe Biden and himself believe that kids need better education to lead the country into the 21st century. McCain then says that America got to know Sarah Palin and that is one thing I agree with. When it comes to Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, many can point Palin right off the bat, as it is the opposite when it comes to Biden. He says she is a reformer and I along with millions of people agree that reform is what American needs. He gives an example that shows the strength Sarah Palin has and how when there was corruption where she worked, she resigned. That takes courage. They promise to reach out to families and get to know their American people. Even though I don’t believe that Sarah Palin is experienced enough to become president, if God forbid something happened to McCain, I do believe she is very intellectual. I think she can guide a nation, but not lead one. When it comes to this question of the debate, I can’t choose who the winner was. I believe they both gave very good answers. However, if I were to vote, with no hesitation I would put a check mark next to the Obama-Biden ticket.

I agree with Obama that the choice is ultimately up to the American people. Both of the candidates exceeded my expectations in this debate. The thing is the American people haven’t been so successful in their decisions in the past. They need leadership, confidence and a voice that will stand out in the crowd. In my opinion, that man is Barack Obama.

Question #1: Why is your plan better?

McCain: McCain believes Americans are at a point were they are hurting. They are hurting and they are mad. The country should move towards the opposite direction, a direction of success and power like it once was before. He discussed a short term fix in which he mentioned the Fanny-Freddie May, were he talked about how this was the cause of this economic recession. How the subprime lending situation caused the housing market to collapse. Additionally he discusses his plan, of using $300 billion to aid the hometown mortgages to make it more affordable to them. He believes that the homeowners should be put first in order to reverse this decline.

Obama: Obama start off his debate by saying this is the worse financial crisis since the Great Depression. His economic plan consists basically on helping tax payers and making sure they get their money back. Additionally, making sure that the CEOs are not in any way benefiting from this process. He does agree with McCain on one matter, homeowners must be helped and put in a position where they can renegotiate their mortgages. What Obama disagrees with is McCain plan, he feels his plan could be a giveaway for banks if we’re buying full price for mortgages for houses that are worth a lot less. He also discusses the long term challenges which need to be taken into consideration like energy policies, health care, and education which are all results of a successful economy if they are strong. His main target are the middle class, they are the engine to success for the American economy, which is why he will do a tax cut on the middle class. This cut will help the middle class get back on their feet, be able to support their families and as a long term effect help the economy get back on its feet. He states that the fundamentals of the American economy were not strong, even since before the crisis and these must be reviewed.

I would personally have to agree more with Obama, for I see his plan being more efficient in the future. Yes, I see a bit unfair that 5% of the American’s taxes will increase but like he says, this is to help the middle class to get on their feet. And an effort from everybody must be made in order to pull ourselves back from this hole of obscurity and recession. McCain’s Plan might not be that successful after all. Yes, he is helping the homeowners, but the plan he is utilizing in order to carry out this action is not very well thought off. His plan could result in a giveaway for banks, for people will have to pay full-price for a house that is worth much less now at the moment.

Question #2: This year’s deficit will reach a record of $455 billion, and could even go up to one $ trillion on the next year. Both of your plans have been revised and calculated and they both plan to add more than $200 billion to the deficit.

How are you planning to cut this deficit?

Obama: Obama believes that out of the $700 billion package, if structured properly, ultimately taxpayers will end up getting their money back, but Maericans must take into consideration that they have been living beyond their means and adjustments must be made. Throughout his campaign he has always based his plans on making a net spending cut, and he is a strong proponent of the pay as you go, every dollar proposed with an additional cut. For example, $15 billion was spent on subsidies insurance companies that under Medicare do not help improve America’s health care system. Obama proposes that we must get rid of those programs that do not work. He plans to revise the federal budget page by page and line by line and meticulously look and eliminate those projects that do not work. The programs that do work must be improved.

McCain: McCain on the other hand believes in deregulation, meaning that the markets will take care by themselves. He wants to create a marketing assistance program. On top of everything, he wants to cut subsidies for Ethanol, because he believes it will create inflation no matter how beneficial it can be to energy dependency. He proposes to eliminate the tariff on imported Sugar-based ethanol from Brazil. Without a doubt both candidates will increase the amount of deficit added to the economy but Obama has a better plan. I agree with Obama, the fundamentals of our economy are what need to be restored. I agree and support Obama that the federal budget must be revised, those programs that are not being efficient must be eliminated and the ones that do work must be improved. I like him agree that the only way to help our economy and do it without increasing the deficit so much.

Which of the vice-presidential candidates is better and why?

Obama: Obama defended his vice presidential candidate with honor and respect. He claimed that Joe Biden’s most important quality is that he is loyal to him at all times. When they do disagree on a part of a plan or issue, which doesn’t occur regularly, they find a balance in which they both agree. He also defends Biden by saying that they both agree and mostly anything and that for a long time, Biden has been his “right hand” being there for him at all times.

McCain: McCain claimed that Sarah has proven to him that she is a strong woman. He also includes that Sarah is an excellent reformer and supporter of family values and traditions. That she has always stood by what she believes, she doesn’t say something and then not carry it through when she is personally in the situation. For example, she has always been a pro life believer. When her daughter was pregnant, as upset and disappointed as she was she still stood by her beliefs. She supported her daughter into having the baby. Additionally, in her case she has a son with Down syndrome and she still decided to have the baby and support him and be there for him at all times.

I must say, McCain did an amazing job in defending Sarah Palin, I almost sided him, but then came to my senses. Palin is a strong candidate, no doubt, her word is a word of honor for she has proven that what she says goes, she never retracts her words. But I must be honest, Jose Biden is a better candidate that Palin. Palin is simply not ready for such strong position. If something were to happen to McCain, god forbid, she would not be ready to take the Presidency position and govern the United States!