The McClanahan Conversation:
Bringing Rebecca McClanahan to you
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Election Results
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Election Day!
Just a quick post to remind you to go out and vote if you haven't already!
I'm going to the McClanahan watch party at the Dukem tonight! Look for a post coming after the election... with the good news!!!
- Abi
Monday, November 1, 2010
Rebecca...On the Issues!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
“I’m Going To Vote For Her”
Hey everyone!
I'm getting ready to meet Rebecca McClanahan and her campaign manager here in a few minutes, so the post tonight is going to be brief. I should have more to post after the meeting though, so look for an additional post or two this week!
Don't forget – only a week left until the election!
After the debates, there were many differing opinions that were being voiced by many different parties. While everyone left rather quickly, I was able to talk to a few people. I asked a man, a woman in the crowd what they thought of the McClanahan/Wyatt debate:
"I thought it was very good. It showed us where they stand and helps us make a decision." – Robert Fredricks
"I thought it was wonderful. I'm going to vote for her." – Woman (asked to be anonymous)
I then spoke with Charles Smith (campaign manager) about what his thoughts were on the debate:
"I think after the debate tonight, it's clear who the most qualified and experienced candidate for the position is"
Also in the crowd was political science professor Dr. Randy Hagerty. When I asked him what he thought of the debates, he spoke for a while. Here is a summary of what he said:
Its tough to get a clear stance on the candidate's issues in this debate format. The best you can do is get a general idea of what they stand for because the time allotted is not enough for in depth issue analysis. Also, you are not just talking to the people in the room itself. Its going out to the more general public. In general, students may show a low level of interest, but those who are interested can get a broad idea of where they stand from the debates, and if they are interested, have a place to start to find more information.
Last, and certainly not least, after the debate I was able to talk to Representative McClanahan and see what she thought of the debate. I really liked her response to my question.
"It is so important to me to understand issues deeply, and it is frustrating to hear highly complex issues discussed in talking points and sound bites that create misunderstanding and distortion. Surely we should be able to discuss the merits of the issues and identify things that need to be changed or adjusted without painting it in its extremes. I would like to have had the opportunity for a full discussion of the issues."
This concept of going more in depth of the issues truly encompasses how Rebecca handles the responsibility of being a state representative. I encourage you to talk to her for a while – she really does know the issues, and enjoys talking about them in depth.
-Abi
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Debate
Hey Readers!
First of all, thanks for the emails I received asking about the post. I'm not quite sure why it didn't make it up (technical difficulties?)…but here it is, in all its glory. Its a long post, so enjoy what it has to offer!
Tonight at the El Kadir Shrine Club in Kirksville, candidates for positions throughout the county met to discuss key issues and give voters a general idea about their stances on those issues. I have never been to a political debate forum before, and it was very interesting. Basically, the candidates for whatever office was up would both stand. A question would be asked, one candidate would respond, and then the other candidate would respond. On the representative and senate seats, the candidates also had a 30 second rebuttal time. Candidates either had one or two minutes to share their opinions. Each office was asked about three or four questions.
Before the debates began, there was an hour meet-and-greet. I arrived around 5:40 to walk around and meet the candidates. I encourage anyone to go to a debate in the future. Not only was their free food (YES!), but there were a bunch of handouts and fliers with good information about the candidates. It was interesting to me that though I walked by every candidate for office, none of them caught my eye or attempted to talk to me, even those that were not conversing with anyone! However, I also did not attempt to start a conversation, so take that for what it is worth. When
Representative McClanahan arrived, however, she spoke to me almost immediately, remembering my name and asking if I was excited for the debates. The only other candidate that spoke to me was Wes Shoemyer, who came over and introduced himself to me, asking my name and where I was from. We spoke briefly about this project, and he expressed his pleasure at students taking a role in this process.
Now, what you've all been waiting for…
The actual debate between McClanahan and Wyatt was very intriguing. Both participants were highly passionate about their issues. There were four questions asked, concerning healthcare, education, jobs, and social security/senior citizens. Here is my summary of how the candidates answered (I tried to write as fast as possible and include the major points from both candidates to the fullest extent):
Question concerning: | Representative Rebecca McClanahan | Zach Wyatt |
Education | Main points:
| Main points:
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Healthcare | Main points:
| Main points:
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Jobs | Main points:
| Main Points:
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Senior Citizens/Social Security | Main points:
| Main points:
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Overall, I was highly impressed with Rebecca's answers, though I would like to know have liked to hear more specifics on what is being done for secondary education programs like the Bright Flight program. Her responses on healthcare were very passionate, which is one of the things that makes it easy to like Representative McClanahan. I was a little confused as to how she planned to create a more favorable business environment.
Wyatt spoke very clearly and was easy to listen to. I felt that his answers lacked depth or knowledge, but I also plan on watching the debate again to see if that was just me at the time or if there is still something to be desired.
My post for Tuesday, October 26th will be about the reactions after the debate – what did Representative McClanahan, as well as a few other people think?
Did you watch or listen to the debates? What did you see?
See you all soon!
- Abi
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Coming soon!
I'm working hard on a post about the debates. They ended about 40 minutes ago, and I just got home. The post will be late, so I apologize for the inconvenience. Bear with me!
For now, know that I had a blast at the debates and am excited for this post!
Representative Rebecca McClanahan and Me, before the debate! |
Michael and Me - the only two from the Political Communication class there! |
Be back soon!
-Abi
Tweeting Live
Just to let you know, I will be tweeting live from the debates tonight. Follow me on twitter @mcclanahanconvo
Abi