The Issues

by Alejandra,

    In front of the White House sits a patient elderly woman, silently, calmly, protesting America’s possession of nuclear weapons. She is surrounded by photographs of children -- handicapped, distorted, images that no one really wants to see during their brisk walk through Washington D.C. in April, but that need to be seen; there she sits, just wordlessly giving her input on the issue. When I asked her how long she had sat there, she told me every day for over 20 years. This means that she sits there daily, freezing cold or blazing hot, for years, trying to give her input, but why?

    At the same moment, I noticed a gathering of people across the street, an unlikely team: some are teens and some are mature adults, but all are protesting the war in Iraq. As you see them, you know that they must have jobs and school, and use their only free time protesting. Why?     The list of national issues is always growing, and these tribulations are seldom conquered. During President George W. Bush’s presidency many problems have been added to an already extensive list. That is why this presidential campaign is so vastly important this year. The next president will have many issues to handle, and he must have the competency to deal with them instead of adding new problems to America’s list.

    John McCain was chosen quickly as the Republican’s presidential candidate, but is he too old to be strong enough against other powerful figures in other countries? Also, he has fine stands on issues like healthcare, but he has basically said that he will not remove the troops from Iraq until the war is over and the U.S. has won, which seems rather unlikely at the moment. Which issue is more important?

     Then there’s Senator Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton has been working for this position since childhood. She has good, standard opinions on the issues, but her attitude towards her competition, Barack Obama, is disconcerting.      Barack Obama is an incredible presidential candidate. Not only does he have superior stands on most issues but he has a wonderful personality and is very motivating and strong. But is he too young, as his competition claims? Has he been in the political kitchen long enough?

     It is up to us to decide who will be our president. If we choose rashly, we could add just as many issues and more to the list of which is already extensive, but if we choose well we might eliminate a few of the issues already on the list. As you vote, remember the elderly woman who sits all day every day, rain or shine, outside the White House.

FORMER PRESIDENT RALLIES IN CORPUS CHRISTI

My niece made the time to catch former President Clinton on his swing through Corpus Christi on behalf of the Hillary campaign. This is how she saw it, note that she is an Obama supporter.

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Former President Bill Clinton, husband of Senator Hillary Clinton, who is fighting for the Democratic presidential nomination, returned to Corpus Christi Monday, May 3rd after two prior visits in the same week.

The rally was held in a small, open aired pavilion at the Solomon Ortiz Center at eight o’ clock a.m. There were roughly 400-500 people who showed, which was extremely poor compared to the Obama rally on February 22 (see prior report, OBAMA COMES TO CORPUS CHRISTI).

A band of mariachis serenaded the crowd who waited expectantly for the former president to arrive. Many people clapped and cheered as the mariachis finished their songs, and it was obvious that the campaigners had made a wise choice hiring entertainment.

Mariachis serenade the anxious crowd

Though the turnout was unusually sparse for a rally, there were a few supporters that were extremely energetic and encouraging such as a woman who was wearing red, white and blue and waving a “Texas for Hillary Clinton” sign. She also wore a hat decorated with signs and pictures of Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton supporter

The Coast Guard and the Corpus Christi Police looked on closely. Because the rally was outdoors in an open area, there was no possible way to check bags and pockets for weapons. Thankfully, no problems arose.

Coast Guard in the Corpus Christi Bay

The Coast Guard and the Corpus Christi Police looked on closely. Because the rally was outdoors in an open area, there was no possible way to check bags and pockets for weapons. Thankfully, no problems arose.

Clinton standing on the truck, which overlooked the Harbor Bridge, giving his speech

Bill Clinton’s speech was a maximum of five minutes, and throughout the speech he grew more and more pedantic and desperate. He addressed the main issues and always said that if we want the things, such as economical stress, the problems in Iraq, and prices for healthcare, to be fixed, that we needed to vote for Hillary, but he never explained why, or what her stands were on the issues. His last statement was strong, though. “Don’t you think it’s time to have a president who cares about you? If Texas can say yes to Hillary Clinton we can say yes to a brighter history.” Still, his allover speech was unimpressive and brief.

After his final statement, he shook a few hands and then left with his secret service to go and sign mementos that had been collected from awaiting fans. Then almost everyone left, though most not with a sense of accomplishment or hope which had filled everybody who had gone to Obama’s rally on the 22nd.

Clinton leaving the rally with his secret service and several policemen from the Corpus Christi Police Department

OBAMA IN CORPUS CHRISTI

My 12 year old niece went to an Obama rally in Corpus Christi Texas yesterday. She wrote this last night and sent it to me. Notice the reflection on the window in the first picture? That's the U.S.S. Lexington parked by the port entrance.

OBAMA COMES TO CORPUS CHRISTI

 

     Friday, February 22, 2008 , Barack Obama, Senator of Illinois and presidential  candidate came down  to Corpus Christi, Texas for a campaign  rally. Being the first democratic candidate to come to Corpus Christi since Hubert Humphrey, Obama’s Rally was at the American Bank Center, Corpus Christi’s newest arena, which seats approximately 8,000 people.

 

      By 2:30, two hours before Obama was scheduled to begin his Rally, the line to get into the arena was wrapped and twisted back beyond the building’s end and onto the sidewalk by the beach. People waited patiently, basking in a warm sunny day and watching the waves drift calmly.  A very few hacklers protested loudly, shouting rude comments about both Obama and Hilary Clinton and holding signs reading nonsense such as “You cannot be Christian and vote for Obama.” Yet the atmosphere was calm and peaceful for the most part.     

the line to see Obama

 

The line moved quickly once Obama arrived from the Corpus Christi Airport, the same airport which Hillary had been at only about a week ago before her Robstown Rally, and after a few minutes the arena was getting fuller and fuller. Soon the stadium was filled with cheering supporters, who were all different ages, races and sexes. A confident “Yes We Can” roared through the center as excitement began to build.  When everyone was seated (about 6,000 people showed), Gilbert Moralez, an A&M Corpus Christi college student, opened the Rally with a wonderful introduction. Then, with an uproar from the crowd, he introduced Barack Obama.

 

stadium ground level

 

 

A tall, skinny and sleek young man with a  grin from ear to ear walked out  into the crowd shaking hands amiably with strangers  while making his way to the platform. When he finally got there a boom of excitement exuded from the crowd.  He politely thanked the audience, assuring them that he loved them too. Soon the hubbub abated, and he began his speech. He started by thanking a few people, including the audience for coming. Then he explained the Texas two step; no, not the dance, the mixture of both the voting and the caucus in Texas. He especially pushed early voting, but of course he said that he mainly wanted us, the Texan voters, to vote before or during March 4, which is the deadline for votes.

Barack Obama on his platform

 

 

Then  he began speaking about the big issues, such as the immigration situation, the war in Iraq, which  he was opposed to as senator in 2002, the schools and their lack of true teachers, “I want our young people to learn everything there is to learn…”,   and the American financial situation. “ We’ve got some big problems to solve,” he said in a serious tone.      

Lastly, he spoke about the propaganda going around about him. He began with the statement being said by many Americans, he is too young to be the president, too fresh and new. “The American people understand that the last thing we need is the same old folks doing the same old things, playing the same old games.” He explained that he is ready to be the commander and chief and that he will come through. “I’m skinny but I’m strong!” he joked.

Then he addressed the people who scolded him for having so much “hope.” He explained that he has a different definition of hope than most people. His head is not in the clouds, as he put it, but he does have his definition of hope, and he knows that everyone else needs it.  “I have been fighting for 20 years. I know how hard change is; that spirit of hope has to come through. This is our moment and this is our time. ” And with that his rally was through. Everyone seemed to leave the stadium with “hope” and happiness.

    To learn more about Obama’s campaign, go to http://www.barackobama.com.   

UPDATE: A video stream of the event is HERE. HERE is a report from the local newspaper.