Bernie Sanders enters the stage

Alot of political news has been about Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush, and Ted Cruz; but recently independent Bernie Sanders announced his bid to run. Vermont sen. Bernie Sanders has made headlines for his stand on being openly against NSA spying. The National Journal article quotes him for saying: “Kids will grow up knowing that every damn thing that they do is going to be recorded some place in a file, and I think that will have a very Orwellian and very inhibiting impact on the way we live our lives,”. he has spent time uncovering. what the NSA has the power to do including that they probably have spied on Congress. The article does a great job in explaining his track record against the NSA, and I think that its a strong opening for the candidate. Being able to not only say you’re against something but show how much you’re against it really will help public opinion. quoting Orwell has strong political rhetoric value as well, nobody wants to compare society with 1984. all in all his bid has been officially announced for just over a week, and anyone who can steal the spotlight from the big names is worth keeping a eye on in my book.

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Power Desire Interest

In this thought-provoking paper by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak the author makes the argument that “Two senses of representation are being run together: representation as “speaking for,” as in politics, and representation as “re-presentation,”as in art or philosophy.” Spivak makes the point that in both politics and economics, the opposing parties remain divided and distant. They use the example of “executive control” which implies both a collective (society) and an individual agent. Who has the control in that situation? Is just the mere fact that we can attain class consciousness enough? The author wrote this paper from the viewpoint of their homeland of India, which, as we Americans know has a social caste system based on class. The more money and prestige that you are born into, the more resources (education, housing, jobs, social networks, etc.) that you have access to. We Americans scoff at this idea. Everyone is created equal! If you work hard, you will achieve the American Dream! We are all told that in every sitcom, every rock song, every Chevy commercial, you know the drill. Are we as a nation that far away from India? If you are born into poverty, is there any way to work out of it? Are we as a nation just being placated with I-phones and big screen TV’s to keep us from questioning our government and their true agenda? In our textbook in Chapter 16, the authors state, “Moral authority rests on voluntary consent. Thus, democracy cannot exist without core, shared values. And political values are the distillation of principals from a systematic order of public beliefs” (p.330). Is the Land of the Free becoming the Land of the Bought and Sold?

~Debbie

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Baltimore Mayor Struggles in Response to Riots

This article on CNN is about Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the riots that are now occurring in the city of Baltimore.  Back when the Ferguson riots were going on, she took part in a panel that worked on ways to help cities in situations like this and what is currently taking place in Baltimore. Many feel that of any big city mayor, she should have been one of the best-prepared mayors in the United States, but that is not the case.  The riots in her city have injured 15 police officers, there is looting gone wild and building in smoke as she struggles to figure out what went wrong.  The media is quite happy to inform everyone on their very narrow view of just exactly what went wrong. In Chapter 5 Denton and Kuypers writes about media and politics, and about traps and clarification that can occur while reporting the news, this is exactly what happened in this situation.  The press is reporting that Rawlings-Blake said one thing and she is stating that she said something very different.  Where the problem lies is her city is having large riots and she sat on a panel to help create ways to avoid these types of situations so that they would not have the same type of outcome as it did in Ferguson, which is the trap. The clarification is what she actually said, what the media actually reported is not the true clarification of what was meant by her statement, and the media is spinning so that they can sell newspapers.

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What to watch at Supreme Court gay marriage arguments

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/28/politics/supreme-court-gay-marriage-arguments/

What to watch at Supreme Court gay marriage arguments

As I write this blog, our Supreme Court is again addressing the argument of same-sex marriage. To date, 32 states have legalized marriage between same sex couples; however, a loss in the Supreme Court today could reverse the strides that have been made for the equality of the LGBTQ Community. Seven out of ten Supreme Court Justices have stated that they are in support of same-sex marriage and it is their task today to enforce the bans that remain in states that continue the discrimination; will all 50 states be forced to comply? The Fourteenth Amendment of our constitution is in question; our country must uphold the law for all states regarding this atrocity. The Christian Coalition and Moral Majority have demoralized American citizens by denying this basic right to couples who have committed their lives, their love, and their financial responsibilities to each other. Marriage is a legal contract; to deny this legal right to same-sex couples only reinforces Christian assimilation. We have to demand the separation of State and Religion to get passed this injustice. According to Denton and Kuypers’ Politics and Communication in America states, “As a nation, our greatest threat is internal, not external. We must stem the growing tide toward political cynicism and despair” (p 334). When Americans view our government as denying the same rights to one group of people when it is clearly legal for others (heterosexuals vs. non-heterosexuals), dissension among the nation occurs. Today’s Supreme Court decision is crucial; much is at stake to ensure equal opportunity is afforded to ALL Americans. “We must find common themes and values that transcend our ever-deepening cultural differences” (p335). Otherwise, bigotry, hate crimes, prejudice and discrimination will continue to plague our “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.” Just once, I would like to see a candidate, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or Independent (WHOEVER!) has the courage to actually represent the many disenfranchised groups in American who have been bullied, ignored, and victimized by the obvious lack of representation in our government. We are not a dichotomous people; we are a collective of many cultures and should never be seen in two separate parties or two separate views. It is high time to recognize the hegemony of this insane type of governance.

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Clinton’s gneder tightrope

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/politics/hillary-clintons-gender-tightrope/index.html

it is apparent that the time could be right for a female president.  That being said, it is imperative that the campaign be run in the correct manner.  it is very apparent though that the media has picked up on this fact.  The term that I am going to refer to here is strategy structure after reading this article, I believe most will agree that the media has turned its attention to the strategy of Hillary’s campaign, they are all about how she is going to spin her use of her gender.  It seems that most of the people around her certainly beleive in her but they seem to be in agreement that she should be careful about over playing the gender card.  I can see what they mean when they say over playing the gender card can be detremental to her campaign.  It can hurt her chances because by showing her strength to the female gender and that she isn’t concerned about the male gender.  The thing that always amazes me with the media is that they are always focused on a candidates strategy and how what the candidate needs to do to win the election as opposed to focusing the candidates view on issues and policies.  It would be better in the publics view if the media focused on what the candidates experince with regards to politics, their political views and what the voters are going to get for political results if they elect this candidate.  Unfortuantely finding out more about a candidate doesn’t sell news it is evidently in the media’s, opinion all about the strategy structure for the campaign not really reporting the news.

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Will Ted Cruz please sit down?

Whatever happened to the separation of church and state? I know that in this country one of the largest image concerns of candidates is whether or not they are religious, which faith they practice and how will that effect the issues they choose to face. But why oh why would you take such a strong stance against something that can largely affect your presidential run? By openly coming out and claiming that gay marriage is something that is considered ‘illegitimate’, you are going to raise some hairs. Introducing bills into that will ultimately protect the states from being ‘forced’ into recognizing gay marriage and then also prevent the federal courts from discussing any further action until an actual amendment is created is unconstitutional. While this will look good on the social issues to conservatives, did he not take into account the conservative gay community? Knowing myself that not every gay person feels this should be a right, a lot of them also don’t have an opinion at all, but I think taking the right away from this community all together may be just the thing that swings them the other way. And where would he go next? To take away a person’s right to marry the person they love, if that’s what they choose, is only a step away from taking away the basic rights that we deserve as humans and Americans. Maybe next he will fight against women’s decisions to their own bodies and then the freedoms of the African American, Native American and Asian American communities. To not recognize a group of people’s right because of one’s beliefs sounds a lot to me like some other leaders this world’s past and present.

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The comedy of politics

My posting this week actually comes from a short video clip compiled by CNN that details some of the awkward and funny shortcomings that often take place within politics. The link to the video can be found here: http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2015/04/16/awkward-politicians-handshakes-hugs-origwx-bw.cnn and it is definitely worth a watch and most likely will warrant a few laughs. The video shows some of the behind the scenes moments that can lead to awkward encounters when members of opposite parties cross paths. Scenes like “awkwardly long photo op” “smile for the cameras” and “awkward bro hug” make the clip and it makes sense because of just how much party members have to cross paths with opposite party members.

I think the biggest take away from this video is the interactions between different parties. Often times we see members from opposite parties interacting with each other but we only see the pretty, edited versions that the media choose to show us. In this video we see the behinds the scenes interactions of people who more than likely really don’t like each other. We see these candidates competing against each other and often times tearing each other down yet at the end of the day they are always supposed to get along and enjoy each other. As most of us know that is not how human interaction works. When someone is constantly attacking us and pointing out our flaws we more than likely do not like that person and we can see some of that in this video. In this video we can see that these interactions may be taken personal more often than not. It makes sense cross party politics can get a little personal and we see that these interactions may harbor some awkward animosity towards each other. A great little video compiled that shows us that politics may be just as personal as it seems.

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One of the most IMPORTANT Supreme Court votes to date is coming up…

Chief Justice John Roberts is under pressure again. Next Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case that may decide the future for same-sax marriage throughout the country. The case of Obergefell v. Hodges is becoming increasingly important and may even help determine the next President of the United States. Roberts has a conservative-leaning track record during his time on the bench. His track record will mean nothing though, come Tuesday. Some may remember how Roberts voted to uphold Obamacare three years ago. Although he has a conservative record, that does not matter in the world of law. According to our textbook, the Supreme Court has three primary functions: to settle disputes; to determine if a group or individual has violated a law; and implementing policy. If it is decided in the vote to allow same-sax marriage, the courts would be in charge of implementing this policy and making the policy all throughout the country.

One thing’s for certain, Chief Justice Roberts will be watched and listened to very, very carefully on Tuesday. Reporters and other people will look for both verbal and nonverbal clues, such as when he is talking or if he makes a gesture.

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CNN/ORC Poll: Economic optimism hits new peak under Obama

CNN is reporting that President Barack Obama’s approval rating is starting to increase toward a more positive outlook for him in the matter of the economy.  This is the first time since May of 2013 that the American people polled say that they now have a more positive impression of how President Obama is handling the presidency.   The poll is however very close 48% approval and 47% disapproval which really does not give much leeway on his standing. If one thing goes, wrong those rating can go right down the toilet and he will be back picking up the pieces.  As we discussed in our readings in chapter 8 about public polling, is that it can play a major influence in the strategy of a campaign.  Either it can be very helpful, or it could make your campaign stagnate.  It also reflects the way that the American people see how well the economy is going.  52% believe it is good while 48% feel it is not so good.  Funny how the way the American people like or dislike the president based on the numbers of how the economy is doing, like he really has anything to do with what is going on with the economy to either make prices go up or down or consumers to buy or sell.  The truly amazing thing is how optimistic the American people are about the upcoming future. CNN polls show that 62% of the people believe that in the next year our economy will be even better shape than it is right now and 38% say they think it might be worst in the next year. Not sure how I feel, but I really am hoping that with graduation coming up in the next two weeks that the 62% optimistic ones are correct.

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EARTH WEEK-Party politics

To whom it may concern,

Since it is Earth week (the week in which earth day is contained) First I would like to encourage everyone reading to do their part.

Then back to the ever so entertaining politics and the topic of climate change. When it comes to politics this topic is something I personally get a kick out of, at least when it is denied. Whether this is because my view on THIS TOPIC is very left, I’m of the millennial generation or maybe because I am a go green activist. On Earth day (Wednesday) Obama had spoke in Florida “We do not have time to deny climate change” in this video/article I found on MSNBC they discuss climate change, Obama’s speech, and Party politics. Obama tried bringing both Democrats and Republicans together by the way he went about talking about this topic. He attempted to reach out to Republicans, who are stereotypically “Climate Change Deniers” by talking about the economic side of it. I applaud his way of using framing and political language to do this. As someone with a science background I will not even attempt why people try to deny global warming, when the signs are so obvious it’s ridiculous. But I will go into what politicians may have to do to get votes. In this video one women Stephanie starts off with “Is climate change an issue for Republicans?”  Meaning as the majority of the American people who believe that climate change is an issue, do Republicans need to start meeting a middle ground in order to even have a chance at winning? Stephanie lists “Young people, women, and the majority of the American public” as people whose votes climate change deniers need to start thinking about if they really want to be president.

I’m sure this may not be a deciding factor for all voters, but maybe it should be.

Climate Change Deniers – Someone who denies there is such a thing as climate change, when half our continent used to be covered in miles thick of ice.

Sincerely,

An Independent with a very ‘left’ view

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