Project Proposal- Romney/Obama Comparison

Project Proposal
For my project, my goal is to find out who people would vote for if they were just given a list of 'the facts' and the candidates goals without showing the respective candidate. I want to eliminate as much bias as I can, even my own. I really believe that people my age are so swayed by the opinions of their peers that it is almost difficult to make their own opinion without being heavily influenced by external factors. I think it is important for students to realize their stance and views towards different facets of the whole political spectrum. Sometimes it is easier to make your own opinion when there is not a name with stereotypes and predetermined opinions flashing in your face to choose one over the other. No matter whose political campaign it is, both candidates vocalize their best qualities and bash their opponents worst qualities. What if there was a way for the youth to formulate their own opinion based solely on what they believe to be the best answer for our country. I think that voting would be a lot different if everyone's honest vote appeared on the ballot instead of one that is shaped by family, friends, and the media. Although it is very important to know others' opinions and take them all into account, it is more important to hold your own and be able to keep your opinion even when everyone may disagree with you.

I want this to be an interactive experience that I can capture on video camera, so I will film all of my interviews with people and edit them in a fashion that makes it clear and to the point. I will create a sheet where each side will represent one of the candidates. On each side, I will list facts about that person, mostly what they believe in, what they stand for, etc. I will also include some things that they are promising to change, remove, improve, etc. I realize that some people will be able to recognize some of these points and may be swayed to pick one over the other solely because they know who it is/ what they think the norm is. I will make sure that there is no foggy middle ground between the two sets of points; I will be sure that the differences are clear but unbiased (neither will be bashing the other or one-upping the other). I will then ask that person to show me which one they chose and I will tell them which candidate that actually agreed most with. I think capturing this on video will be great because it will show their thought process and their reaction to their final answer. I will also ask them if this was originally who they were pulling for and, if not, will it change anything? I will probably ask between 20 and 30 people this and record each one of them. Then, I will determine which ones are most significant to the goal of my project. I want people to realize that it is so important to have your own opinion, especially with propaganda, ads, and a media that is stronger than ever, making it hard to even realize your own opinion. I will also add some creativity to it by having music in the background, special effects, etc.

Convention Comparison
When I compared both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney at their respective conventions, I was overall very impressed with Obama's speech. If I were to rate both of them, I would give Obama a 9 and Romney a 7. Obama's speech, in my opinion was clear, educational, and at times even moving. When he paid tribute to the soldiers and said that no matter whose party they are a part of, they give him hope... this was something very real and genuine in my opinion. He did not stand there and try to blame prior presidencies to this recent economic crisis which he has been blamed for. He showed humility, he was honest, and most importantly, he didn't gloat about his achievements, but rather he praised the American people for the good things that have happened. I don't think he needed to stand there and list off all of his achievements because really the people want to feel secure about the future. He mentioned the middle class several times and really focused on values of hard-work, fairness, and equal opportunity. I personally felt that Obama could relate to a greater majority of the American people than Romney could. In college, many students feel like Romney is the favorite and this is because he appeals to those who do have the money to attend college. What we tend to forget is that there are millions of people who can't, and those are the people that he can reach. It is easier to see things from the perspective of something who has lived, survived, and prospered by way of modest beginnings. Obama also used the words "we" and "ours" a lot, which makes us feel like we are more a part of this process and that we are all truly considered and respected. One thing I found to be less successful was his attack on his opponent. I think the speech would have been almost perfect if had left the little stabs out because really they were unnecessary. Overall, I believe his speech was very effective; it was not overly-dramatic, it was genuine and believable.

On the other hand, I believe that Romney's speech had a completely different goal than that of Obama's. Romney's goal was to get the American people to like him. Unlike Obama, he hasn't been under the American eye for four years. He needed to make himself seem more like a human and less like just a political figure. His speech was largely a way to get the American people to connect with him through his stories of his "rough times" in college with his wife, explaining his background as a businessman, and as a father and husband. He stood up for women and talked about how they should have more of a say in decision-making in government. However, this seemed like more of a point of discussion than a genuine opinion. However, he did praise mothers for their hard work and even said, when referring to his wife, that "her job is harder than mine." Surely that won over some stay-at-mothers. He focused largely on his achievements and the success he built from the ground up. Overall, I do believe that his speech truly did humanize him and showed us that he is more like us. However, in my opinion, his speech hardly focused on values or his beliefs, which made it more difficult for us to believe everything. Romney's speech was more like a way to touch on the more important topics to win over the undecided. I think he fell through on the genuineness, though. I cannot blame him for this though since his goal was much more difficult to achieve since he had to get across to all of the american people. His job, I believe, was more difficult in this convention. Either way, I think that Obama's speech was more effective as it covered a greater variety of topics and on a deeper level.