Accessed at 11:30pm on Tuesday September 16
NY Times states that John McCain made a big mistake when he said that the fundamentals of the economy are very strong. At first glance, this statement is absolutely ridiculous, and the Democratic party ran with it. This comes only days (hours) after news about Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch. The campaign had three choices: do nothing, attack the other side, or fix it. Fix it they did when only hours later he backpedaled. What are the fundamentals of the economy? For McCain, he meant that the fundamentals are the workers themselves. On Tuesday morning he stated that workers are paying a heavy price while the CEOs of big businesses are left with 'golden parachute' packages of millions of dollars. He did state that the economy was in big problems, and that the Republican party and those in Washington were to blame.
I agree that McCain cannot afford to stumble on this topic, but he did. The campaign did a very good job at saving the potential problem. In class tonight (Election 2008 with Dr. Rupp), we discussed the differences between conservatives, liberals, libertarians, and populists, among many other things. The fact that McCain is sticking up for the workers of America and stating that the big business and big government is the problem with the economy strikes a populist tone. This is a very smart idea. McCain is going to have to reach towards the populists in order to win the election.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Palin takes another hit from the NY Times
Accessed Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 6:40 pm.
Many of the main articles today were about Hurricane Ike, but not surprisingly there was yet another article below about Palin. Afraid that I might have been over analyzing the New York Times as being too liberal, I decided to print off the article, "In Office, Palin Hired Friends and Hit Critics," by Jo Becker, Peter S. Goodman, and Michael Powell. I highlighted the negative things said about her in blue and the positive things in pink. Needless to say, the article is a sea of blue.
Much of the source of negativity came from the harsh language. Pursuing a personal vendetta, striking, ordering, firing, and "her wrath" are just some of the words used to describe her and her policies. The authors present evidence that strongly questions her governing style. The main message was that her administration is littered with secrecy and overreaction to personal issues. After reading the entire article, I feel as if it was misrepresented. Almost all of the information came from interviews from people.
On specific issues, the McCain Palin campaign offered statements, but on more generalized assumptions, they did not. They did acknowledge that she has many supporters and instills deep emotions into her campaign. This article was written for liberal readers and therefore, they will see everything that they want to see. As a conservative reading the article, I was able to notice that some of the things that I thought positivive, would be considered negative by those Democrats. For example, "she appointed a pastor to the town planning board." That is just further evidence to her character. When the news about Ruedrich (running campaign business from the mayor's office) was found out about a columnist, she openly admited to doing wrong and released a press release to address the problem.
"Since taking office in 2007, Ms. Palin has spent 312 nights at her Wasilla home, some 600 miles to the north of the governor's mansion in Juneau. At first I wondered if she would move to Washington D.C. if she becomes vice-president, and will her family move with her? I had thought that it was 312/365, but when I read it again I realized that it said 2007 (more than a year ago). It is such sly writing as this that can get people confused on their facts.
Many of the main articles today were about Hurricane Ike, but not surprisingly there was yet another article below about Palin. Afraid that I might have been over analyzing the New York Times as being too liberal, I decided to print off the article, "In Office, Palin Hired Friends and Hit Critics," by Jo Becker, Peter S. Goodman, and Michael Powell. I highlighted the negative things said about her in blue and the positive things in pink. Needless to say, the article is a sea of blue.
Much of the source of negativity came from the harsh language. Pursuing a personal vendetta, striking, ordering, firing, and "her wrath" are just some of the words used to describe her and her policies. The authors present evidence that strongly questions her governing style. The main message was that her administration is littered with secrecy and overreaction to personal issues. After reading the entire article, I feel as if it was misrepresented. Almost all of the information came from interviews from people.
On specific issues, the McCain Palin campaign offered statements, but on more generalized assumptions, they did not. They did acknowledge that she has many supporters and instills deep emotions into her campaign. This article was written for liberal readers and therefore, they will see everything that they want to see. As a conservative reading the article, I was able to notice that some of the things that I thought positivive, would be considered negative by those Democrats. For example, "she appointed a pastor to the town planning board." That is just further evidence to her character. When the news about Ruedrich (running campaign business from the mayor's office) was found out about a columnist, she openly admited to doing wrong and released a press release to address the problem.
"Since taking office in 2007, Ms. Palin has spent 312 nights at her Wasilla home, some 600 miles to the north of the governor's mansion in Juneau. At first I wondered if she would move to Washington D.C. if she becomes vice-president, and will her family move with her? I had thought that it was 312/365, but when I read it again I realized that it said 2007 (more than a year ago). It is such sly writing as this that can get people confused on their facts.
Friday, September 12, 2008
What it takes to win
Accessed September 12, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Barack Obama is stepping it up by attacking his opponent on television ads. Is that dirty politics or just doing what it takes to win? Either way, it is safe to say that Obama was taken off guard with the Republican energy that stems from the choice of Sarah Palin. Although I consider this to be dirty politicking, the New York Times was not slow to state that it was in response to McCain's false and misleading "back to back attack" ads.
The buzz word for this election is change; and who can provide the most of it. Obama's attack plays off this word by stating that "things have changed in the last 26 years, but John McCain hasn't... after one president who was out of touch, we just can't afford more of the same." Because the choice of Palin has stirred up the class of working women, Obama's advertisements touch on the subject of pay equity for women. According the Obama campaign, McCain has "seized" the change issue from them, which led them having to resort to attacks. Even though the majority of the article is sympathetic towards the Democrats, it acknowledges disunity in what the Democrats think that the campaign should be doing.
At such a critical time in both campaigns, it is almost expected that both tickets are becoming aggressive. I believe that the election is going to come down to the working white, working women and independent voters. However, I see Obama's attacks as a desperate attempt to try and sway those voters back towards the center, and hopefully (before the election) back over to the left. But never failing to spin the article, New York Times assures readers that the Obama campaign is not struggling, only a little behind the symbol for change that Palin has provided. No worries though, Obama has met with Former President Bill Clinton for strategies. Which if that is the case, this election just got more interesting.
Is Sarah Palin Ready?
Accessed at 12:12 AM on September 12, 2008
In the article entitled, "In First Big Interview, Palin Says 'I'm Ready for the Job," the journalist from the NY Times gives his take on Palin's interview on Thursday with Charles Gibson from ABC interview. Although Palin was noted as saying that she was ready for the job without hesitation. Gibson is not known for giving an easy interview, but one of the reasons that the McCain campaign went with him is that he is known to be taken seriously. As her first interview with a major news organization, the NY Times seems to rip poor Sarah apart.
According to the NY Times, Palin was visibly nervous and stuck to her scripted answers. Under Gibson's pressure, she repeated a lot of phrases, but perhaps her biggest mistake was stumbling when asked if she agreed with the Bush Doctrine on "anticipatory self-defense." Through the "blizzard of words" that Palin provided Gibson with, he expressed exhasperation and pointed to her inconsistancies. Palin was presented as the overscripted, underprepared vice-presidential candidate.
The article was written as a way to disqualify Palin as a suitable candidate and associate her with some of the less popular decisions the Bush Administration has made. I however, feel that as her first interview as the potential vice president of the United States, it is understandable that she would be nervous. Although I would have liked to see the actual interview, I'm 99% sure that NY Times is staying true to character and spinning this story to the left.
In the article entitled, "In First Big Interview, Palin Says 'I'm Ready for the Job," the journalist from the NY Times gives his take on Palin's interview on Thursday with Charles Gibson from ABC interview. Although Palin was noted as saying that she was ready for the job without hesitation. Gibson is not known for giving an easy interview, but one of the reasons that the McCain campaign went with him is that he is known to be taken seriously. As her first interview with a major news organization, the NY Times seems to rip poor Sarah apart.
According to the NY Times, Palin was visibly nervous and stuck to her scripted answers. Under Gibson's pressure, she repeated a lot of phrases, but perhaps her biggest mistake was stumbling when asked if she agreed with the Bush Doctrine on "anticipatory self-defense." Through the "blizzard of words" that Palin provided Gibson with, he expressed exhasperation and pointed to her inconsistancies. Palin was presented as the overscripted, underprepared vice-presidential candidate.
The article was written as a way to disqualify Palin as a suitable candidate and associate her with some of the less popular decisions the Bush Administration has made. I however, feel that as her first interview as the potential vice president of the United States, it is understandable that she would be nervous. Although I would have liked to see the actual interview, I'm 99% sure that NY Times is staying true to character and spinning this story to the left.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Politics and Motherhood
Accessed Monday, September 8 at 7:00 am
When Senator McCain chose Governor Palin as his running mate he added the subject of gender to the election. In the past, there has always been the issue of a woman being too emotional or with too many responsibilities to become a president. This article entitled, "Fusing Politics and Motherhood in a New Way," clearly puts that theory to rest where Palin is concerned. She was afraid when she discovered she was pregnant that the people of Alaska would think that she would take too much time off. After traveling ten hours home and then giving birth to Trig Paxton Van Palin one month early, she returned to work only three days later. Where many women in politics try to seperate their children and work, Palin embraces the two together.
The article overall places the emphasis on Palin's humanity versus other women in politics (say, Hilary Clinton maybe?) She even has a baby crib in her Anchorage office. Critics of the Republican ticket could use all of this to to swing it to the left if needed, stating the age old phrase that women are too emotional to be considered on the presidential ticket. But when it comes down to it, this article seems to be more for Republicans than Democrats.
When Senator McCain chose Governor Palin as his running mate he added the subject of gender to the election. In the past, there has always been the issue of a woman being too emotional or with too many responsibilities to become a president. This article entitled, "Fusing Politics and Motherhood in a New Way," clearly puts that theory to rest where Palin is concerned. She was afraid when she discovered she was pregnant that the people of Alaska would think that she would take too much time off. After traveling ten hours home and then giving birth to Trig Paxton Van Palin one month early, she returned to work only three days later. Where many women in politics try to seperate their children and work, Palin embraces the two together.
The article overall places the emphasis on Palin's humanity versus other women in politics (say, Hilary Clinton maybe?) She even has a baby crib in her Anchorage office. Critics of the Republican ticket could use all of this to to swing it to the left if needed, stating the age old phrase that women are too emotional to be considered on the presidential ticket. But when it comes down to it, this article seems to be more for Republicans than Democrats.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Battleground Election
Accessed Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 11:00 pm.
As we all have gathered by now, this election is going to be a close one. With only eight weeks to go until the election, political strategists have been guessing about all the possible winning combinations for both sides. This article entitled, "Rival Tickets are Redrawing Battlegrounds," talks about possible battleground states for the 2008 election, which seems to be almost every state. The Republican choice of Palin has had some effect in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, but for the Obama campaign, they aren't worried that Palin could potentially bring in women and independent voters.
Although this article seemed to be impartial for the most part, there were several small instances that the New York Times spun it to the left. Other than generally putting more faith in Barak Obama, the wording that is chosen sways the reader to favor the left while understanding the right. For example: McCain has appeal while Obama has broad appeal. And while McCain had a "slow start" on the campaign, Obama isn't forgetting about voters in the strong Republican states.
As we all have gathered by now, this election is going to be a close one. With only eight weeks to go until the election, political strategists have been guessing about all the possible winning combinations for both sides. This article entitled, "Rival Tickets are Redrawing Battlegrounds," talks about possible battleground states for the 2008 election, which seems to be almost every state. The Republican choice of Palin has had some effect in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, but for the Obama campaign, they aren't worried that Palin could potentially bring in women and independent voters.
Although this article seemed to be impartial for the most part, there were several small instances that the New York Times spun it to the left. Other than generally putting more faith in Barak Obama, the wording that is chosen sways the reader to favor the left while understanding the right. For example: McCain has appeal while Obama has broad appeal. And while McCain had a "slow start" on the campaign, Obama isn't forgetting about voters in the strong Republican states.
Palin's religous views
Accessed Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 11:15 p.m.
This article talks about Palin's religious affiliation and how it had affected her life and her political decisions. She was raised in an Assembly of God church. After taking the office of Alaskin Governor, she turned to the pastor of the church for guidance on leading the state. The pastor thought very highly of Palin and her biblical knowledge. She has since started to attend Wassilla Bible Church. The pastor of WBC, Larry Kroon, was quoted as saying that she was a "back bencher rather than a leading light." She has also been quoted as saying that her work as the governor would be hampered "if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God."
To some people this article might confirm Palin as a strong candidate for the vice-presidency. But I feel that overall the NY Times tries to sway voters to think that her religious values and beliefs will affect the way she leads the nation. For many, the literal translation of the Bible is understood as anti-homosexual, anti-abortion, and anti-corruption, and this may make many Democrats nervous. When Kroon was quoted about Palin being a back-bencher, this was probably staged to make her seem as if she was using her religion for publicity instead of trying to stay out of the limelight and putting more focus on God.
This article talks about Palin's religious affiliation and how it had affected her life and her political decisions. She was raised in an Assembly of God church. After taking the office of Alaskin Governor, she turned to the pastor of the church for guidance on leading the state. The pastor thought very highly of Palin and her biblical knowledge. She has since started to attend Wassilla Bible Church. The pastor of WBC, Larry Kroon, was quoted as saying that she was a "back bencher rather than a leading light." She has also been quoted as saying that her work as the governor would be hampered "if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God."
To some people this article might confirm Palin as a strong candidate for the vice-presidency. But I feel that overall the NY Times tries to sway voters to think that her religious values and beliefs will affect the way she leads the nation. For many, the literal translation of the Bible is understood as anti-homosexual, anti-abortion, and anti-corruption, and this may make many Democrats nervous. When Kroon was quoted about Palin being a back-bencher, this was probably staged to make her seem as if she was using her religion for publicity instead of trying to stay out of the limelight and putting more focus on God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)