Comment on ONE of the following topics:
1) Do you vote for the party, the person, or a particular issue?
2) Find a story in the news that is political in nature and comment on it here. Be sure to provide a source so we can read the story for more information. In addition to telling the facts of the story, provide your opinion as well.
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Welcome to Week 3 - you're more than halfway home! I'm still updating blog grades for last week and will get your paper grades to you sometime tomorrow. Grades will post on Bb and I will send your paper to you via email with comments.
Please re-read the blog grading rubric. Some of you are consistently falling short on comment length. If you want a detailed explanation for your blog grades for last week, email me.
Scott - I saw your comment seeking a hint regarding polygamy. Many make the argument that it is a practice that is discrimanatory and harmful to women. Some economists have made interesting arguments as well regarding the potential harm to MEN that polygamy would result in. Though polyandry exists in some societies, it is the practice of one man and multiple wives that would likely occur in this country. Economists argue that the male-female balance would be thrown out of whack with many young males unable to find mates. I have all kinds of problems with this particular argument, but it is out there. A more fundamental argument is the harm to women argument. Of course, some retort that many of the abuses that occur in polygamous relationships against women would not happen if the practice were legalized and regulated by the state... It's a tricky subject.
Scott,
Having been married for quite some time and more than once, believe me when I tell you being married to more than one woman at the same time and everyone being happy just "ain't happening". The women will never bhe happy nad may even suffer.
During a primary election of course I am seeking to get a candidate that would best represent my point of view and that would have a chance to win an election. Sometimes this is tricky. During a local election I try to vote for the person who agrees with the issues that I think are important or the person that I believe will be the best man or woman for the job. Nationally, I believe that party lines begin to get blurred on some issues. For example, if you believe that abortion is wrong and vote for a candidate who feels the same way you are probably voting for a candidate that is for the death penalty, which dose not make sense to me. If you are against abortion because it is murder, and you believe murder or killing of another human, how can you be for the death penalty? Conversely, if you are a believer in bog government believing government should do all it can for the little people, the poor or homeless, how can you be against what a church group may do for these people with government money? And if you are for the government spending more on education and think that we should do all we can to make the education system better (how is this working for you?), then why not be for school vouchers? If a school or school system isn’t working, then defund it, close it down, shut it down and send the students somewhere else. Anyway I never vote just party or issue I try to vote as smart and informed as I can for the best person for the job.
I didn't mean to get us into an on-going discussion about polygamy, though I do find the subject interesting. My husband and I watch a series on HBO called Big Love about a "modern" polygamous family that contrasts their lifestyle with what we typically think of when we think of polygamists (a "compound" or camp-style environment with very low-education people and "dirty old men" "married" to teenage girls). I'm very interested in how what happens in the media shapes our beliefs. Most of you grew up in the Will and Grace era, and today most shows have a gay character. This is something that is pretty new. I simply raise the polygamy issue because when I see a series built around it, know that it is practiced in the US (though by a very small number of people), it makes me think about how tv often shapes how we think about particular issues.
http://www.hbo.com/biglove/
I agree Dr. Patton, about TV anyway. It's almost like an interst group in the way it promotes beliefs and tries to mold policy. I have spent much time in Utah working with Mormons, some who I know were polygamists. They were anything but, uneducated and perverted.
Last week, President Bush pardoned ‘Scooter’ Libby’s prison sentence. Libby was convicted of obstructing the investigation of the 2003 leak of a CIA operative’s identity. Libby was originally sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison before our wonderful President spared him to a fine of $250,000 and two years probation. President Bush said, "I respect the jury's verdict, but I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison"(FOXNews). I believe that the President is trying to cover his own tail, maybe his Vice President’s, or others in his administration and therefore let ‘Scooter’ off easy. I do not understand why the President will pardon Mr. Libby and give him a so-called second chance and when the President could use his powers for people involved with the border control/immigration problem, he does not take any of the situation into consideration. The President wants the border patrolled and when the border patrol men do their job and wound a drug smuggler from Mexico, the President does not step in and defend them. The people protecting our borders are risking their lives and when they make a mistake, they are sentenced to jail with no considerations and when something happens within the White House, the President is the first to let them get off the hook. I just have a weird feeling that the Presidency in involved in some sort of scandal.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,287780,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244193,00.html
Question #1: As for me, I have always been one to vote in every election that I can, always have since I turned 18. In my family, my parents always voted and told my sisters and I that it was important to vote for the person who you believed was the best for the job and not to vote blindly based on party affiliation. So, to this day, I always vote for the person, and never the party. Prior to the election, be it a primary or a general election, I have always checked all the candidates positions and usually have made up my mind prior to voting. Rarely have I went into the voting booth and changed my mind. In a primary election, I will vote for whom I believe is the best candidate for that elected office, even if I do not plan to vote for them in the fall. In most elections, if the candidate is the incumbent, I check their record to see if they have helped the state or hurt the state. I have voted against the incumbent many times just because they were not living up their promises to always help the state. As for a particular issue, be it a ballot initiative or an amendment, I have reviewed the options that are available to see if it is best for the issue to pass of not. If it is something that I feel is not a good idea, I will vote against it.
1) Do you vote for the party, the person, or a particular issue?
The candidate that I choose to vote for usually depends on a combination of the above mentioned criteria. As a registered Republican I am always interested in the Republican candidates initially and then try to familiarize myself with each individual candidate and their stance on certain issues. However, I usually tend to side with the Republican candidate regardless of who they are and what they represent. I understand this is not really the correct way to go about choosing a candidate and I should be better informed about each candidate and their particular views on various topics. I do not really read the newspaper or follow the news so I guess I take the easy way out by voting all Republican.
As I get older and will be graduating from EKU at the end of the summer term I feel like I should be aware and educated on current events and especially with the Presidential campaign kicking off. Currently, I only recognize the names and know very little about possible candidates Hilary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani and that is because of their previous recognition. Politically, I do not know anything about either. As I enter the professional world I feel it is my responsibility to become informed and knowledgeable on the party, the person, and the issues so I am better able to make an educated decision.
1)
As for voting, I believe first that it is necessary to vote and I have voted at every opportunity since I was 18. As for how I vote, I think that the person running should be evaluated as a person and one should examine their views and beliefs. I believe this to be necessary because of all the variety between the two parties. There is no blanket democrat or republican their are all different and must be treated as such. For example, Rudolph Giuliani is pro-same sex marriage and pro abortion while a member of the Republican Party. In addition, Senator Lieberman a Democrat voted with the republicans of issues regarding the war. So for these reasons I believe it to be necessary to know what each individual candidate stands for, However I also feel that it is important to look at the party which a person represents because this will give you some idea about what they support and who’s ideas and beliefs they are willing to align themselves with. So though I don’t believe in straight party voting I 99.9% of the time will choose a republican candidate because their views generally line up closer with mine. Voting is a privileged and a responsibility and we should not go at it blindly we should be active citizens and knowledgeable citizens of this great country.
When I vote, I generally vote the person. While it is incredibly difficult, I try very hard to ignore the party affiliation of the candidates. Personally, I feel that political parties attempt to influence voters, especially uninformed voters, with anti-opposition rhetoric on very few key issues. For example,same-sex marriage, abortion, the war in Iraq or taxes. Elections almost become character wars and that bothers me. Perhaps I'm naive, but I just don't remember the "slanderous" political advertisement that predominate the airwaves today. My aged memory recalls political advertisements as productions designed to extoll the virtues of the party and candidate, not to point out that this candidate has a trophy wife or that candidate had a cheating husband. Unfortunately for me, this kind of back biting makes it very difficult to get facts about the candidate. At this point, I also have to consider the issues at hand and where does the candidate stand on those issues. But it can't end there. Because of the party system, it is necessary for me to vote the candidates that can best support each other. When these issues come up for legislation, it doesn't do me much good, or the country for that matter, if a President vetoes or Congress overrides. The processes either start over again, or gets pigeonholed. I know that's a bit of a defeatist attitude, but I assure you all that I vote regularly. I'm a conservative, but I've voted my share of Democrats, more so at the local and state levels than the federal, because most issues that affect me, my family and livelihood are dealt with at those levels. ***Going back to my comment about parties swaying voters with limited key issues: I don't mean to say those issues are not important. However, I hear my students at least every week say something to the tune of "Did you hear that the _______ party is gonna do" this or that? Its a great launching point for teaching the idea of informed voting, but how much of that kind of thinking has pervaded those of voting age? I fear that it is too much. With all that being said, I simply state that I vote the person along with the issues at hand in any given election.
Dr. Patton- That was a tack I hadn't considered on the polygamy issue. I can see the potential harm to women from these types of relationships, but I don't see the harm in the form of abuse. At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, I agree with Bill, that nobody will be happy with this type of relationship, especially the women. As for the male-female balance being thrown out of whack, I can't swallow that either. Far too many years have been devoted to monogomous unions in our country for this issue to see any real legislation in the near future.
Bill- I've got 22 years in the marriage business, too. I can see where two women in the same home with one man would not be happy. From several standpoints, economic, affection and attention.
Dr. Patton- Would you agree that the incidence of gay characters in television shows has increased the acceptance of the lifestyle in our country? I'd like to hear your thoughts on how the visual media influences the way we think. I'm glad I'm old. Then, I can use that as an excuse for being set in my ways.
Ch. 7 - #1
As I said in Chapter 6, I grew up in a family where politics was and still is discussed daily. Having grown up in a small county, political stance is something that is very party oriented as I am sure it is in a lot of the smaller counties here in Kentucky as well as around the nation. Before turning 18 and being permitted to vote, I knew what was “expected” of me by my family when time to go to the polls. I have always known the importance of the “party name” to my family and still do, however as I have grown older over the years, I have come to realize there is much more to a vote than a party name. I must say issues now are a whole lot more important to me than a party name. I will typically look at my party candidates for a political office and then their stance on issues that are significant in my mind and base my vote on that. I found that when voting for my “party” didn’t always seem to be eye to eye with issues I felt were relevant to me. Sometimes this caused me to be one of the first citizens to complain over the next four years when my “parties” chosen official did not move forward on issues I felt needed to be addressed and fixed. Loyalty to a party name is something that is highly regarded to many people in our country, however I must close with this…if the job isn’t getting done and the city, state and/or country is not moving forward and making progress, then we must stop and ask ourselves, what is in a name?
I am a registered voter, but honestly have only had one opportunity to vote and it was in local elections. I wasnt familiar with any of the candidates and didnt feel it would be right for me to cast an uneducated vote. However, when the presidential election of 2008 rolls around i will most definitely vote for the person. The part i belong to may play a part in the decision, and a particular issue may stabdout in my mind before i cast my vote, but all of these factors will help me to cast the vote towards the PERSON i feel is best fot for the job. Voting specifically for the party you belong to is a very stubborn thing to do. The purpose of voting is so the candidate a specific group of people feel is the best for the job obtains that job. It isnt to increase the power of a certain organization. Also, it would be unitelligent to cast a vote soley on one issue. No matter what office a person is running for, his opinions and decisions will affect more than one issue. We should balance out all of the information at hand and come to s conclusion based on who is the overall best-fit for the position. All this said, it is very possible that you cast an informed vote your entire life based on the person who you feel is the best fit, and you always end up voting for the same party, or the candidates always seem to agree on a particular issue. I closing, an effective voter will incorporate the party and particular issues into his/her choosing process, but ultimately their vote will be casted for the person they feel is best for the job.
pardon the excessive typing errors and grammer problems....It was a long day at work today, if that is an adequate excuse!
On Tuesday, John McCain's campaign felt the shockwave from the contreversy in the campaign. The chief strategist, the campaign manager, deputy campaign manager, and the political director all resigned from John McCain's political campaign on Tuesday. In statements made by the resignees and by John McCain, there did not seem to be any hostility in the resignation. However, it does come after heated tension as the campaign was not producing the financial support to positively proceed. So, the before their resignation, these men planned on restructuring teh campaign strategy. Unfortunately, insiders say, it was not enough for the wife and close friends of McCain. Thus, under the pressure and the scorn of others in the campaign, these strategists resigneed.
I understand the enormous pressure these people must be under in this campaign. McCain's reputation from the last presidential race would be a hard hurdle to overcome. Possibly, however, it seems like it might be the case that they promised the campaign too much from the start. So, when things were not going as "planned," they felt like they could do nothing more .
This story was on CNN's homepage at:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/10/mccain.staff/index.html
At this point in my life I have yet to vote. I was out of town and forgot about it. I will get to vote in my first presidential election next year. I will not vote by party or by the issues, but by the candidate. One of the first things I look at in all the candidates is how well the compose themselves in public and on television. Then I will do some research and try to find out some of the background, politically and socially, of all the candidates. For example, I was reading an issue of Rolling Stone magazine and there was an article about Barack Obama. Up until this point I had considered him as one of the front-runners in my choice for our next president. As I was reading the article I found myself rethinking my opinion of him. A part of the article was talking about the church Obama goes to. It was one of those holy-roller churches that has an all black congregation. There were some quotes from the minister and he was saying stuff like, “the white man is bringing us down”. Obama went on to say that he considers his minister as one of his top advisers, turning to him with a lot of questions. I am not racist, but I do not think that we need a president who has the same views as the minister mentioned above, and I do not think that our president should be receiving advice from a person like this. So in the upcoming presidential election I will be voting based on the person more than the issues or the party.
Trying to vote in a primary election I try to vote for whom I think would best represent what I believe and then again I try to vote how my family wants me to vote.When voting though since we have the same belifs in alot of things just not all things we tend to vote for the same person or persons at all times. Although your vote is suppose to be secret or cofidential wether its the commisoner or the president in my family it is to be advertised. Even when voting you canta always get that perfect person they may believe in a whole lot of things that you do yet on or two things that you really disagree with and I have to say that I do look at the person for example background family and etc make up that person so taking a look at those things could persuade my vote. Yet sometimes there background can not tell all. For example I believed in what Clinton believed in yet I did not aprove of his character I think to all that voted for him kinda new the Monica incident or somethin was extravagent hell he admitted to toking and we still wanted him. So sometimes even when you look at the character of the person you still may want him/her because of their belifs and if hillary runs I will vote for her as well. In the end we all should try to vote for the person that best fits the job for us.
Responding to Emily’s posting, I myself was shocked that Senator John McCain’s campaign manager his deputy campaign manager and political director all resigned this week. I have personally met the Senator and can tell you that he is a great man and wonderful to speak to. However, in the nature of politics, it is all about winning elections and I suppose that these key members of McCain’s campaign must know something that we do not. I guess that not placing at or near the top of the Republican pecking order in Presidential race, so far and not bringing in enough financial donations will cause a campaign to implode. Too bad though, I think Senator McCain is a fantastic person to speak to, and he knows the issues, is never going to be President. With Presidential campaigns starting earlier and earlier, those who do not bring in the donations early, do not get to play for the long run. It seems that with today’s climate in politics, come February, we may already know who the Republican and Democratic candidates will be to face each other in November 2008 election.
Regarding this issue of voting, I have yet to vote due to the fact I was out of town on the last Election Day, which would have been my first opportunity. I do have an opinion on who I would vote for. If I like the person and believe the same as this person, he or she will win my vote. I especially like the candidate that makes personal appearances in my town, and as far as Presidential election I would vote for the person who shows the most interests that I share in politics. I was working in my sister’s shop and a candidate running for a primary election stopped by to talk to us. I was really special because we have the opportunity to meet the person face to face. It seems as if I personally or my community had and issue or problem this person would have an interest in my small town. I feel above all I would look more at the person who is a candidate other than voting straight Democrat, Republican, or Independent.
In response to tpittman,
I tend to do the same things when it comes time to vote. I also know that I should go about it differently, but I tend to lean more towards the party I favor. If the decision is tough, then the party that I am interested in, normally gets the votes. I have been trying harder to look on the candidates websites and then determine a decision and not base it on the political party. I also do not know all the issues that Hillary Clinton stands for or even Barack Obama. I only know that they are in the lead for Democrats and they are always mentioned in the news. I think we should both do a lot of researching before the Presidential election and become informed voters before voting for which ever party we choose. I know I have been trying really hard to stay informed.
I have only been eligible to vote in one Presidential election so far, and I was in class all day so I couldn't vote! I did know who I was going to vote for. My family is heavily Republican, and I planned to vote for Bush. I wasn't very well informed then (barely a freshman) and I thought that I had to vote like my parents. Now that I've had more time (three years!) to think about and form my political opinion (and be influenced by professors, classmates, and my politics-obsessed fiance), I've decided to vote for the person. Sometimes the best person may be in the opposing party. I think that you should choose your candidate based on how they align with your personal opinions.
Sarah,
I completely agree. I don't really like to pick a person based on party affiliation, although it does factor into my decision.
In response to tpittman...
I must say that I totally agree with tpittman regarding your outlook on becoming more involved in the election if you are going to the polls to vote. You saying that you do not watch the news nor read the newspaper seems to be quite troublesome to me especially if you are voting for the leaders of our counties, state and country. And even more so troubling to me because you admit to the fact you understand this is really not the correct way to go about choosing a candidate for a particular office. It seems as though there are many people in our world today that do go and vote that really have no idea who they are voting for or what they are voting for. Being informed on the issues of our world today is something that we as Americans really need to be aware of due to everything that faces us day in and day out. As I mentioned in my blog for this chapter, a republican or a democrat name is irrelevant if we really step back and evaluate the needs for our society. And I bet that if you really looked at past elections, I can almost guarantee you that the lever you pulled for one of the republican candidates that you voted for would probably have been one that you wouldn’t have voted for had you known their opinion and/or beliefs on particular issues. I am not saying you would have voted for another candidate from another party, but more than likely a different candidate from within the republican party. Let’s just hope that citizens like you that do go to the polls and just lever pull for ALL republicans are not the same ones that we hear complain because this or that is going on in our government today.
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