- iVillage
- Beehive: The Buzz of the Day
Results tagged “biden” from iVillage - Beehive
It's here! iVillagers are heading out to the polls on Election Day and many are checking in to share their excitement and experience at the polls. A quick survey of the boards this morning turned up some early insight on what is *really* going on out there:
"I have to vote before work so I'm now planning on indulging in a Starbucks and heading to my polling place VERY early." -- uuroseygirl
"One of my online friends from NY went to vote this am (just after 6) and their computers were down." -- sandy9193
"[My husband] went very early (about 6:30am) and said he had to wait about 10 mins (which is actually kinda long for our voting place LOL) I am heading over around 10am, but have been dealing with an 11 month old who has been crying for more than 2 hours straight this morning with teething. I was going to take them all (4 kids) because my 15 year old wants to be there when I cast my vote... hopefully his little brother cooperates and chills out, lol. I do NOT want to stand in line with a screaming baby and be frustrated when I cast my vote!" -- pokemom74
"I voted early, prepared in case I was giving birth, but we are in NC and you can imagine it is CRAZY today. My [husband] was taking our two year old, but at 7AM the line was a two hour wait. He will go at 3PM and wait until he can vote this afternoon." -- nivri_bug
"Time to vote! Doesn't matter for whom... just vote. I woke up to the sound of...*gasp* traffic on my road. I live in the middle of nowhere... so this is quite odd, except on election day. Our polling place is down the road from me. Makes me feel good that so many are out and voting today where I live." -- cl-miyaka2007
"I am only 22, this is the only the second election I have voted in. And, well, the first election didn't go exactly as I had hoped. I am praying that things go the right way today." -- mama647
"I am so excited. I can't help but love our election process. I don't always love the negative campaigning, but I think it's amazing to see democracy in action. I cannot wait! We're going to an election watch party and I really think we're going to get the results we want!" -- kittiejb
"Yes this is thrilling and I've been voting since the 80's... but this is by far the most exciting and I thought the first Clinton win was exciting. I worked on the Clinton campaign out in CA and hosted a dinner for the Dukakis's in VT in the 80's and so I've been plugged in for years but I'm telling you, I don't think I've been this excited about an election since that time." -- kubala
"I'm very excited too. I'm taking all the kids and they will each get to pull the lever on someone, but Spencer will be the one voting for Obama. Since he is the oldest, I want him to feel that he is taking part in making history." -- luvmy5monkeys
"This is my 2nd election too... but the first election that I am so passionate about!! I am really excited, but so nervous at the same time." -- cl-bonita7782
"I voted too this morning, at 7:15; took 15 minutes, tops. There was a line initially, maybe 20 people... All these people were standing in line for no reason! I got to my table and had to wait for one of two touch screen machines. Not a bad time at all." -- staceroo
"I voted too, it only took about 5 minutes at 8:00. I live in a small town though. When I went in and checked in I felt this overwhelming sense of civic pride. I am so glad that I live in a country where I get a say in who makes the laws." -- newmom408
"I just got back. Felt good to vote for McCain/Palin." -- mom2annie2007
My colleagues from Women@NBCU recently shared findings of a survey that aimed to paint a picture of the current political attitudes of women this election season. The results, which you can read here, show that women are looking past gender as a barometer for their political choices. Of course we know from listening to the iVillage community over the past year that while women's unique experiences and perspectives as mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, teachers, business owners and more, definitely play into their political beliefs and the issues they consider important; but attempting to consider women as a solid voting bloc is not only overly simplistic, but, well, downright wrong. But I don't need to tell you that, do I?
Women Influencing Others?
Our Women@NBCU survey found that women feel that the amount of influence they have on political decisions with friends, family and colleagues lessens with age. Asked about their influence on others' votes, iVillagers were evenly split between feeling like they were the most informed and outspoken of their social and family groups, but in many cases were unsure if they impacted others' voting decisions. It's interesting to note that many of the responses to this question showed that women were less concerned about influencing others' opinions and focused more on a "teaching approach," being more apt to provide factual information and resources.
"I talk about what I believe and why, but expect most have usually formed their own opinions and I am fine with that, we can agree to disagree." -- char1105
"I don't feel it's my place to convince others *how* to vote. But I do believe it's important they are basing their voting decision on facts that are free of partisan bias so I'm always happy to offer factual input when asked. They can come to their own conclusions." -- mommy2max111805
"Most of my friends who I am close enough to discuss politics are in agreement with my values and views. We tend to reinforce each others' views." -- halsgal2008
"I do not try to influence my friends' votes. I believe we all need to research the candidates on our own and come to our own decision." -- mama_lah
"I think I have had some influence but I cannot say how much. I have done a lot of research and helped point people in right direction to find balanced information." -- bmcmommy
Second in Command
From our Women@NBCU poll we learned that should something happen to the commander in chief while in office, more women are comfortable with Joe Biden serving as president than Sarah Palin. We asked the same question on our Moms & Politics message board and of the respondants, the results were much the same, but for many it wasn't just a simple either/or choice:
"I could live with Biden but I'm not thrilled with him. Palin is not qualified." -- bmcmommy
"I would feel very comfortable if Biden was president. He has tons of experience and knowledge on a variety of topics." -- lm77mom
"I believe Sarah Palin has a better grasp on what the people of this nation want and need, because she's been there, done that. Joe Biden has NEVER been there, done that despite what he tries to protray with his show of 'riding the train to work every day', give me a break..." -- onebusyredhead
"Sarah Palin. She has shown a clear record of not allowing her party affiliation to cloud what is right. Biden is too liberal to lead this country." -- hockeymom017
"I definitely would be comfortable with Joe Biden." -- pionjw
"Hands down Biden. I just don't think she was a good choice at all. She just isn't qualified." -- victoriaalise23
The second debate between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain is set to take place on Tuesday in Nashville, TN. Since this week's face-off will be a "town hall" format, with questions taken from the audience, we wanted to find out what iVillagers would ask the candidates if they had the opportunity. Here's a sampling of what you said:
"I'd ask McCain and Obama a variety of questions (mostly ~how~) in relation to some of their plans/policies posted on their sites.
I'd ask Obama what his plan B is if his current plan for Iraq fails or hits a snag in the process?
I'd also ask him what his plan B is if his plan for diplomacy and making friends fails?" -- sandy9193"As for the presidential candidates, I want to know what they plan to do about the economy and the war in Iraq, first and foremost." -- miss_conception2005
"If you were given $700 Billion today to make America a better, stronger country, what would you do with it?
Do you think it is OK for the government to provide taxpayer funding for programs without legislative oversight?
What three things could the government do to help working families, and especially mothers, in America?
What do you think our biggest assets as a country are when it comes to foreign policy? And our biggest weaknesses." -- skyeling"What do you see as the top five problems in this country and what would you do to improve them?
What would you say to single mother who works more than 40 hours per week and cannot afford to pay for healthcare insurance for herself and her children, let alone buy a house or put money aside for her retirement?
If you had to cut funding to five agencies/organizations that receive federal money, which would you cut and why?
If you could increase funding for five agencies/organizations that receive federal money, which would you increase and why?
Do you support No Child Left Behind? Why or why not? And what changes, if any, would you make to the current educational system in America?" -- kristeninct
"I would ask why in the world we who pay our taxes, work very hard and struggle to pay our own mortgages should have to bail out people who were financially irresponsible and lost their mortgages?" -- thegymmom
"Obama:
What exactly were you doing in church every Sunday if you never noticed Rev. Wright's comments? Sleeping?
Why on earth would you think increasing taxes on big business would not hurt the middle class? Who do you think will in the long run pay those increased taxes?
Why tax the wealthy? They worked hard and earned their money. Isn't sharing the wealth while someone else does the work communism?
What are your thoughts on capping campaign spending? Shouldn't there be limits to the amounts candidates can spend?
I make $9.00 an hour. A quarter of my paycheck goes just to fill up my gas tank each week. I'm fast approaching not being able to afford my job. What are you going to do to help me?
How do you plan on reducing the number of people receiving public assistance?
McCain:
Why didn't you push harder for the Fannie Mae reform? Why did you let it die? Now in hindsight, are you kicking yourself over this one?
What are your thoughts on capping campaign spending? Shouldn't there be limits to the amounts candidates can spend?
I make $9.00 an hour. A quarter of my pay each week goes just to gas to get back and forth to work. I don't have health insurance and a $5000.00 credit won't even begin to help me get any. Have you not done your homework on how much health insurance really costs?
How do you plan on reducing the number of people receiving public assistance?
Do you still have nightmares from your POW experience?
Joe Biden:
What kind of grades did you get in history?
Do you ever listen to what you're actually saying?
Sarah Palin:
As a mother, how hard is it to sit back and watch the press destroy your teenage daughter?
Do you exercise daily?" -- brensticker"What do you honestly believe that you can do to improve the lives of your fellow Americans? and what do you think you will have to do in order to achieve these improvements?
What does the phrase "promote the general welfare" means to you, and what will you be able to do about it?
What does your political party stand for, and how deeply do you agree with and follow those beliefs? -- patticake314"I would ask them all why they continue to make promises to get votes when they know we cannot afford any of it. (such as universal health care and tax cuts)
I would ask them if they ever cheated on their spouse.
I would ask them if they would be willing to cut lifetime benefits and perks to all senators, congressmen, etc. (such as free haircuts, free lunch, pensions that equal their regular pay, and free health care)
I would ask them if they would donate their entire presidential salary to a charity.
I would ask them why they want to be president." -- amomalmost40"We can't afford prescription meds. So called affordable health insurance isn't. We all know that there is no way your health care plans will work in the face our economic situation. What is your plan B concerning healthcare?" -- daizeedo
"Mr. Obama, please explain exactly why you didn't pick Hillary Clinton as your running mate. Even your running mate Joe Biden says she'd have been the best pick" -- tdalton810
"Do you believe civil servants should be chosen in part on their political ideology?
Would you have voted for Hillary Clinton? If not, why not?
What do you believe should be Congress' role in our governance?
Do you support wholesale use of presidential signing statements, and do you believe they should serve to shield a president or vice president from our laws with which they disagree?
Do you support the Equal Rights Amendment?
What do you believe are the limits of free speech?" -- cl-llhaesa"What criteria would you use to decide who to appoint to the US Supreme Court and other Federal appellate courts?
Knowing that the choice issue will be raised in many cases winding their way through the court system now, how important to your decision will the evidence of the candidates' views on choice be?
Are you open to appointing people from the other main political party to your cabinet?
Who do you trust enough to help you make important decisions in your life, be they personal or having to do with your career?" -- tricia8195
As I expected, there were a lot of really insightful questions posed by our users. What would you ask? What are you hoping will come up in Tuesday's debate? Share your burning questions for the candidates as well as your thoughts on the campaigns so far.
After last week's kick-off to the series of head-to-heads between the Democrat and Republican tickets, many were left wanting a little more spark from both candidates. Many looked to the veep wannabes for the action. The vice presidential debate seemed to have been the most anticipated event of the presidential campaign so far and we were all waiting to see just what would happen in St. Louis last night as Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin faced off, with Gwen Ifill (who has inspired some controversy of her own) as moderator.
Overall, iVillagers seemed pleased with the debate, although some were unabashedly disappointed that there were no obvious "train wreck moments". On both sides of the fence most agreed that both candidates did well for their parties, with some acknowledging that Palin performed better than they expected. Others were feeling a little let down that there were no real knock-out blows from either side. Perhaps for the next debate we can switch to an American Gladiators format.
Shortly after the debate ended, reactions flooded into the Politics Today board:
"Palin seems to have gotten her groove back. She is well-briefed but a bit too rehearsed. Joe Biden really knows his stuff. There is no question where the experience is. So far so good with respect to gaffes." -- maverick7000
"It's exactly how I thought it would be. She would steal the show. And she did. But it does NOTHING to change my vote." -- nenersr
"Palin did very well, even though all I heard all day was how this was such a mismatch. Well, she can handle herself well enough. Much more down to earth than the other 3 candidates. However, this is just a VP debate; I doubt it will change very many votes." -- willat0660
"I agree -- she did better than I thought. Very well-rehearsed. Dodged those areas that she couldn't answer and changed the subject. Very personable. As a teacher, her lack of phonetics irritates me. Using "in" instead of "ing" in most words.
Biden stumbled some, but displayed a lot of knowledge. As personable, no, but you could tell he didn't have his answers as rehearsed. They flowed a little more off the cuff in a variety of areas. They both had to drive home certain points and that got annoying. 'Fundamentally', 'Maverick', etc. All in all, I think they both did well." -- lexiesch
"I think Palin did a very good job. I thought Biden's responses were more substantive, but that is to be expected -- he has more years in national politics. I know that Palin's folksiness is very appealing, but it's not my cup of tea. I'm sure her colloquialisms will play very well with her base and perhaps with some independent voters. They likely irritate some others." -- eleeel
"My overall impression is that Biden has a record of service that speaks for itself & he acknowledges that he's had some ideological differences w/Obama in the past, but at least he knows what those differences were!
As for Gwen Ifill, I think she did an admirable job as moderator and did not detect any 'bias' towards either candidate, whatsoever. She also did not give [Palin] a hard time when she wanted to redirect the discussion to her topic of choice. Both candidates displayed lots of 'diplomacy' towards the other. My vote is still with Obama/Biden. I didn't learn anything new & 'maverick' from the McCain/Palin team." -- hbunny06
"I feel that Biden won the debate. Several times Sarah Palin did not even answer the question and I wondered if she just didn't understand it (like the Achilles heel question). I do think Palin did alright, but I still don't believe she really understands half of what she's talking about. And I really can't stand listening to her and her "folksy" speak. I think it makes her sound dumb." -- jet4y
"I believe Palin won this debate. There is a lot of criticism that Sarah Palin was rehearsed, but both of these candidates rehearsed. I thought it was very obvious when Biden discussed his roots that the delivery was practiced repeatedly. To me, it seemed like an uncomfortable topic for him, and he had to rehearse the delivery." -- mom48047
"Palin presented herself confidently but substance and solutions were what I as a voter was looking for and in these areas Joe Biden certainly came out ahead." -- ms-mommy
Let's get rrrready to rrrrrumble!!!
With the financial crisis still hanging over our heads and despite John McCain "suspending" his campaign and proposing a debate postponement, the first presidential debate of this 2008 campaign is still set to unfold on Friday night in Oxford, Mississippi. From the comments I've read so far, it doesn't sound like the debates are likely to change too many people's minds about their candidate, but the reaction to the latest maneuverings by both campaigns have iVillagers posting up a frenzy to share their unbridled opinions. From the razzle dazzle to the "okie-doke", the folks on Politics Today weigh in on John McCain's latest strategy and the debates in general:
"This is just another razzle dazzle play by McCain." -- sarahmeeveryday
When the conversation turned to the theory that McCain really wanted to try to delay the debates to push the vice presidential debate off the table, some speculated on how such a VP debate would play out:
"I agree Biden will have to control himself to not appear condescending. After watching the Couric interview can you seriously think she can slaughter him on the issues?" -- gal_callie
"Biden isn't the brightest crayon in the box. Palin will do just fine. It isn't just me that is saying this. Many on the left have already admitted it on this board." -- snoopyme
