perfect timing!
I must say, she tried to remain neutral in her lecture without her personal preference of political party showing, but I could tell which way she swung.
However, she didn't shy away from hot topics like immigration, the highly expensive Hispanic vote that could determine the presidency, and minorities’
issues as well as jobs and the debates.
She, of course, made her brief moments of humor which I sometimes got, sometimes didn’t. I was one of the youngest people in the audience, so maybe I was just out of my element.
However, one of her main points was that these debates do not sway the final election outcome much. “Debates are not the fundamentals of the election” she said. Demographics is the crucial factor in the voting outcome. According to her and news reports, Hispanics are the group to watch and could really decide the election. However, according to recent new reports as of last week, half of the
US Hispanic population are ineligible to vote, due to being under 18 or not a citizen, even though they are the largest growing population. Cokie stated that
other minorities, such as blacks, are easy to follow as far as voting habits, unlike women, who could go either way.
Another important point Cokie Roberts made at her UTA lecture was that people also vote
based on how they feel about the candidate. She stated the cliche questions:
‘Who do you trust to land your plane onto a deserted island?’ and ‘Who would you rather have over for dinner?’ (I hear Kerry Washington’s voice on the ABC TV Show ‘Scandal’ when I read this
question. She made this same comment on Season 1, Episode 6)
For both questions, the answers, after being polled, she stated, were Pres. Barack Obama. No shocker there. Furthermore, Cokie made a valid point to a real good question many of us should be asking
ourselves, including myself, “Who do you trust to make the right decision for anything that comes up, and can handle surprises?”
I, personally, am still trying to decide myself.
And at the end of her speech, she made her final analysis of the night, saying that people also want both political parties to work together to get things done in a timely manner. This would be the “best outcome of this election” she stated.
I, too, agree.
-ALN