The following is a fictional twittering conversation between John McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt and Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe during the second presidential debate.
Plouffe (0:40)- Why does Tom get to pick the questions?
Schmidt (3:28)- So is he going to answer the question?
Plouffe (7:22)- giving a lot power to an unnamed source?
Schmidt (8:50)- looks like you don’t have anyone either o and you completely ignored the question
Schmidt (10:15)- Does anyone know how this bailout works?
Plouffe (10:16)- I don’t think so.
Schmidt (11:49)- Well aren’t we getting chippy early tonight.
Plouffe (13:00)- There’s chippy for you.
Schmidt (14:25)- O the I don’t point fingers even though I already did.
Plouffe (23:30)- again with the partisan.
Schmidt (24:00)- That’s right you need to be able to multitask when you’re the President.
Schmidt (25:10)- Is your candidate comparing himself to JFK and his race to the moon.
Schmidt (26:38)- You believe this guy rushing are candidates.
Plouffe (26:39)- Tom becomes the moderator and he thinks he’s The Almighty.
Plouffe (28:10)- That’s not going to be too popular
Schmidt (28:11)- Doesn’t matter he’s a straight talker.
Schmidt (33:10)- He’s a doctor now.
Schmidt (35:27)- Yes, that’s the point we want to get across!
Plouffe (36:00)- Tom! Let him respond.
Schmidt (37:00)- So he’s already serving two terms.
Plouffe (37:34)- Sounds better then your plan.
Plouffe (39:25)- Is that cause he can’t respond
Schmidt (40:14) Looks like he’s responding right now.
Schmidt (42:40) Good John keep separating yourself from Bush.
Plouffe (44:10) These are great points by Barack.
Plouffe (45:10) 23! Really? Ouch!
Schmidt (45:12) That’s misrepresenting the numbers.
Plouffe (45:16) You guys haven’t done that.
Plouffe (46:20) Brokaw’s has jokes.
Schmidt (46:21) Your candidate blames mine, surprise, sure the media will too.
Schmidt (47:46) Look at john cracking Tom up.
Plouffe (49:12) Where is your candidate walking too.
Plouffe (1:24:48) Well I think we did pretty well again.
Schmidt (1:25:56) I think John won the debate.
Plouffe (1:26:02) I think Barack won. We’ll see what the polls say.
Schmidt (1:26:18) I’ll talk to you during the third debate.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Slacker Uprising By Nicole Pedoto .
What does it take to get over 21 million college students to vote? The answer is clean underwear and Ramen noodles. In 2004 documenter Michael Moore campaigned around the country to 62 college campuses located in swing states, handing out these items in return for the students’ promise to vote in the election that year. Moore, with his trusty camera crew only a few steps behind, compiled his findings to create “Slacker Uprising” a documentary so mind-blowing he released it for free on the internet.
Understanding the promise of clean clothing and food is enticing for college students, it seemed as though the students may have attended Moore's rally for more than just free dinner, or the chance to put off their laundry for just one more day. Some of these slackers actually felt strongly about the message Moore was trying to portray, while others were quick to protest his presence on their campus. While students opinions on the filmmaker were split, those most opposed to Michael Moore were republican supports trying to bribe the student event coordinators with up to $100,000 to cancel Moore’s appearance . All but one college campus showed they could not be bought out by rejecting the hefty offer. With the exception of California State University- San Marcos, who cancelled the event on campus, and moved it to a bigger arena close by, as a way of “sticking it” to their administration.
Moore’s campaigning swayed 54 out of the 62 college campuses to vote against public enemy number one the Bush Administration. It did him no good seeing as they are still in power today. Maybe next time Moore should spend less time focusing on the slackers, who will attend anything for a free meal, and focus on persuading his own generation.
Understanding the promise of clean clothing and food is enticing for college students, it seemed as though the students may have attended Moore's rally for more than just free dinner, or the chance to put off their laundry for just one more day. Some of these slackers actually felt strongly about the message Moore was trying to portray, while others were quick to protest his presence on their campus. While students opinions on the filmmaker were split, those most opposed to Michael Moore were republican supports trying to bribe the student event coordinators with up to $100,000 to cancel Moore’s appearance . All but one college campus showed they could not be bought out by rejecting the hefty offer. With the exception of California State University- San Marcos, who cancelled the event on campus, and moved it to a bigger arena close by, as a way of “sticking it” to their administration.
Moore’s campaigning swayed 54 out of the 62 college campuses to vote against public enemy number one the Bush Administration. It did him no good seeing as they are still in power today. Maybe next time Moore should spend less time focusing on the slackers, who will attend anything for a free meal, and focus on persuading his own generation.
A Republican's Take on Sean Hannity's Show By Matt Pellicane
Recently, FoxNews anchor Sean Hannity produced a show entitled "Obama and Friends: History of Radicalism." (A full length video of the show can be found at the end of this post.) The documentary showcases Barack Obama beginning with his college years and going up until the present times. The entire show is dedicated to showing various controversial figures that Barack Obama has ties to. Democrats probably did not take kindly to Mr. Hannity's program, but don't the American people have a right to know the truth about Mr. Obama?
The program begins with a look at Obama's college years, something he has been very tight-lipped about. He studied at Columbia University as well as Harvard Law School. Khalid al-Mansour, a known radical extremist with ties to the Saudi government, aided Barack Obama in being accepted into the prestigious law school. This is where the suspicions of Obama's companions begins.
Following his college experience, Obama worked as a community organizer for the Chicago-based Gamaliel Foundation. The organization is founded on the principles of Saul Alinsky, who many consider the "godfather of community organizing." His philosophy was basically manipulating people into following a particular course of action that he wanted them to take. If Barack Obama took anything from Alinsky's teachings, is he the man that we want to be our next president?
In the program, we also learn that Obama had a relationship with William Ayers. For those who don't know, William Ayers was the leader of the 1960's anti-American terrorist group the "Weather Underground." This group plotted terrorist attacks against the U.S. Capitol building, the Pentagon, and the NYPD headquarters just to name a few. Ayers and Obama worked together for the Woods Fund of Chicago, a non-profit group. Again we see Barack Obama working in close quarters with an extremely controversial figure. Of course, this is not the same man we see campaigning across the nation, or is it?
Hannity's program also looks at Mr. Obama's relationship with his now former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Wright was Obama's pastor for over twenty years. Wright preaches liberation theology and is shown in the program shouting "God damn America" during one of his sermons. Obama is quoted in the program saying that Wright was like family to him. Although Obama has resigned from Wright's church, how can Americans believe that he is going to disown someone who is like family to him?
The last segment Hannity's program deals with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Obama worked closely with this group during his time as a community organizer. Some people consider this group to be the largest radical group in the nation. ACORN deals with helping low-income families and neighborhoods. ACORN uses crooked tactics and intimidation to achieve what they desire. Currently, ACORN is under investigation for voter fraud. While Obama was a community organizer, the former head of the organization asked Obama to train the ACORN staff. Mr. Obama also was the attorney for ACORN in some of their legal cases. No wonder we never hear Mr. Obama speak of his association with this group. However, the American people have Sean Hannity to thank for bringing it to their attention.
Some may see this program as an unfair attack on Barack Obama. However, if this man is going to be the next President of the United States of American, shouldn't the American people have the right to know who he really is and where has come from? Americans need to know this man's background before they vote him into the White House.
The program begins with a look at Obama's college years, something he has been very tight-lipped about. He studied at Columbia University as well as Harvard Law School. Khalid al-Mansour, a known radical extremist with ties to the Saudi government, aided Barack Obama in being accepted into the prestigious law school. This is where the suspicions of Obama's companions begins.
Following his college experience, Obama worked as a community organizer for the Chicago-based Gamaliel Foundation. The organization is founded on the principles of Saul Alinsky, who many consider the "godfather of community organizing." His philosophy was basically manipulating people into following a particular course of action that he wanted them to take. If Barack Obama took anything from Alinsky's teachings, is he the man that we want to be our next president?
In the program, we also learn that Obama had a relationship with William Ayers. For those who don't know, William Ayers was the leader of the 1960's anti-American terrorist group the "Weather Underground." This group plotted terrorist attacks against the U.S. Capitol building, the Pentagon, and the NYPD headquarters just to name a few. Ayers and Obama worked together for the Woods Fund of Chicago, a non-profit group. Again we see Barack Obama working in close quarters with an extremely controversial figure. Of course, this is not the same man we see campaigning across the nation, or is it?
Hannity's program also looks at Mr. Obama's relationship with his now former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Wright was Obama's pastor for over twenty years. Wright preaches liberation theology and is shown in the program shouting "God damn America" during one of his sermons. Obama is quoted in the program saying that Wright was like family to him. Although Obama has resigned from Wright's church, how can Americans believe that he is going to disown someone who is like family to him?
The last segment Hannity's program deals with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Obama worked closely with this group during his time as a community organizer. Some people consider this group to be the largest radical group in the nation. ACORN deals with helping low-income families and neighborhoods. ACORN uses crooked tactics and intimidation to achieve what they desire. Currently, ACORN is under investigation for voter fraud. While Obama was a community organizer, the former head of the organization asked Obama to train the ACORN staff. Mr. Obama also was the attorney for ACORN in some of their legal cases. No wonder we never hear Mr. Obama speak of his association with this group. However, the American people have Sean Hannity to thank for bringing it to their attention.
Some may see this program as an unfair attack on Barack Obama. However, if this man is going to be the next President of the United States of American, shouldn't the American people have the right to know who he really is and where has come from? Americans need to know this man's background before they vote him into the White House.
Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi on the 2008 Election by Dianne Taryla
Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi on the 2008 Election
The times are tough now, just getting tougher
The old world is rough, it’s just getting rougher
Yesterday the people were at ease
Once the family felt secure
Now no one’s very sure
Your world keeps turnin’ ‘round and ‘round
But everything is upside down
There’s a different kind of meaning now
To livin’ on a prayer
Some don’t seem to notice
And the rest don’t seem to care
Its gonna be a long walk home
Woke up Election Day, skies gunpowder and shades of gray
We’d marked truth or consequence on our map
From the White House to the Alleys
From the President to Long Tall Sally
That’s gonna make history
You can read it in the papers
Its gonna be a long walk home
Walking in the footsteps of society’s lies
I don’t like what I see no more, sometimes I wish that I was blind
Sometimes I wait forever to stand out in the rain
So no one sees me cryin’, trying to wash away the pain
And it isn’t black and white
And it’s anything but grey
Anything can, everything can happen
It all falls apart with no warning
Don’t ask the past to last; it’s about to change
Its gonna be a long walk home
There’s a war outside still raging
I’ve been out on the front line
Where you’ll go down if you waste time
They’ll walk all over you
There are wars that can’t be won
Its gonna be a long walk home
But lately there ain’t been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
When times get crazy
It’s up and down, it’s hot and cold
These complications just keep on coming
Seems like hard times come easy
We do a lot of hangin’ on these days
Its gonna be a long walk home
It’s your last chance in this lifetime
The line forms at the rear
You won’t believe your eyes
Your eyes will not believe your ears
There’s treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Its gonna be a long walk home
And we’ll make our home in the American Land
http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html
The times are tough now, just getting tougher
The old world is rough, it’s just getting rougher
Yesterday the people were at ease
Once the family felt secure
Now no one’s very sure
Your world keeps turnin’ ‘round and ‘round
But everything is upside down
There’s a different kind of meaning now
To livin’ on a prayer
Some don’t seem to notice
And the rest don’t seem to care
Its gonna be a long walk home
Woke up Election Day, skies gunpowder and shades of gray
We’d marked truth or consequence on our map
From the White House to the Alleys
From the President to Long Tall Sally
That’s gonna make history
You can read it in the papers
Its gonna be a long walk home
Walking in the footsteps of society’s lies
I don’t like what I see no more, sometimes I wish that I was blind
Sometimes I wait forever to stand out in the rain
So no one sees me cryin’, trying to wash away the pain
And it isn’t black and white
And it’s anything but grey
Anything can, everything can happen
It all falls apart with no warning
Don’t ask the past to last; it’s about to change
Its gonna be a long walk home
There’s a war outside still raging
I’ve been out on the front line
Where you’ll go down if you waste time
They’ll walk all over you
There are wars that can’t be won
Its gonna be a long walk home
But lately there ain’t been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
When times get crazy
It’s up and down, it’s hot and cold
These complications just keep on coming
Seems like hard times come easy
We do a lot of hangin’ on these days
Its gonna be a long walk home
It’s your last chance in this lifetime
The line forms at the rear
You won’t believe your eyes
Your eyes will not believe your ears
There’s treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Its gonna be a long walk home
And we’ll make our home in the American Land
http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html
How Fair is the Electoral College After All? by Bobby Schilling
How Fair is the Electoral College After All?
Interested in seeing how this 2008 election is going? Wondering who’s got the advantage as they head down the home stretch? Even who is predicted to take control of the White House? Stop right there. FiveThirtyEight.com has all the answers you are looking for. It even has breakdowns by state, popular vote, electoral vote, you name it. What’s the percentage McCain has of winning New Hampshire? It’s on there, 8%. How about Obama winning North Carolina? 34%. The website has all different types of scenarios and the likelihood of each coming true.
The most noticeable statistics are the pie charts of popular vote, electoral vote, and win percentage. I was thinking to myself how interesting these charts are, and it made me realize how unfair they are. The popular vote gives the slight edge to Obama, then the electoral vote more blue (democratic), and the win percentage almost entirely blue.
This graphic demonstration represents a fundamental flaw in the electoral college. The overall popular vote is going to be tight, but Obama’s chances of winning are almost guaranteed. It’s like two evenly matched teams playing each other with a huge point spread. For example, if the Cowboys play the Giants and one of the teams is getting 20 points. It doesn’t make any sense. That’s the problem with the electoral vote, and this visual makes it obvious.
There’s all the commercial and television campaigns encouraging people to vote and that every vote counts, but what’s the point of a republican living in Massachusetts voting? What’s his incentive? His candidate isn’t going to get anything out of his vote. Maybe the electoral college should distribute its votes based upon percent of popular votes in each state. So if McCain only gets 7 or 8% of the vote in Massachusetts, as least he’ll get one of the electoral votes. I’m just saying, let’s eliminate that point spread.
Interested in seeing how this 2008 election is going? Wondering who’s got the advantage as they head down the home stretch? Even who is predicted to take control of the White House? Stop right there. FiveThirtyEight.com has all the answers you are looking for. It even has breakdowns by state, popular vote, electoral vote, you name it. What’s the percentage McCain has of winning New Hampshire? It’s on there, 8%. How about Obama winning North Carolina? 34%. The website has all different types of scenarios and the likelihood of each coming true.
The most noticeable statistics are the pie charts of popular vote, electoral vote, and win percentage. I was thinking to myself how interesting these charts are, and it made me realize how unfair they are. The popular vote gives the slight edge to Obama, then the electoral vote more blue (democratic), and the win percentage almost entirely blue.
This graphic demonstration represents a fundamental flaw in the electoral college. The overall popular vote is going to be tight, but Obama’s chances of winning are almost guaranteed. It’s like two evenly matched teams playing each other with a huge point spread. For example, if the Cowboys play the Giants and one of the teams is getting 20 points. It doesn’t make any sense. That’s the problem with the electoral vote, and this visual makes it obvious.
There’s all the commercial and television campaigns encouraging people to vote and that every vote counts, but what’s the point of a republican living in Massachusetts voting? What’s his incentive? His candidate isn’t going to get anything out of his vote. Maybe the electoral college should distribute its votes based upon percent of popular votes in each state. So if McCain only gets 7 or 8% of the vote in Massachusetts, as least he’ll get one of the electoral votes. I’m just saying, let’s eliminate that point spread.
SNL Influencing The Election by Aaron Tanguay
Since the early days of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” one of the easiest targets have been politicians, most notably presidents and presidential candidates. In the early days it was George Bush and a common favorite Ross Perot. During the Clinton administration there were plenty of opportunities to create these parodies as he faced many controversial situations. Recently there has been a much larger rise in comical parodies of candidates and politicians during the most recent Bush administration. George W. Bush has become a very easy and often used target for these shows and most recently Frank Caliendo’s “Frank TV”.
As the race for office heats up in the presidential race so have the parodies. In the last couple weeks SNL has targeted vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, especially since her less than stellar interview with Katie Couric on CBS Evening News. Tina Fey who plays Palin, frequently gave answers not necessarily pertaining to the question and also in a skit imitating the Vice Presidential Debate often used the phrase “maverick” when referring to the McCain-Palin campaign, a term that has been quite frequently by the two.
But do these skits affect the election? While a vast majority of the SNL audience is younger people, many of its viewers will be voting for the first time, and with youth also comes a lack of knowledge when it comes to politics. “I don’t know much about politics and if it wasn’t for shows like SNL or The Daily Show and Colbert Report, I wouldn’t know anything,” said University of Southern Maine junior Anthony Dahms. This puts these shows in a position where they have the ability to persuade voters, giving a great deal of responsibility to these shows.
Another large aspect of these parodies is the rise of youtube. Now these skits are available anytime, not just during the air time. Some students do believe that these skits alter the way people vote. “I think the viral videos on youtube have a large effect because they reach a wide audience,” said Quinnipiac junior Mike Nairn. While students like Nairn feel that they do influence some others just believe it alters people’s perception of the candidates.
“I don’t think they necessarily influences the way people vote but it definitely distorts the candidate’s image,” says junior Greg House.
Whether or not it’s influencing the actual vote of the people watching these shows it is definitely creating an image of the candidates that because of the comedy associating with that image leaves a lasting perception.
As the race for office heats up in the presidential race so have the parodies. In the last couple weeks SNL has targeted vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, especially since her less than stellar interview with Katie Couric on CBS Evening News. Tina Fey who plays Palin, frequently gave answers not necessarily pertaining to the question and also in a skit imitating the Vice Presidential Debate often used the phrase “maverick” when referring to the McCain-Palin campaign, a term that has been quite frequently by the two.
But do these skits affect the election? While a vast majority of the SNL audience is younger people, many of its viewers will be voting for the first time, and with youth also comes a lack of knowledge when it comes to politics. “I don’t know much about politics and if it wasn’t for shows like SNL or The Daily Show and Colbert Report, I wouldn’t know anything,” said University of Southern Maine junior Anthony Dahms. This puts these shows in a position where they have the ability to persuade voters, giving a great deal of responsibility to these shows.
Another large aspect of these parodies is the rise of youtube. Now these skits are available anytime, not just during the air time. Some students do believe that these skits alter the way people vote. “I think the viral videos on youtube have a large effect because they reach a wide audience,” said Quinnipiac junior Mike Nairn. While students like Nairn feel that they do influence some others just believe it alters people’s perception of the candidates.
“I don’t think they necessarily influences the way people vote but it definitely distorts the candidate’s image,” says junior Greg House.
Whether or not it’s influencing the actual vote of the people watching these shows it is definitely creating an image of the candidates that because of the comedy associating with that image leaves a lasting perception.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Campaign Finance by Scott Sheahan
Obama owns about 2/3 of the total funds raised for the 2008 election, as of August 31st. Obama has raised about 470 million dollars for this election. It is nearly twice what McCain has at 225 million dollars.
Obama is supported mainly by California, New York and Illinois; while McCain is receiving most of his aid from Florida, Texas and California.
As expect the retired people are McCain's largest supporters and McCain has the edge over Obama with the oil and gas industry. Obama is mainly supported retired people, laywers and law firms and educators. Interestingly Obama leads McCain in areas that would be considered more Republican professions, such as real estate, business and finance.
Administration and media are the two expenses of the two main candidates. Obama has spent about 152 million on media and 112 million on administration. McCain has spent similar amounts on both, about 54 million for administration and the media.
With both candidates being able to spend a large amount of money on media, it will be interesting to see what effects that will have on the debates and how many of the independent candidates will be able to join the debates.
Obama is supported mainly by California, New York and Illinois; while McCain is receiving most of his aid from Florida, Texas and California.
As expect the retired people are McCain's largest supporters and McCain has the edge over Obama with the oil and gas industry. Obama is mainly supported retired people, laywers and law firms and educators. Interestingly Obama leads McCain in areas that would be considered more Republican professions, such as real estate, business and finance.
Administration and media are the two expenses of the two main candidates. Obama has spent about 152 million on media and 112 million on administration. McCain has spent similar amounts on both, about 54 million for administration and the media.
With both candidates being able to spend a large amount of money on media, it will be interesting to see what effects that will have on the debates and how many of the independent candidates will be able to join the debates.
Quinnipiac Polls Show Palin helping McCain in Swing States by Dean Neligan
The Quinnipiac Polling Institute is famous for its accurate and thorough surveys. The New York Post selected the Quinnipiac poll a winner for the most accurate prediction on the Schumer-D'Amato Senate race in 1998. The polls results are featured regularly in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and on national network news broadcasts.
With a presidential election just a few months away, the Polling Institute has provided many surveys gauging which way the election will go. Two recent surveys show Vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin giving McCain a boost in several key swing states since being named as his running-mate.
The polls shows Palin giving McCain a two to three point boost in the states of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Michigan. While, in Minnesota and Wisconsin she has given him a huge 12 and six point boosts respectively. Obama still maintains a slight lead in all of these states with the exception of Florida. The polls found the main reason for Obama’s lead is the demand for change.
Despite the gains from McCain, Peter Brown, Assistant Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, still gives an edge to the democratic ticket.
“With a lousy economy, an unpopular war and an even less Republican president, it’s difficult to find voters who don’t want change.”
With a presidential election just a few months away, the Polling Institute has provided many surveys gauging which way the election will go. Two recent surveys show Vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin giving McCain a boost in several key swing states since being named as his running-mate.
The polls shows Palin giving McCain a two to three point boost in the states of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Michigan. While, in Minnesota and Wisconsin she has given him a huge 12 and six point boosts respectively. Obama still maintains a slight lead in all of these states with the exception of Florida. The polls found the main reason for Obama’s lead is the demand for change.
Despite the gains from McCain, Peter Brown, Assistant Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, still gives an edge to the democratic ticket.
“With a lousy economy, an unpopular war and an even less Republican president, it’s difficult to find voters who don’t want change.”
McCain and Obama mudslinging ads by Dean Neligan
The 2008 election has been full of each presidential candidate making harsh accusations about the other. The television campaign ads have been called into question by both sides.
The Huffington Post headline read, “Gutter Politics: McCain Campaign Called Out For Half-Truths” in response to one of McCain’s ads against Obama. In the add in question, the McCain ad said Obama agreed to teaching kindergarteners about sex education.
Obama responded, “It is shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited political attack.”
This is just one example of the half-truths that have been spun in ads this far. Obama did the same in his most recent ad as well. In the ad, he portrays McCain as old and out of touch but doesn’t mention that the Arizona Senator’s war injuries are what actually prevent him from using computers for an extended period.
Obama’s own running-mate Joe Biden said, “making fun of John McCain’s inability to use a computer, I thought that was terrible.”
Biden said if he had known about it they wouldn’t have done it. However, he did go on to say he did not believe the ad was intentionally personal and was not nearly as bad as the McCain ads.
Obama’s most recent ad defends himself from accusations made by McCain and point the “sleaziness” and “half-truths” by McCain as the only negative parts.
Nonetheless, with so much name calling already, the 2008 election has taken on a very negative vibe and it will be interesting to see if new ads continue to go in the same direction or try to take on a more positive light.
The Huffington Post headline read, “Gutter Politics: McCain Campaign Called Out For Half-Truths” in response to one of McCain’s ads against Obama. In the add in question, the McCain ad said Obama agreed to teaching kindergarteners about sex education.
Obama responded, “It is shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited political attack.”
This is just one example of the half-truths that have been spun in ads this far. Obama did the same in his most recent ad as well. In the ad, he portrays McCain as old and out of touch but doesn’t mention that the Arizona Senator’s war injuries are what actually prevent him from using computers for an extended period.
Obama’s own running-mate Joe Biden said, “making fun of John McCain’s inability to use a computer, I thought that was terrible.”
Biden said if he had known about it they wouldn’t have done it. However, he did go on to say he did not believe the ad was intentionally personal and was not nearly as bad as the McCain ads.
Obama’s most recent ad defends himself from accusations made by McCain and point the “sleaziness” and “half-truths” by McCain as the only negative parts.
Nonetheless, with so much name calling already, the 2008 election has taken on a very negative vibe and it will be interesting to see if new ads continue to go in the same direction or try to take on a more positive light.
McCain and Obama mudslinging ads by Dean Neligan
The 2008 election has been full of each presidential candidate making harsh accusations about the other. The television campaign ads have been called into question by both sides.
The Huffington Post headline read, “Gutter Politics: McCain Campaign Called Out For Half-Truths” in response to one of McCain’s ads against Obama. In the add in question, the McCain ad said Obama agreed to teaching kindergarteners about sex education.
Obama responded, “It is shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited political attack.”
This is just one example of the half-truths that have been spun in ads this far. Obama did the same in his most recent ad as well. In the ad, he portrays McCain as old and out of touch but doesn’t mention that the Arizona Senator’s war injuries are what actually prevent him from using computers for an extended period.
Obama’s own running-mate Joe Biden said, “making fun of John McCain’s inability to use a computer, I thought that was terrible.”
Biden said if he had known about it they wouldn’t have done it. However, he did go on to say he did not believe the ad was intentionally personal and was not nearly as bad as the McCain ads.
Obama’s most recent ad defends himself from accusations made by McCain and point the “sleaziness” and “half-truths” by McCain as the only negative parts.
Nonetheless, with so much name calling already, the 2008 election has taken on a very negative vibe and it will be interesting to see if new ads continue to go in the same direction or try to take on a more positive light.
The Huffington Post headline read, “Gutter Politics: McCain Campaign Called Out For Half-Truths” in response to one of McCain’s ads against Obama. In the add in question, the McCain ad said Obama agreed to teaching kindergarteners about sex education.
Obama responded, “It is shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited political attack.”
This is just one example of the half-truths that have been spun in ads this far. Obama did the same in his most recent ad as well. In the ad, he portrays McCain as old and out of touch but doesn’t mention that the Arizona Senator’s war injuries are what actually prevent him from using computers for an extended period.
Obama’s own running-mate Joe Biden said, “making fun of John McCain’s inability to use a computer, I thought that was terrible.”
Biden said if he had known about it they wouldn’t have done it. However, he did go on to say he did not believe the ad was intentionally personal and was not nearly as bad as the McCain ads.
Obama’s most recent ad defends himself from accusations made by McCain and point the “sleaziness” and “half-truths” by McCain as the only negative parts.
Nonetheless, with so much name calling already, the 2008 election has taken on a very negative vibe and it will be interesting to see if new ads continue to go in the same direction or try to take on a more positive light.
Rock the Vote by Nicole Pedoto
“Options are the fruit of life. Take advantage of them” were the parting words of Cyrus, a participant from the Real World Boston as he closed the event Rock the Vote last Friday at Quinnipiac University. Rock the Vote is an MTV run event hosted on college campuses nationwide.
The event takes place during election years. Its purpose is to encourage college students to get involved in political issues, and understand the importance of voting. This year’s representatives, Brooke and Cyrus have been traveling the country to numerous college campuses to spread the word of how important voting really is.
Rock the Vote is not just about the significance of the right to vote, instead it is a way for college students to not only educate themselves, but interactively share their opinions on crucial political issues. A question and answer portion of the event allows students to introduce a certain political issue, and then discuss with the two reality stars all their feelings on the topic. Rather than a lecture, Rock the Vote is a debate between college students and the hosts.
Brooke and Cyrus also got a chance to talk about their issues of importance, some of which include healthcare, economy, and the environment. By at first stating their fears and concerns about these issues, the two opened the floor to the students who openly stated their views on the topics as well.
Altogether the event was a success. The turnout was surprising for the University, being that Quinnipiac is the second most apathetic college campus in America according to the Princeton Review. The students who feel strongly about political concerns and who truly want to educate themselves made it a point to attend, participate, learn, and most importantly be a part of something.
The event takes place during election years. Its purpose is to encourage college students to get involved in political issues, and understand the importance of voting. This year’s representatives, Brooke and Cyrus have been traveling the country to numerous college campuses to spread the word of how important voting really is.
Rock the Vote is not just about the significance of the right to vote, instead it is a way for college students to not only educate themselves, but interactively share their opinions on crucial political issues. A question and answer portion of the event allows students to introduce a certain political issue, and then discuss with the two reality stars all their feelings on the topic. Rather than a lecture, Rock the Vote is a debate between college students and the hosts.
Brooke and Cyrus also got a chance to talk about their issues of importance, some of which include healthcare, economy, and the environment. By at first stating their fears and concerns about these issues, the two opened the floor to the students who openly stated their views on the topics as well.
Altogether the event was a success. The turnout was surprising for the University, being that Quinnipiac is the second most apathetic college campus in America according to the Princeton Review. The students who feel strongly about political concerns and who truly want to educate themselves made it a point to attend, participate, learn, and most importantly be a part of something.
Do Personal Assets Affect Student Voting? by Nicole Pedoto
According to MSNBC Republican presidential candidate John McCain has called fellow Americans “A nation of whiners” when discussing the current housing crisis. During an interview with Politico back in August McCain could not even recall how many houses his wife and himself own. It was later released that the McCain’s own a total of seven homes across America.
Website, Prosebeforehos has recorded Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is worth 25 times more than the average American household. Even with this being true Obama still has the lowest assets of all candidates.
Six Quinnipiac students were informed about the total assets of both McCain and Obama. The students were then asked if the knowledge of these assets and would affect their vote come election time. Four out of the six said no.
Junior, Samantha Bastoni said “Considering the economic situation that our country is presently in McCain should not be calling Americans a nation of whiners. The number of houses he has will not affect my voting. However, his view of American citizens will.”
Students felt stronger about McCain’s view of the public rather than his personal assets. According to the students Obama’s possession of significantly less assets would not affect their vote either.
Tristan Blank, junior at the university, said “It doesn’t matter whether Obama has less or more assets than McCain, what matters is how they plan on bettering our economy.”
Not all students felt this way. Junior Laura Murphy said her vote would be affected by the assets of the candidates. “Not knowing how many houses you have is ridiculous. Even though being wealthy and being able to manage money well shouldn’t affect my views of the candidates, it does. How do you expect to run a country if you can’t even keep track of your houses?”
Website, Prosebeforehos has recorded Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is worth 25 times more than the average American household. Even with this being true Obama still has the lowest assets of all candidates.
Six Quinnipiac students were informed about the total assets of both McCain and Obama. The students were then asked if the knowledge of these assets and would affect their vote come election time. Four out of the six said no.
Junior, Samantha Bastoni said “Considering the economic situation that our country is presently in McCain should not be calling Americans a nation of whiners. The number of houses he has will not affect my voting. However, his view of American citizens will.”
Students felt stronger about McCain’s view of the public rather than his personal assets. According to the students Obama’s possession of significantly less assets would not affect their vote either.
Tristan Blank, junior at the university, said “It doesn’t matter whether Obama has less or more assets than McCain, what matters is how they plan on bettering our economy.”
Not all students felt this way. Junior Laura Murphy said her vote would be affected by the assets of the candidates. “Not knowing how many houses you have is ridiculous. Even though being wealthy and being able to manage money well shouldn’t affect my views of the candidates, it does. How do you expect to run a country if you can’t even keep track of your houses?”
Scandals Surround 2008 Election by Tyler Chaput
There are many scandals tied up in this upcoming presidential election. One involving Sen. Barrack Obama’s pastor, Jeremiah Wright earlier this year criticized the United States for bringing terrorist attack to this country because of their own “terrorism.” According to Brian Ross and Rehab El-Buri of , there have been multiple accounts of Wright criticizing his country of citizenship (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788). According to Ross and El-Buri, following the September 11 terrorist attacks Wright said in a sermon, "We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye."
Obama has said that he does not always agree with what Wright has to say. He states that it sounds as though Wright is simply trying to incite controversy. Sen. Obama says he does respect Wright's "social gospels" and views towards Africa.
Another scandal has occurred in recently involving Sen. John McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin. Controversy arose when former Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan claimed he was fired by Palin after he refused to fire Palin's ex-brother-in-law and State Trooper, Mark Wooten. According to Monegan, there was a family matter involving the Palins and Wooten that could not be resolved and thus, Palin requested Monegan to dismiss Wooten from duty. Rhonda Schwartz and Justin Rood from http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 report that it was Monegan's poor performance that was ground for his firing.
Both of these "scandals" could spur voters to sway one way or another. Controversy still surrounds both situations, but only time will tell if the scandals affect one political icon more than the other.
Obama has said that he does not always agree with what Wright has to say. He states that it sounds as though Wright is simply trying to incite controversy. Sen. Obama says he does respect Wright's "social gospels" and views towards Africa.
Another scandal has occurred in recently involving Sen. John McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin. Controversy arose when former Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan claimed he was fired by Palin after he refused to fire Palin's ex-brother-in-law and State Trooper, Mark Wooten. According to Monegan, there was a family matter involving the Palins and Wooten that could not be resolved and thus, Palin requested Monegan to dismiss Wooten from duty. Rhonda Schwartz and Justin Rood from http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 report that it was Monegan's poor performance that was ground for his firing.
Both of these "scandals" could spur voters to sway one way or another. Controversy still surrounds both situations, but only time will tell if the scandals affect one political icon more than the other.
Where McCain and Obama Stand on the Bailout: by Tyler Chaput and Matt Pellicane
As Americans are still trying to figure out the pros and cons of the proposed “bailout”, Sen. John McCain is attempting to decide his stance on the bailout plan. With Election Day looming, McCain’s decision could play a sizeable role in the minds of voters.
On one hand, conservative Republicans are reluctant to contributing a large amount of taxpayer’s money to the crisis on Wall Street. On the other hand, the White House, along with Democrats and Republicans, believes that the bailout is needed to divert a “potential economic disaster.”http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/26/america/26campaign.php?page=2?pass=true
McCain needs the support of conservative Republicans. It took them awhile to come around to McCain, but the selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate made them buy into his candidacy. Otherwise, he could possibly lose their votes which would be a big blow to his chances at becoming the next president.
McCain is adamant that the bailout includes a group that observes the treasury secretary, and limits the compensations of executives of financial institutions applying for loans. https://mail.quinnipiac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=013ee892631642749d046cefef31e443&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.msnbc.msn.com%2fid%2f26940815%2f
The other presidential candidate for the upcoming election, Sen. Barrack Obama, completely disagrees with how President Bush and his administration are going about their bailout plan. As it stands, the current plan would have taxpayers give money and have decreased benefits. These benefits would in turn go to high-paid executives that are involved in the bailout.
Obama said of the current bailout plan, “It is wholly unreasonable to expect that American taxpayers would or should hand this administration or any administration a $700 billion blank check with absolutely no oversight or conditions when a lack of oversight in Washington and on Wall Street is exactly what got us into this mess.”
In order for the bailout to work, Obama believes the plan must be outlined by four principles:
1. A ban on generous payouts for "irresponsible CEOs on Wall Street."
2. Using a bipartisan independent board to oversee the bailout’s execution instead of Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, having sole control.
3. An investor stake for taxpayers.
4. Assisting those in danger of being foreclosed on.
According to Shailagh Murray of the Washington Post, Obama also would call for a stimulus package. However, this package would be omitted from the bailout bill.
In the current plan either the taxpayers or financial system will suffer. Obama says, “It is absolutely wrong to suggest that we cannot protect American taxpayers while still stabilizing our market and saving our financial system from collapse. We can and must do both.”
On Monday September 29, both John McCain and Barack Obama decided to carefully endorse President Bush’s projected bailout plan. This plan allows the administration to use billions of dollars that belong to taxpayers, in order buy the falling properties of the troubled financial firms.
On one hand, conservative Republicans are reluctant to contributing a large amount of taxpayer’s money to the crisis on Wall Street. On the other hand, the White House, along with Democrats and Republicans, believes that the bailout is needed to divert a “potential economic disaster.”http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/26/america/26campaign.php?page=2?pass=true
McCain needs the support of conservative Republicans. It took them awhile to come around to McCain, but the selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate made them buy into his candidacy. Otherwise, he could possibly lose their votes which would be a big blow to his chances at becoming the next president.
McCain is adamant that the bailout includes a group that observes the treasury secretary, and limits the compensations of executives of financial institutions applying for loans. https://mail.quinnipiac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=013ee892631642749d046cefef31e443&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.msnbc.msn.com%2fid%2f26940815%2f
The other presidential candidate for the upcoming election, Sen. Barrack Obama, completely disagrees with how President Bush and his administration are going about their bailout plan. As it stands, the current plan would have taxpayers give money and have decreased benefits. These benefits would in turn go to high-paid executives that are involved in the bailout.
Obama said of the current bailout plan, “It is wholly unreasonable to expect that American taxpayers would or should hand this administration or any administration a $700 billion blank check with absolutely no oversight or conditions when a lack of oversight in Washington and on Wall Street is exactly what got us into this mess.”
In order for the bailout to work, Obama believes the plan must be outlined by four principles:
1. A ban on generous payouts for "irresponsible CEOs on Wall Street."
2. Using a bipartisan independent board to oversee the bailout’s execution instead of Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, having sole control.
3. An investor stake for taxpayers.
4. Assisting those in danger of being foreclosed on.
According to Shailagh Murray of the Washington Post, Obama also would call for a stimulus package. However, this package would be omitted from the bailout bill.
In the current plan either the taxpayers or financial system will suffer. Obama says, “It is absolutely wrong to suggest that we cannot protect American taxpayers while still stabilizing our market and saving our financial system from collapse. We can and must do both.”
On Monday September 29, both John McCain and Barack Obama decided to carefully endorse President Bush’s projected bailout plan. This plan allows the administration to use billions of dollars that belong to taxpayers, in order buy the falling properties of the troubled financial firms.
DeLauro Running for Tenth Term by Eric Peterson
Rosa DeLauro knows a thing or two about the election process. After all, she's been running, and winning, since her inaugural race in 1991.
This Fall, DeLauro will be running for a tenth term to represent the third congressional district of Connecticut in the United States House of Representatives. The Democrat has virtually not been challenged competitively since 1991, when she defeated Thomas Scott with 52 percent of the vote.
Growing up in New Haven, DeLauro has been connected to the area for some time now as the third district consists of the city of New Haven along with the surrounding suburbs. She has earned degrees at both Marymount College and Columbia University as well as studying at the London School of Economics.
According to the bill sponsorship analysis at Govtrack.org, DeLauro has consistently voted liberally. Govtrack labels her as a far-left Democrat.
DeLauro's campaign website outlines the Congresswoman's views on the many of the issues for the upcoming election.
According to the site, DeLauro supports new tax incentives in an effort to create more jobs along with ensuring to make college more affordable.
In addition, DeLauro supports lowering health care costs, moving to alternative energy and more efficient cars, and ending the war in Iraq as soon as possible.
In Congress, she has served on numerous committees such as the Budget Committee and has been Co-Chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee since 2002.
The New Haven native will be running against the relatively unknown, Bo ItsHaky this Fall.
This Fall, DeLauro will be running for a tenth term to represent the third congressional district of Connecticut in the United States House of Representatives. The Democrat has virtually not been challenged competitively since 1991, when she defeated Thomas Scott with 52 percent of the vote.
Growing up in New Haven, DeLauro has been connected to the area for some time now as the third district consists of the city of New Haven along with the surrounding suburbs. She has earned degrees at both Marymount College and Columbia University as well as studying at the London School of Economics.
According to the bill sponsorship analysis at Govtrack.org, DeLauro has consistently voted liberally. Govtrack labels her as a far-left Democrat.
DeLauro's campaign website outlines the Congresswoman's views on the many of the issues for the upcoming election.
According to the site, DeLauro supports new tax incentives in an effort to create more jobs along with ensuring to make college more affordable.
In addition, DeLauro supports lowering health care costs, moving to alternative energy and more efficient cars, and ending the war in Iraq as soon as possible.
In Congress, she has served on numerous committees such as the Budget Committee and has been Co-Chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee since 2002.
The New Haven native will be running against the relatively unknown, Bo ItsHaky this Fall.
ItsHaky Going for Upset, Youth Vote by Eric Peterson
If Bo ItsHaky is going to knock off perennial election winner, Rosa DeLauro, he needs all the votes he can get, including the young crowd.
"I am very interested in the younger voters. They are the future of this district and this state," said ItsHaky. "I go after the youth vote as much as possible."
The 49 year-old Republican candidate is running for the third congressional district of Connecticut in the United States House or Representatives. His counterpart is Democratic incumbent, DeLauro, who is running for a tenth consecutive term.
For ItsHaky, grabbing the youth vote is more than just getting votes, its about changing the very fabric of Connecticut.
"My main concern is the brain drain, with young people who come here to acquire higher education and not able to be attracted to stay here," said ItsHaky. "I want to reverse that by finding more jobs in Connecticut and more affordable housing."
Originally born in Israel, ItsHaky now resides in Bethany and practices acupuncture in Orange and Cheshire. According to his campaign website, ItsHaky ran for First Selectman in Bethany in 2005 and ran for the Connecticut State Senate 17th District in 2006.
ItsHaky was elected to the Connecticut Republican State Central Committee in 2007, representing the 17th State Senatorial District.
Nevertheless, ItsHaky does not feel that going against the more experienced DeLauro will affect his campaign.
"It doesn't make it harder or easier. I am honored to run against her," said ItsHaky, who was influenced to go into politics after the terrorist attacks in Sept. 11. "I needed to do something on a much larger scale, make an influence on a larger scale."
"I am very interested in the younger voters. They are the future of this district and this state," said ItsHaky. "I go after the youth vote as much as possible."
The 49 year-old Republican candidate is running for the third congressional district of Connecticut in the United States House or Representatives. His counterpart is Democratic incumbent, DeLauro, who is running for a tenth consecutive term.
For ItsHaky, grabbing the youth vote is more than just getting votes, its about changing the very fabric of Connecticut.
"My main concern is the brain drain, with young people who come here to acquire higher education and not able to be attracted to stay here," said ItsHaky. "I want to reverse that by finding more jobs in Connecticut and more affordable housing."
Originally born in Israel, ItsHaky now resides in Bethany and practices acupuncture in Orange and Cheshire. According to his campaign website, ItsHaky ran for First Selectman in Bethany in 2005 and ran for the Connecticut State Senate 17th District in 2006.
ItsHaky was elected to the Connecticut Republican State Central Committee in 2007, representing the 17th State Senatorial District.
Nevertheless, ItsHaky does not feel that going against the more experienced DeLauro will affect his campaign.
"It doesn't make it harder or easier. I am honored to run against her," said ItsHaky, who was influenced to go into politics after the terrorist attacks in Sept. 11. "I needed to do something on a much larger scale, make an influence on a larger scale."
QU Faculty and Their Views by Dianne Taryla
Lately all we've heard about is students voting, why is it so important that they vote, and why they believe they should vote. Why should students support one candidate more than the other, what issues are important to them? But what about the faculty at Quinnipiac and others not considered part of the youth group, are they the forgotten group in this election?
Why has the focus shifted to the youth vote, and how does the faculty at Quinnipiac and the others that no longer fit into the youth vote category feel about the election and politics. After speaking to some faculty members at Quinnipiac about how they see the election playing out Associate Professor of Journalism Paul Janensch summed up each of the candidates very well. When asked how he feels about each of the candidates Janensch said, "Obama is smooth, almost too smooth. He sometimes comes across as professorial. McCain comes across as a friendly uncle with a bit of a temper. He's effective at fielding questions in town hall forums but is not nearly as a good as Obama in delivering a formal speech. I think the televized debates will be crucial in determing who will win."
Of course there is concern too around the vice-presidential candidates. There have been many questions raised about Sarah Palin and her experience in politics. While the focus has been on her many people have not heard about Joe Biden, Obama's vice-presidential pick. When asked how he feels about the picks by the presidential candidates for their running mate, Janensch pointed out that each candidate picked somebody who made up for what they lacked. He stated that "Obama, a fresh face, picked Joe Biden, an old pro who is especially strong on foreign policy. McCain, who is 72 and has been in Washington for decades, picked Sarah Palin, a fresh face who actually draws bigger crowds than McCain."
The publicity of the election and the campaign commercials by each of the candidates explaining to the country why they are the better pick for the next president that will help the nation and solve all the problems it faces as a whole are also very important in the election. There are also those reports on the news and in the papers that make a scandal out of all the candidate's private lives. When asked how he felt about the publicity of the election Janensch said, Both campaigns have issued their share of half-truths and outright falsehoods in their speeches, ads and news releases. But a review of fact-checking by news organizations, independent policy groups and Internet campaign watchers shows that the McCain campaign is doing more lying than the Obama campaign. Even when news stories say a claim is false, McCain, Palin and their camp keep repeating the lie. One example is the charge that when he was an Illinolis state senator, Obama supported a bill under which kindergarteners would be taught sex education even before they could read. Actually, the bill called for instructing youngsters how to watch out for predators."
What it comes down to in this election year is that every vote is important and although the focus may be on one group more than another every person needs to vote. There are many reasons why one person supports a certain candidate more than the other, and why they believe one candidate is better for the country than the other. Whether your are voting for McCain and Palin or Obama and Biden everybody needs to have a say in the election. As Janensch said in closing, "The backgrounds, programs and temperaments of the candidates are dramatically different. If you don't vote, you shouldn't gripe afterwards."
Why has the focus shifted to the youth vote, and how does the faculty at Quinnipiac and the others that no longer fit into the youth vote category feel about the election and politics. After speaking to some faculty members at Quinnipiac about how they see the election playing out Associate Professor of Journalism Paul Janensch summed up each of the candidates very well. When asked how he feels about each of the candidates Janensch said, "Obama is smooth, almost too smooth. He sometimes comes across as professorial. McCain comes across as a friendly uncle with a bit of a temper. He's effective at fielding questions in town hall forums but is not nearly as a good as Obama in delivering a formal speech. I think the televized debates will be crucial in determing who will win."
Of course there is concern too around the vice-presidential candidates. There have been many questions raised about Sarah Palin and her experience in politics. While the focus has been on her many people have not heard about Joe Biden, Obama's vice-presidential pick. When asked how he feels about the picks by the presidential candidates for their running mate, Janensch pointed out that each candidate picked somebody who made up for what they lacked. He stated that "Obama, a fresh face, picked Joe Biden, an old pro who is especially strong on foreign policy. McCain, who is 72 and has been in Washington for decades, picked Sarah Palin, a fresh face who actually draws bigger crowds than McCain."
The publicity of the election and the campaign commercials by each of the candidates explaining to the country why they are the better pick for the next president that will help the nation and solve all the problems it faces as a whole are also very important in the election. There are also those reports on the news and in the papers that make a scandal out of all the candidate's private lives. When asked how he felt about the publicity of the election Janensch said, Both campaigns have issued their share of half-truths and outright falsehoods in their speeches, ads and news releases. But a review of fact-checking by news organizations, independent policy groups and Internet campaign watchers shows that the McCain campaign is doing more lying than the Obama campaign. Even when news stories say a claim is false, McCain, Palin and their camp keep repeating the lie. One example is the charge that when he was an Illinolis state senator, Obama supported a bill under which kindergarteners would be taught sex education even before they could read. Actually, the bill called for instructing youngsters how to watch out for predators."
What it comes down to in this election year is that every vote is important and although the focus may be on one group more than another every person needs to vote. There are many reasons why one person supports a certain candidate more than the other, and why they believe one candidate is better for the country than the other. Whether your are voting for McCain and Palin or Obama and Biden everybody needs to have a say in the election. As Janensch said in closing, "The backgrounds, programs and temperaments of the candidates are dramatically different. If you don't vote, you shouldn't gripe afterwards."
Social Networking Sites and The Election by Dianne Taryla
It has been said many times that the outcome of the Presidential Election can be determined by one group, the youth voters. Those aged 18 to 24 can put a President they’ve elected into office for the next four years. Aside from being encouraged to vote, how else are these youths getting involved in the election? They are using every college student’s favorite social networking website, Facebook.
On Facebook you can be a supporter of the candidate you are voting for. Becoming a supporter of a candidate is like adding them as a Facebook friend; each candidate has their own profile like everybody else does. Each candidates profiles show their information, and they each have a wall, where people can write comments about why they support each candidate. On these Facebook’s they also have photo albums of the events that have taken place, and links to their other pages. Even Michelle Obama has a Facebook.
Not only have the candidates gotten themselves involved in social networking sites, but users of Facebook have also involved them. People have created groups that show their support or dislike for the candidates. There are groups that support the candidates and groups that announce the non-support of a candidate by others. There are groups called “One Million Strong for Barack Obama” while other are called “One Million Strong against Barack Obama.” This does not only occur with Barack Obama, there are groups called the same thing for John McCain, Sarah Palin, and Joe Biden.
Also making their way onto Facebook are motivational campaigns encouraging young people to vote. There are groups and profiles for Rock the Vote, Vote or Die, and Choose or Lose. These are organizations that use celebrities to encourage voting among younger people. After looking up each of the candidates on Facebook, it seems that according to who has become a supporter of each of them, Barack Obama is in the lead among the youths. He has 1,947,330 supporters, while John McCain only has 548,914.
Posted by Dianne at 12:40 PM 0 comments
On Facebook you can be a supporter of the candidate you are voting for. Becoming a supporter of a candidate is like adding them as a Facebook friend; each candidate has their own profile like everybody else does. Each candidates profiles show their information, and they each have a wall, where people can write comments about why they support each candidate. On these Facebook’s they also have photo albums of the events that have taken place, and links to their other pages. Even Michelle Obama has a Facebook.
Not only have the candidates gotten themselves involved in social networking sites, but users of Facebook have also involved them. People have created groups that show their support or dislike for the candidates. There are groups that support the candidates and groups that announce the non-support of a candidate by others. There are groups called “One Million Strong for Barack Obama” while other are called “One Million Strong against Barack Obama.” This does not only occur with Barack Obama, there are groups called the same thing for John McCain, Sarah Palin, and Joe Biden.
Also making their way onto Facebook are motivational campaigns encouraging young people to vote. There are groups and profiles for Rock the Vote, Vote or Die, and Choose or Lose. These are organizations that use celebrities to encourage voting among younger people. After looking up each of the candidates on Facebook, it seems that according to who has become a supporter of each of them, Barack Obama is in the lead among the youths. He has 1,947,330 supporters, while John McCain only has 548,914.
Posted by Dianne at 12:40 PM 0 comments
Rock the Vote Draws a Small Crowd by Brett McKane
HAMDEN, Conn.-- MTV's Rock the Vote campaign has been a staple of the American youth voter movement for close to 20 years. Quinnipiac joined the cause this past weekend, holding a small rally for the students in Buckman Theater.
The turnout was good for a political event on campus, with about 100 students showing up at first.
The major setback came when the two hosts, Syrus and Brooke from The Real World, showed up over an hour late, which caused many students to leave after registering.
"The event went a lot better than I expected, considering the circumstances," said Mark Miller, the Student Programming Board's chair for the event. "Although a lot of people left because of the celebrities being late, we managed to get a lot of them to register first."
Many students were surprised by the hosts' knowledge of the issues and the candidates' stances on them.
"I was really impressed that they were genuinely interested in the topic and that they knew a lot about both Obama and McCain," said Glenn Stark, a junior at Quinnipiac.
"Overall I would say it was a success," said Miller.
This event is just one of the many that Quinnipiac organizations are planning on holding as the election draws nearer, so keep reading for updates as November 4th approaches.
Posted by Brett McKane
The turnout was good for a political event on campus, with about 100 students showing up at first.
The major setback came when the two hosts, Syrus and Brooke from The Real World, showed up over an hour late, which caused many students to leave after registering.
"The event went a lot better than I expected, considering the circumstances," said Mark Miller, the Student Programming Board's chair for the event. "Although a lot of people left because of the celebrities being late, we managed to get a lot of them to register first."
Many students were surprised by the hosts' knowledge of the issues and the candidates' stances on them.
"I was really impressed that they were genuinely interested in the topic and that they knew a lot about both Obama and McCain," said Glenn Stark, a junior at Quinnipiac.
"Overall I would say it was a success," said Miller.
This event is just one of the many that Quinnipiac organizations are planning on holding as the election draws nearer, so keep reading for updates as November 4th approaches.
Posted by Brett McKane
Political Buttons by Elle Sievert
Merchandising has become a multimillion dollar industry. Everyone from the newest children’s cartoon to the rock star have merchandise out on the market. Toys and posters and other kinds of memorabilia flood the stores and people’s homes. Some memorabilia has become very valuable. One example of that would be the political buttons of elections past.
The idea of campaign buttons originated with George Washington and his supporters wearing cloth tags on their clothing saying “Long live the President” The first election to use buttons on a large scale was the 1896 campaign between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan.
In the campaigns of today’s politicians, merchandise has taken on a new level. There are now Barack Obama and John McCain action figures. These little candidates sell for about $12 in the Quinnipiac University bookstore, but from the looks of the shelves, they are not a hot item. Those who would think of buying them are for a joke purpose. Melissa Hebert, junior broadcast journalism major, said she would not buy one to show support for her chosen candidate because it seems silly to have an Obama action figure.
When asked about whether a button or a action figure would be a better choice, Caley Spaulding, junior physical therapy major said “I would want a button. A button can be worn on your jacket and it’s easy. What am I going to do with an action figure? Stick it out of the back of my pocket?”
Maybe Obama and McCain should take a page out of Washington’s book.
The idea of campaign buttons originated with George Washington and his supporters wearing cloth tags on their clothing saying “Long live the President” The first election to use buttons on a large scale was the 1896 campaign between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan.
In the campaigns of today’s politicians, merchandise has taken on a new level. There are now Barack Obama and John McCain action figures. These little candidates sell for about $12 in the Quinnipiac University bookstore, but from the looks of the shelves, they are not a hot item. Those who would think of buying them are for a joke purpose. Melissa Hebert, junior broadcast journalism major, said she would not buy one to show support for her chosen candidate because it seems silly to have an Obama action figure.
When asked about whether a button or a action figure would be a better choice, Caley Spaulding, junior physical therapy major said “I would want a button. A button can be worn on your jacket and it’s easy. What am I going to do with an action figure? Stick it out of the back of my pocket?”
Maybe Obama and McCain should take a page out of Washington’s book.
MTV's "Rock the Vote" at Quinnipiac by Chris McTiernan
The highly apathetic Quinnipiac University has been making efforts to increase the political awareness of its students for years, and the student programming board organized “Rock the Vote” on Friday in Alumni Hall.
In total, there were just over 80 students in attendance and about 30 of the attendees were there for a class. The guest speakers were an hour late due to transportation issues, and only approximately 50 students returned after the delay. When asked about the large amount of empty seats, co-coordinator Mark Miller replied, “I thought there would be a bunch more people. I guess Friday night isn’t a great time to have a program.”
“Rock the Vote” is an MTV inspired idea, which uses music and popular culture to increase political awareness among young adults and encourage them to vote. Two guests from a popular reality television series made a special appearance at the event. Cyrus and Brooke, two cast members from MTV’s Real World: Denver, with the help of Quinnipiac Democratic and Republican committees came to explain to students the importance of every vote.
“I honestly came to see Brooke and Cyrus. I don’t know that much about politics, so I figured this was a good way for me to learn a little and meet them. I think most people that are here are here to see them anyway,” said junior business major Laura Murphy.
“I like to get involved with politics here at school, so I thought I would come check it out, but I don’t think people from the Real World are real appropriate for something like this. They got randomly picked for a reality show. If those are the people that students are actually influenced by, that’s sad,” said junior education major Matt Tremper.
www.rockthevote.com
In total, there were just over 80 students in attendance and about 30 of the attendees were there for a class. The guest speakers were an hour late due to transportation issues, and only approximately 50 students returned after the delay. When asked about the large amount of empty seats, co-coordinator Mark Miller replied, “I thought there would be a bunch more people. I guess Friday night isn’t a great time to have a program.”
“Rock the Vote” is an MTV inspired idea, which uses music and popular culture to increase political awareness among young adults and encourage them to vote. Two guests from a popular reality television series made a special appearance at the event. Cyrus and Brooke, two cast members from MTV’s Real World: Denver, with the help of Quinnipiac Democratic and Republican committees came to explain to students the importance of every vote.
“I honestly came to see Brooke and Cyrus. I don’t know that much about politics, so I figured this was a good way for me to learn a little and meet them. I think most people that are here are here to see them anyway,” said junior business major Laura Murphy.
“I like to get involved with politics here at school, so I thought I would come check it out, but I don’t think people from the Real World are real appropriate for something like this. They got randomly picked for a reality show. If those are the people that students are actually influenced by, that’s sad,” said junior education major Matt Tremper.
www.rockthevote.com
Connecticut’s 5th District U.S. House Incumbent: Chris Murphy by Bobby Schilling
Chris Murphy (D) is the incumbent state representative from Connecticut’s 5th district, and is running to retain that position against current Danbury State Senator David Cappiello (R). Voting for the election will take place on November 4, 2008, and the winner will take their seat two months later on January 4, 2009.
According to the NationMaster Encyclopedia website, Murphy began his political career in 1998 at the age of 25. He served two terms as a Connecticut State Representative from the 81st district representing Southington. Following that, Murphy was elected to the state Senate from the 16th district representing Southington, Chesire, Waterbury and Wolcott. In both victories, Murphy was in just his twenties and replaced an incumbent who had been in office for over a decade.
As a member of the state Senate, Murphy earned Senate chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee. Murphy also focused on issues of environmental protection, juvenile reform, and wrote Connecticut’s stem cell research act, making Connecticut the third state to give public funding to stem cell research. In addition, Murphy wrote legislation to help abused and neglected children by creating the Office of Child Protection.
In 2006, Murphy decided against running for re-election to the state Senate and ran for the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut’s 5th district instead. Murphy defeated incumbent Nancy Johnson (R) to earn the seat, the seat he is trying to defend this election.
Posted by Bobby Schilling at 12:44 PM
According to the NationMaster Encyclopedia website, Murphy began his political career in 1998 at the age of 25. He served two terms as a Connecticut State Representative from the 81st district representing Southington. Following that, Murphy was elected to the state Senate from the 16th district representing Southington, Chesire, Waterbury and Wolcott. In both victories, Murphy was in just his twenties and replaced an incumbent who had been in office for over a decade.
As a member of the state Senate, Murphy earned Senate chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee. Murphy also focused on issues of environmental protection, juvenile reform, and wrote Connecticut’s stem cell research act, making Connecticut the third state to give public funding to stem cell research. In addition, Murphy wrote legislation to help abused and neglected children by creating the Office of Child Protection.
In 2006, Murphy decided against running for re-election to the state Senate and ran for the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut’s 5th district instead. Murphy defeated incumbent Nancy Johnson (R) to earn the seat, the seat he is trying to defend this election.
Posted by Bobby Schilling at 12:44 PM
Celebrity or Politician? by Jackie Tobias
9.18.2008
The debate of whether Barack Obama is more fit for Hollywood than White House has recently implicated itself into the campaign trail.
The image of Senator Obama in front of Greek columns at the Democratic Convention raised eyebrows and questions. McCain advisors ridiculed the stagecraft as “overblown, reflective of Obama's generous self-regard”. Was the presidential hopeful trying to replicate those at Pennsylvania Ave? Or did Obama just want to maintain the “rockstar” feel of his 85,000 crowd at INVESCO Field?
Either way, the Democratic efforts didn’t settle well with the Republican party. “I’ll be the first one to admit that Barack Obama has become a global celebrity,” says Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager. “He’s the first politician with fans.”
McCain’s summer ad criticized this aspect; declaring the presidential candidate in the same category as Paris Hilton. Obama’s celebrity appeal may come from the fact that he is regarded highly in Hollywood, drawing in supporters like George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey. Throughout this election, Mr. Obama has also posed on the covers of numerous magazines, interviews on “Access Hollywood” and has a possible guest spot on the infamous Saturday Night Live.
It’s safe to say this political trend started after Bill Clinton’s 1992 appearance on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” Clinton’s appeal and charisma could possibly have been the factor that snagged him the Presidential ticket. Even after the Monica Lewinsky scandal, President Clinton was an international “star”, to say the least.
Jessica Joy, a junior at the University of Connecticut says Obama's fanbase is just what this election needs. “Ever since Barack Obama came into the picture, UCONN students have a new interest in politics.” Joy adds, “Who cares if he is considered a celebrity? If that’s what it takes for our generation to become involved in this election, then I definitely embrace it.”
With the current crisis in Iraq, American’s are certainly seeking a larger-than-life leader. Voters are looking for a candidate who projects power, confidence and the ability to rescue a nation in need. It’s clear that Barack Obama has the likability factor. But does he have what it takes to be the next President of the United States?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157188
http://media.www.oxyweekly.com/media/storage/paper1200/news/2008/09/10/Opinion/Part-Politician.Part.Celebrity.All.American-3422220.shtml?refsource=collegeheadlines
The debate of whether Barack Obama is more fit for Hollywood than White House has recently implicated itself into the campaign trail.
The image of Senator Obama in front of Greek columns at the Democratic Convention raised eyebrows and questions. McCain advisors ridiculed the stagecraft as “overblown, reflective of Obama's generous self-regard”. Was the presidential hopeful trying to replicate those at Pennsylvania Ave? Or did Obama just want to maintain the “rockstar” feel of his 85,000 crowd at INVESCO Field?
Either way, the Democratic efforts didn’t settle well with the Republican party. “I’ll be the first one to admit that Barack Obama has become a global celebrity,” says Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager. “He’s the first politician with fans.”
McCain’s summer ad criticized this aspect; declaring the presidential candidate in the same category as Paris Hilton. Obama’s celebrity appeal may come from the fact that he is regarded highly in Hollywood, drawing in supporters like George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey. Throughout this election, Mr. Obama has also posed on the covers of numerous magazines, interviews on “Access Hollywood” and has a possible guest spot on the infamous Saturday Night Live.
It’s safe to say this political trend started after Bill Clinton’s 1992 appearance on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” Clinton’s appeal and charisma could possibly have been the factor that snagged him the Presidential ticket. Even after the Monica Lewinsky scandal, President Clinton was an international “star”, to say the least.
Jessica Joy, a junior at the University of Connecticut says Obama's fanbase is just what this election needs. “Ever since Barack Obama came into the picture, UCONN students have a new interest in politics.” Joy adds, “Who cares if he is considered a celebrity? If that’s what it takes for our generation to become involved in this election, then I definitely embrace it.”
With the current crisis in Iraq, American’s are certainly seeking a larger-than-life leader. Voters are looking for a candidate who projects power, confidence and the ability to rescue a nation in need. It’s clear that Barack Obama has the likability factor. But does he have what it takes to be the next President of the United States?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157188
http://media.www.oxyweekly.com/media/storage/paper1200/news/2008/09/10/Opinion/Part-Politician.Part.Celebrity.All.American-3422220.shtml?refsource=collegeheadlines
The Danica Patrick of Politics Jackie Tobias
Extreme sports are not usually associated with the wives of Presidential candidates. However, Cindy McCain likes to switch things up on Capitol Hill.
In April 2004, McCain suffered a mild stroke and was hospitalized for four days. After being released, Cindy was limited physically and experienced severe depression. To lift spirits, McCain’s son, Jack, bought her a four-day learning course to the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Chandler, Arizona. Jack, highly interested in drift racing, thought the gift would be a fun and unique form of rehabilitation for his mother. Cindy embraced the opportunity with open arms.
According to ESPN, “drift racing occurs when a driver intentionally skids a car sideways through a turn on a road or a marked course, usually at speeds that exceed the legal limit.” Originating in the mountains of central Japan in the early 1990s, drift racing has evolved into a competitive sport, with competitions in countries like Malaysia, Australia and the United States.
McCain credits the motor sport with helping her recover from the stroke, by improving skills such as coordination and concentration. Cindy revealed to the Washington Whispers that she learned to push limits and exceed her goals through motor sports. Setting her apart from other politician’s wives, McCain has even built her own modified drift car and is competing as a team with her son in amateur competitions.
Recent studies have shown the wives of presidential candidates influence three out of five Americans. St. Rose freshman Michael Morley believes that Cindy McCain’s unique interest will help her husband on the campaign trail. Morley, also an avid drift racing fan, says Cindy’s young-hearted enthusiasm could give her a new found appeal and sway voters.
“Not only is Cindy McCain much younger than her husband, she also shares a similar interest as a majority of my peers,” Says Morley. “Extreme sports have a huge following among young adults and I think this edge can put McCain above the other candidates. It’s possible that she’ll win many votes among that age group.”
Will The Danica Patrick of Politics steer this election in a different direction? The polls will speak on November 4th.
In April 2004, McCain suffered a mild stroke and was hospitalized for four days. After being released, Cindy was limited physically and experienced severe depression. To lift spirits, McCain’s son, Jack, bought her a four-day learning course to the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Chandler, Arizona. Jack, highly interested in drift racing, thought the gift would be a fun and unique form of rehabilitation for his mother. Cindy embraced the opportunity with open arms.
According to ESPN, “drift racing occurs when a driver intentionally skids a car sideways through a turn on a road or a marked course, usually at speeds that exceed the legal limit.” Originating in the mountains of central Japan in the early 1990s, drift racing has evolved into a competitive sport, with competitions in countries like Malaysia, Australia and the United States.
McCain credits the motor sport with helping her recover from the stroke, by improving skills such as coordination and concentration. Cindy revealed to the Washington Whispers that she learned to push limits and exceed her goals through motor sports. Setting her apart from other politician’s wives, McCain has even built her own modified drift car and is competing as a team with her son in amateur competitions.
Recent studies have shown the wives of presidential candidates influence three out of five Americans. St. Rose freshman Michael Morley believes that Cindy McCain’s unique interest will help her husband on the campaign trail. Morley, also an avid drift racing fan, says Cindy’s young-hearted enthusiasm could give her a new found appeal and sway voters.
“Not only is Cindy McCain much younger than her husband, she also shares a similar interest as a majority of my peers,” Says Morley. “Extreme sports have a huge following among young adults and I think this edge can put McCain above the other candidates. It’s possible that she’ll win many votes among that age group.”
Will The Danica Patrick of Politics steer this election in a different direction? The polls will speak on November 4th.
David Cappiello: Connecticut’s 5th District U.S. House Hopefulby Bobby Schilling
David Cappiello: Connecticut’s 5th District U.S. House Hopeful
Republican David Cappiello is challenging incumbent democrat Chris Murphy in this year’s race for Connecticut’s 5th district U.S. House of Representatives seat. The fifth term state senator for Connecticut’s 24th district (Danbury, Bethel, New Fairfield, Sherman) is looking to displace Murphy by winning the November 4th election.
According to the Connnecticut Senate Repulicans website, the 40 year old Cappiello was first elected into office in 1994 as a Connecticut State Representative from Danbury’s 138th district. There, he served two terms before earning a spot in the State Senate in 1998 where he has remained for ten years.
Capiello has long been an advocate of public safety and health reform. He recently called for an evaluation of Connecticut’s Emergency Management system in an attempt to improve Connecticut’s Homeland Security system. He also played an important role in expanding the state’s prescription drug program for the elderly and disabled. In addition, Cappiello wrote An Act Requiring the Screening of Newborns for Metabolic Diseases, which does exactly what it the title implies; screens newborns for life threatening metabolic diseases.
This November the republican will try to build on his election success in the past and move on to Washington where he can represent his state in Congress.
Posted by Bobby Schilling
Republican David Cappiello is challenging incumbent democrat Chris Murphy in this year’s race for Connecticut’s 5th district U.S. House of Representatives seat. The fifth term state senator for Connecticut’s 24th district (Danbury, Bethel, New Fairfield, Sherman) is looking to displace Murphy by winning the November 4th election.
According to the Connnecticut Senate Repulicans website, the 40 year old Cappiello was first elected into office in 1994 as a Connecticut State Representative from Danbury’s 138th district. There, he served two terms before earning a spot in the State Senate in 1998 where he has remained for ten years.
Capiello has long been an advocate of public safety and health reform. He recently called for an evaluation of Connecticut’s Emergency Management system in an attempt to improve Connecticut’s Homeland Security system. He also played an important role in expanding the state’s prescription drug program for the elderly and disabled. In addition, Cappiello wrote An Act Requiring the Screening of Newborns for Metabolic Diseases, which does exactly what it the title implies; screens newborns for life threatening metabolic diseases.
This November the republican will try to build on his election success in the past and move on to Washington where he can represent his state in Congress.
Posted by Bobby Schilling
The Purple States by Elle Sievert
Purple States
In the political world, the United States is divided into “Red States” for the Republican Party and “Blue States” for the Democratic Party. But there is much buzz about the emergence of new “purple states”. In today’s political atmosphere, many states are becoming wish-washier, not having a clear distinction between red or blue, and therefore are being dubbed purple. This creates a number of problems. One being that the candidates cannot tell if they are carrying a purple state. It makes campaigning much harder for the presidential candidates. Also it creates a mixed sense within the state about the feeling politically.
Students on the Quinnipiac campus have been dubbed among the extremely apathetic among the university world. But to talk to some of the students on campus, it would seem to be a very diverse campus in relation to the election. Sarah, a sophomore health science major, said she was planning on focusing in on the campaigns more closely now that the election is rapidly approaching. She said that she favors McCain right now, and doesn’t see how Obama could possibly be elected. Jon, a senior psychology major, said he will e voting for Obama, and that he has followed the election since the beginning, and he is looking forward to seeing the next 2 debates. Talking to these young voters, one doesn’t get the impression that they are confused. But interesting to note, none of the students I talked to was quite sure of their states current color. They knew the main leaning, but they weren’t sure if the state had recently become purple.
In the political world, the United States is divided into “Red States” for the Republican Party and “Blue States” for the Democratic Party. But there is much buzz about the emergence of new “purple states”. In today’s political atmosphere, many states are becoming wish-washier, not having a clear distinction between red or blue, and therefore are being dubbed purple. This creates a number of problems. One being that the candidates cannot tell if they are carrying a purple state. It makes campaigning much harder for the presidential candidates. Also it creates a mixed sense within the state about the feeling politically.
Students on the Quinnipiac campus have been dubbed among the extremely apathetic among the university world. But to talk to some of the students on campus, it would seem to be a very diverse campus in relation to the election. Sarah, a sophomore health science major, said she was planning on focusing in on the campaigns more closely now that the election is rapidly approaching. She said that she favors McCain right now, and doesn’t see how Obama could possibly be elected. Jon, a senior psychology major, said he will e voting for Obama, and that he has followed the election since the beginning, and he is looking forward to seeing the next 2 debates. Talking to these young voters, one doesn’t get the impression that they are confused. But interesting to note, none of the students I talked to was quite sure of their states current color. They knew the main leaning, but they weren’t sure if the state had recently become purple.
The Local Race by Aaron Tanguay
The Local Race
While the Presidential election rightfully garners the majority of the attention, not only of the press but also the voters, there are plenty of other races going on when Hamden residents enter the polls on November 4th. One of those races will be for the Republican State Representative for Connecticut’s 103rd District which covers portions of Hamden, Wallingford and Chesire. The two republican candidates are Al Adinolfi and Elizabeth Esty.
Adinolfi who is currently serving his fourth term as the representative of the 103rd District is poised to continue to lead and serve the people of his district. The 2006 “Legistlator Of The Year” from the Connecticut chapter of the American League, and Korean War era veteran as part of the U.S. Air Force has worked hard for veterans’ and senior issues. Adinolfi is working towards higher education standards and to make sure area schools get a fair share of the education budget. A strong supporter of lowering taxes Adinolfi passed the “No Tax Increase” state budget last year.
In a contrast to Adinolfi’s experience Esty comes from a long line of education. The Harvard graduate spent time overseas on a Rotary International Scholarship before returning to the United States where she attended Yale Law School. Esty has served on several committees and looks forward to being able to serve the Hamden, Wallingford, and Chesire area. An accomplished educator and mother of 3, Esty has had plenty of experience dealing with and coping with problems. She spent time working with a private law firm in Washington D.C. working on a variety of cases, many of which were heard by the Supreme court.
Whether it’s the older experienced candidate or the younger candidate with a varied back ground of education and work, this race has a candidate for you; both are looking to the future and hope to be the winner on November 4th.
For more information on either candidate you can visit their websites at:
http://aladinolfi.com/
http://www.elizabethesty.com/index.html
While the Presidential election rightfully garners the majority of the attention, not only of the press but also the voters, there are plenty of other races going on when Hamden residents enter the polls on November 4th. One of those races will be for the Republican State Representative for Connecticut’s 103rd District which covers portions of Hamden, Wallingford and Chesire. The two republican candidates are Al Adinolfi and Elizabeth Esty.
Adinolfi who is currently serving his fourth term as the representative of the 103rd District is poised to continue to lead and serve the people of his district. The 2006 “Legistlator Of The Year” from the Connecticut chapter of the American League, and Korean War era veteran as part of the U.S. Air Force has worked hard for veterans’ and senior issues. Adinolfi is working towards higher education standards and to make sure area schools get a fair share of the education budget. A strong supporter of lowering taxes Adinolfi passed the “No Tax Increase” state budget last year.
In a contrast to Adinolfi’s experience Esty comes from a long line of education. The Harvard graduate spent time overseas on a Rotary International Scholarship before returning to the United States where she attended Yale Law School. Esty has served on several committees and looks forward to being able to serve the Hamden, Wallingford, and Chesire area. An accomplished educator and mother of 3, Esty has had plenty of experience dealing with and coping with problems. She spent time working with a private law firm in Washington D.C. working on a variety of cases, many of which were heard by the Supreme court.
Whether it’s the older experienced candidate or the younger candidate with a varied back ground of education and work, this race has a candidate for you; both are looking to the future and hope to be the winner on November 4th.
For more information on either candidate you can visit their websites at:
http://aladinolfi.com/
http://www.elizabethesty.com/index.html
Print vs. Online Journalism by Katie Meline
The article “Bailout Plan Rejected, Markets Plunge, Forcing New Scramble to Solve Crisis” from The Wall Street Journal and Lawmakers scramble for new bailout plan from MSNBC.com cover the same information but are very different because of the mediums they are posted through.
The Wall Street Journal is an elite newspaper and it shines through in this article with the use of sophisticated vocabulary and how much more information is crammed into the article as opposed to my MSNBC.com article. The article from WSJ is not only longer but it covers more topics as indicated from the title than the article online. The WSJ article goes into detail about how stocks reacted to the rejection of the bailout plan, what happened with the bailout plan for the first half of the article before transitioning into talking about what the government could potentially do now.
Meanwhile, the MSNBC.com article mostly focuses on what our government is currently doing to create new ideas to fix the financial crisis with a brief synopsis of what happened yesterday. The WSJ goes more into depth for the big picture while MSNBC.com focuses on a small piece of the big picture with links to other articles for the rest of the story, a benefit of online journalism.
The WSJ actually has a box at the end of the article indicating a more interactive element than it would be otherwise. Reader interaction is much more frequent online by allowing readers to post their comments or thoughts similar to letters in print. Having a connection to online allows them to continue to compete against the solely online projects.
Print journalism is tangible which depending on which generation one is from is better than the other. However, print cannot be updated as the day goes on, which is what online journalism can do but sometimes links do not work and are harder to find. Both present similar information it is just a matter of how it is posted, what demographic they are going for, length of articles and so on.
Articles:
The Wall Street Journal: Bailout Plan Rejected, Markets Plunge, Forcing New Scramble to Solve Crisis
MSNBC.com: Lawmakers scramble for alternate bailout planTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2008
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHGsojK0GVIthl1-W3LAB3vWbPfIyA56bhShlGUbe-rBQzoIwmlbilJMYedV4dyWklvjztCgqh9w8mz4TqpANNQSFpL0oyCKXoHrDUGWed8vumktl1o5TnTZ2RCPv2E5RMtXHlZ1r5AY/s1600/mccain.jpg
John McCain and the Media
Credit
McCain in Perrysburg, Ohio with the press.
Since receiving the Republican Party’s nomination for President Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) relationship with the press has changed. McCain was a media favorite because of unfettered access and informality during the campaign trail. Now is a different story.
“His relationship with the press has completely transformed,” said Quinnipiac University History professor Cheryl Szetela. “From one of complete openness to one of distrust of accusation. It is representative of the transformation of McCain the candidate from who he was as a candidate in 2000 to whom he is now and because he has reached a new threshold of success, there is simply a need to insulate himself from the press.”
The relationship McCain had with the press during the primary resulted in McCain having more coverage. Now, with less access the press has shifted their attention to issues and McCain’s history instead of personality. With less access the media, according to John McCain has manufactured a scandal, about him having an affair with one of his aides; McCain has begun to attack both The New York Times and MSNBC.
“A more aggressive posture leads to more stories that are negative in subject and tone,” said Quinnipiac University Journalism professor Rich Hanley. “The more these stories are published, posted and aired, the more damage it causes to the candidate in the aggregate relative to voters who haven't made up their minds. It is likely that media coverage won’t influence [the election].”
During primary season McCain promised weekly press conferences to the media but has broken that promise many times since receiving the nomination.
“Voters could not care less about how a candidate treats the media,” said Hanley. “In fact, a typical tactic of Republicans that has been in play for 40 years is to inoculate their candidates against negative coverage by asserting that the media have a liberal bias and is out to get the candidate.”
Szetela says that this tactic allows McCain to paint his running mate Sarah Palin to be the victim. Due to this Palin does not have a relationship with the press and the McCain campaign is trying to turn this into a positive element. This could help with some voters who think the media is trying to belittle her.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama’s (D-IL) relationship with the press has been more traditional than McCain’s. He is not someone who courts the press as McCain has in the past.
“The relationship between the media and Obama is more grounded in political professionalism than personality,” said Hanley.
Despite this, McCain’s campaign manager has accused the New York Times of being an agent for Barack Obama rather than a news organization.
“The best relationship [between the media and Presidential candidates] is one where the media maintains an arms-length distance,” said Hanley. “[The Media should] cover the office regardless of the personality of the person who occupies it.”
The Wall Street Journal is an elite newspaper and it shines through in this article with the use of sophisticated vocabulary and how much more information is crammed into the article as opposed to my MSNBC.com article. The article from WSJ is not only longer but it covers more topics as indicated from the title than the article online. The WSJ article goes into detail about how stocks reacted to the rejection of the bailout plan, what happened with the bailout plan for the first half of the article before transitioning into talking about what the government could potentially do now.
Meanwhile, the MSNBC.com article mostly focuses on what our government is currently doing to create new ideas to fix the financial crisis with a brief synopsis of what happened yesterday. The WSJ goes more into depth for the big picture while MSNBC.com focuses on a small piece of the big picture with links to other articles for the rest of the story, a benefit of online journalism.
The WSJ actually has a box at the end of the article indicating a more interactive element than it would be otherwise. Reader interaction is much more frequent online by allowing readers to post their comments or thoughts similar to letters in print. Having a connection to online allows them to continue to compete against the solely online projects.
Print journalism is tangible which depending on which generation one is from is better than the other. However, print cannot be updated as the day goes on, which is what online journalism can do but sometimes links do not work and are harder to find. Both present similar information it is just a matter of how it is posted, what demographic they are going for, length of articles and so on.
Articles:
The Wall Street Journal: Bailout Plan Rejected, Markets Plunge, Forcing New Scramble to Solve Crisis
MSNBC.com: Lawmakers scramble for alternate bailout planTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2008
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHGsojK0GVIthl1-W3LAB3vWbPfIyA56bhShlGUbe-rBQzoIwmlbilJMYedV4dyWklvjztCgqh9w8mz4TqpANNQSFpL0oyCKXoHrDUGWed8vumktl1o5TnTZ2RCPv2E5RMtXHlZ1r5AY/s1600/mccain.jpg
John McCain and the Media
Credit
McCain in Perrysburg, Ohio with the press.
Since receiving the Republican Party’s nomination for President Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) relationship with the press has changed. McCain was a media favorite because of unfettered access and informality during the campaign trail. Now is a different story.
“His relationship with the press has completely transformed,” said Quinnipiac University History professor Cheryl Szetela. “From one of complete openness to one of distrust of accusation. It is representative of the transformation of McCain the candidate from who he was as a candidate in 2000 to whom he is now and because he has reached a new threshold of success, there is simply a need to insulate himself from the press.”
The relationship McCain had with the press during the primary resulted in McCain having more coverage. Now, with less access the press has shifted their attention to issues and McCain’s history instead of personality. With less access the media, according to John McCain has manufactured a scandal, about him having an affair with one of his aides; McCain has begun to attack both The New York Times and MSNBC.
“A more aggressive posture leads to more stories that are negative in subject and tone,” said Quinnipiac University Journalism professor Rich Hanley. “The more these stories are published, posted and aired, the more damage it causes to the candidate in the aggregate relative to voters who haven't made up their minds. It is likely that media coverage won’t influence [the election].”
During primary season McCain promised weekly press conferences to the media but has broken that promise many times since receiving the nomination.
“Voters could not care less about how a candidate treats the media,” said Hanley. “In fact, a typical tactic of Republicans that has been in play for 40 years is to inoculate their candidates against negative coverage by asserting that the media have a liberal bias and is out to get the candidate.”
Szetela says that this tactic allows McCain to paint his running mate Sarah Palin to be the victim. Due to this Palin does not have a relationship with the press and the McCain campaign is trying to turn this into a positive element. This could help with some voters who think the media is trying to belittle her.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama’s (D-IL) relationship with the press has been more traditional than McCain’s. He is not someone who courts the press as McCain has in the past.
“The relationship between the media and Obama is more grounded in political professionalism than personality,” said Hanley.
Despite this, McCain’s campaign manager has accused the New York Times of being an agent for Barack Obama rather than a news organization.
“The best relationship [between the media and Presidential candidates] is one where the media maintains an arms-length distance,” said Hanley. “[The Media should] cover the office regardless of the personality of the person who occupies it.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)