The Daily News organized a panel of New Yorkers for the 2012 Republican and Democratic national conventions. The panelists agreed to watch the major speeches at the conventions and to provide feedback.
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Russell Kane, 47 of Bellerose, Queens, is an American Sign Language professor at Nassau Community College. He graduated from Hofstra University with a BA in political science and received his masters from Gallaudet University. He has been deaf since birth and describes himself as "a voracious reader of current events, politics, and almost anything else."
“Bill Clinton put forth a compelling parallel between his two terms as president facing tough Republican opposition in Congress and Obama’s first term facing very similar opposition. He was very eloquent in promoting investment in education, health care, welfare reform, and other important areas. He quoted a very interesting figure about job creation — since 1961, there were a lot more jobs created by the Democratic White House administrations than the Republican ones even though Republicans were in the White House 28 years to the Democrats’ 24.
“He still has that wonderful sense of humor and an incredible ability to connect to his audience. The audience ate it all up, every word, every utterance. I sat there spellbound. He has not lost his touch at all.”
“This speech left me wishing Hillary had won in 2008. She had the pedigree, experience, and a former president in her corner who did a fantastic job in his two terms. I still wonder today why Obama won and not Hillary. I am definitely more likely to vote Democrat in November. To do otherwise would be inviting another George W. Bush.”
“His most powerful quote tonight was that the Republicans did not want to put America back to work, but to put the President out of work! I felt myself get carried away with the audience chanting, ‘Four more years!’
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Ishmael Islam, 20 of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, is a student at Kingsborough Community College. He’s a registered Democrat and majors in liberal arts. This will be his first time voting in a presidential election.
“Elaboration was more golden than brevity tonight for former President Bill Clinton — more importantly, concrete, distinctive and well-structured elaboration.”
“I got an overall feel of Clinton connecting the dots between issues, as well as directly combining the nation's core values with forward thinking. What's even more impressive was his crafting of fact-checking all throughout the speech. That was a needed tactic to clear the mist of allegations placed against President Obama ... it helped establish his motif of cooperative movement. The results will show, but I'll firmly say, Bill Clinton made a highly effective addition to the reelection effort.”
