Current Event #4

This week's current event was on an article I found on msnbc.com called "Biden calls McCain a sidekick, not a maverick.

Basically the article revolves around all of the mud-slinging that has been happening at the rally in Florida and the debates between the presidential candidates and the VP candidates. In the article, Joe Biden calls John McCain an angry man making ugly attacks against the Democratic ticket to cover up his support for President Bush. Biden said to McCain "you can call yourself a maverick when all you've ever been is a sidekick." His attacks were during an appearance at the University of South Florida's Sun Dome where thousands of people lined up to hear him speak.

Biden's spokesman David Wade says that Biden is going to continue with the attacks up until Election Day. Wade said that Biden would be Obama's "defender-in-chief." Biden argued that they have won all three presidential debates so far showing "what a majority of Americans are looking for: a steady hand, leadership, an optimist; not an angry man, lurching from one position to another." He also attacked VP candidate Sarah Palin for her attacks against Obama saying that he is friends with terrorists which was over the top. She also said that Obama is close to William Ayers, a founder of the violent Weather Underground in the 1960's and that relationship showed bad judgement. That claim sparked a lot of booing in Florida on Monday, and someone even shouted "Kill him!" The sheriff who introduced Palin at the rally introduced Obama as Barack Hussein Obama.

Overall, I think that the mud-slinging is getting out of hand with this year's election. It's starting to become the focus of every campaign ad, presidential debate, newspaper article, news headline, rally, etc. Rather than pointing fingers at each other, each candidate should focus more on the national issues, especially during the debates where all eyes and ears are on them. Criticism is acceptable up to a certain point, but now all of these attacks are just juvenile. In my opinion, both candidates need to cut it out and turn things around before Election Day.