Which issue do you feel did not receive enough attention (either from candidates or the media) during the campaign? Which issue do you feel received too much attention from the media &/or candidates?
You can answer one or both of the questions.
This blog is for students in Ms. Aby's 12th grade AP US Government class at Jefferson High School in Bloomington, MN. It is for students to post their thoughts on the 2008 presidential campaign. Students should be respectful & think of this forum as an extension of their classroom. The instructor has the same expectations for classroom discussion & blog posts. These posts will be graded for both their academic merit & for their appropriateness.
Presidential Campaign Blog
Objectives:
*To become proficient in the candidates & campaign methods in the 2008 presidential election
*To have an intelligent dialogue regarding the election with your peers
*To become more comfortable with an emerging technology in the field of political science (blogging)
Student Tasks:
*To have an email account to do this assignment. If you do not have one please see the instructor for help.
*Student will need to do their own independent research using online sources.
*To post a minimum of 4 times your own independent comment on the 4 questions/topics the teacher posts throughout the quarter. Your post should offer a unique contribution to the discussion. Your post should offer analysis as well as evidence to substantiate your viewpoint. Your post should include links to your evidence.
*To post a minimum of 4 times in response to other students. Your post should either be a concurring opinion (add to the argument by offering relevant points & new sources to develop that argument) or you can dissent with a peer. Your post should offer analysis as well as evidence to substantiate your viewpoint. Your post should include links to your evidence.
*A post should be a full paragraph and use correct grammar and spelling. Your posts should comment on or attack the argument of a peer – not the peer her or himself. There is an expectation by the instructor & the administration that the same standards for behavior & respect at school apply to the blog.
*To post online in a timely manner. The posts will be due on a series of due dates. Students need to post by the due date in order for the conversation to be able to continue on track. Late posts will not receive half credit.
*Students are not required to represent their own personal opinions. You can play “devil’s advocate” in order to challenge each other & move the conversation forward. It is the instructor’s belief that all sides of the argument be understood in order to appreciate the complexity of the issue.
* Students should not use text message language in their posts. This is an academic blog and should use formal language.
Site Recommendations (please pass on other sites you’d recommend!):
Washington Post (washingtonpost.com)
LA Times (latimes.com)
New York Times (nytimes.com)
BBC (bbc.co.uk)
The Guardian (guardian.co.uk)
Aljazeera (english.aljazeera.net/English)
Newspapers internationally & domestically (refdesk.com/paper.html)
The teacher will grade the student’s blog posts holistically. In addition, the individual student will choose which posts (1 original post & 1 response post) to submit for grading.
The criteria for evaluating includes: the organization of information, consideration of alternatives, disciplinary content, elaborated written communication, research, amount of contributions, & the quality of writing.
*To become proficient in the candidates & campaign methods in the 2008 presidential election
*To have an intelligent dialogue regarding the election with your peers
*To become more comfortable with an emerging technology in the field of political science (blogging)
Student Tasks:
*To have an email account to do this assignment. If you do not have one please see the instructor for help.
*Student will need to do their own independent research using online sources.
*To post a minimum of 4 times your own independent comment on the 4 questions/topics the teacher posts throughout the quarter. Your post should offer a unique contribution to the discussion. Your post should offer analysis as well as evidence to substantiate your viewpoint. Your post should include links to your evidence.
*To post a minimum of 4 times in response to other students. Your post should either be a concurring opinion (add to the argument by offering relevant points & new sources to develop that argument) or you can dissent with a peer. Your post should offer analysis as well as evidence to substantiate your viewpoint. Your post should include links to your evidence.
*A post should be a full paragraph and use correct grammar and spelling. Your posts should comment on or attack the argument of a peer – not the peer her or himself. There is an expectation by the instructor & the administration that the same standards for behavior & respect at school apply to the blog.
*To post online in a timely manner. The posts will be due on a series of due dates. Students need to post by the due date in order for the conversation to be able to continue on track. Late posts will not receive half credit.
*Students are not required to represent their own personal opinions. You can play “devil’s advocate” in order to challenge each other & move the conversation forward. It is the instructor’s belief that all sides of the argument be understood in order to appreciate the complexity of the issue.
* Students should not use text message language in their posts. This is an academic blog and should use formal language.
Site Recommendations (please pass on other sites you’d recommend!):
Washington Post (washingtonpost.com)
LA Times (latimes.com)
New York Times (nytimes.com)
BBC (bbc.co.uk)
The Guardian (guardian.co.uk)
Aljazeera (english.aljazeera.net/English)
Newspapers internationally & domestically (refdesk.com/paper.html)
The teacher will grade the student’s blog posts holistically. In addition, the individual student will choose which posts (1 original post & 1 response post) to submit for grading.
The criteria for evaluating includes: the organization of information, consideration of alternatives, disciplinary content, elaborated written communication, research, amount of contributions, & the quality of writing.
31 comments:
I think some of the issues that haven’t gotten enough attention from neither the presidential candidates nor the media is the issue of poverty and urban issues in America. With so much focus on the Iraq war and the economy (which I do think are the most important issues right now and should have a lot of coverage) the candidates have had little time to share their plans for reducing crime in the cities and providing housing and healthcare (1). The lack of focus on these issues is partially because America is now a suburban nation (1), and those that are voting are not necessarily dealing with poverty, as the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to vote (2). Regardless of this, I think much of our nation is suffering currently from poverty, and I think with the economy situation, this is only going to go downhill. Therefore, I think more focus should be placed on how the problems with the economy are going to be handled with the poor and working poor, because otherwise I think we will see a dramatic increase in homelessness in the near future. However, since Democrats tend to draw the votes from urban dwellers, Obama and Biden have spoken a bit about how they want federal funding to put policemen on city streets, as well as expanding the Child Tax Credit (1). Obama also promises the people a White House office of Urban Policy that will coordinate all federal programs for the cities (4). This office would focus on eliminating concentrated urban poverty (4). While these would be good propositions for the future, they don’t receive much attention as far as the media is concerned. Because cities have been democratic for years, they are not electoral battlegrounds, and thus candidates do not feel like they need to focus on the needs of the cities for the sake of winning their votes (3). I think that the problems with unemployment, underperforming schools, housing, and poverty have been given the backseat in this campaign, and for most of the working class that must be very frustrating. Because America’s cities drive our nation’s economy (3), I think we need to rebuild our economy from the bottom up. However, I think that will be difficult when kids aren’t able to successfully graduate from school and are stuck in cycles of poverty and unemployment. I do believe it is important for the candidates and the media to be giving the attention that they are to the economy and the war in Iraq because those are issues that affect everyone. I just think it is very important for us to see a solid plan for the domestic issues our cities are dealing with, and it has all been a little fuzzy. I know Obama has more policies to benefit the urban poor through government involvement (5), but they haven't been shown to me enough times to know what those provisions are. I want to hear what McCain's opinion is on the issue(besides less government regulation (5)), and I think if the issue was discussed more debate-wise and news-wise, Americans would be much more informed on the topic.
1.) http://www.citymayors.com/politics/usa-candidates08.html
2.) Government in America
3.) http://www.citymayors.com/politics/usa-elections-0802.html
4.) http://www.citymayors.com/government/us-cities-government.html
5.)http://www.votegopher.com/issueHomePage.php?issue=34
As a recent CBS News/New York Times Poll shows, the issue the people are most concerned about is the economy (1). Of the voters polled, 57 percent said the deciding issue in the coming election for them is the economy (1). The economy has become the most important issue to the people and is becoming increasingly important in this election because of the concern from Americans.
Issues that are not receiving enough attention are also the issues that will be the most costly. Energy and decreasing our oil dependence has been important issues for decades, but do not receive enough attention because restructuring our energy system is costly. The candidates promises to address climate change will have to be postponed or go back on their words (2). With the current economic crisis, the government cannot afford to creating programs to tackle environmental problems (2). The candidates will also have problems dealing with domestic industries that rely on the use of coal (2). Environmental issues are being increasingly overlooked in the face of more immediate and less costly issues.
Education is also an issue that is not as large of a concern. Obama would spend an additional $18 billion on education, while McCain would increase education spending by less than $1 billion (3). McCain would not spend a lot of money on education, but he also is not planning major changes to the structures and programs that Obama is (3). Increasing the amount of federal money public schools get, would also run higher spending that taxpayers aren't willing to pay for. Americans want proposed changes, but aren't willing to pay for them.
Same-sex marriage is a past issue that is losing weight in the presidential election (4). According to the New York Times, notable court ruling have upheld bans on same-sex marriage, making this issue a less urgent one (4). Several states have also already banned gay marriage, and ignore it as a non-issue with official amendment bans (4). People have become less concerned with this particular civil rights issue, it isn't a major factor in their choices for elected officials and will not sway their votes (4). Since this issue doesn't have as much sway with the voters it will be ignored for issues that will sway voters.
Issues that have received the most attention are healthcare and the economy. The recent economic crisis, with steep drops in the stock market, failing businesses, and the extremely controversial bail-out plan, have centered Americans focus on the economy. While the economy has always been a key issue, it is particularly important considering the current economy. Americans are looking to McCain's and Obama's competing economic rescue plans as a major deciding factor in who to choose for president (5). It is because Americans are looking for an economic solution that so much time has been spent talking about the economy. Healthcare is another major issue that has been widely discussed, but it still can't turn attention away from the declining economy. The economy will continue to dominate headlines and political discussion until Americans can feel secure in their jobs, homes, and lives.
(1)http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm
(2)http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4974536.ece
(3)http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/19/MN2913CB28.DTL&type=politics
(4)http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/14/us/politics/14marriage.html?scp=6&sq=US%20main%20election%20issues&st=cse
(5)http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/special_segments&id=6458207
The issues that voters are most likely to base their choice on are (from greatest to least) economy, healthcare, terrorism, war in Iraq, and illegal immigration, followed by the rest (1). I believe that the candidates have focused on these issues most heavily because they know that it is those key issues that will attract voters. The candidates are aware that when voters are informed about these important issues and see the difference between the candidates’ stances, they are more likely to vote (2). The economy is definitely receiving the most attention because of the recent damage. People are insecure about their money and their futures, so the candidates know that they need to convince the voters that their plan will fix the economy, and the other’s will not. They are not putting too much attention on it, but it is getting a little repetitive. In my opinion from watching the three presidential debates, they say the same things over and over. They can only repeat that they will stop the corruption of Wall Street so many times. Another issue that is receiving a lot of time and energy from the candidates is energy because of the recent concerns like gas prices. This is receiving enough attention because it is an important issue that is affecting the public personally.
An issue that is not getting that much attention is gay marriage. Since there is so much attention on the economy and energy right now, some moral issues are more or less getting put on hold. While only 28% say it is an important issue to sway their vote, I think it will gain importance once some of the larger issues are resolved and the new president is in office. However, I actually agree with the importance being centered on energy, economy, and healthcare because those are important issues that can critically change the public’s way of life. Gay marriage only really affects a minority of people: those who want that right, and those who very strongly oppose it. In addition, it is receiving some amount of attention. While it may not be a lot, it is not as if they are ignoring it.
So overall I think that the campaigns are doing a good job of focusing attention on the more important issues and not completely ignoring the smaller issues. I do not really think any issue is getting too much or too little attention.
(1) http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues
(2) Government in America
(3) http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1317
The economy has received the most attention because this issue affects the American’s everyday lives greatly and especially after what happened in the last few weeks in the decline of the stock market. The presidential candidates have made an emphasis on their economic rescue plans in order to persuade voters to vote for them after the past week’s decline in the stock market and house values. (1) In a Washington Post-ABC News poll, less than half of those polled believe they will have enough money to last through retirement, and two-thirds fear for their family’s economic situation. (1) The American people’s concerns about the direction of the nation’s economy and the performance of the stock market have deepened when markets began to turn sharply negative. (1) It is seen that the candidate’s stand on the economy will be the key factor affecting the voters’ pick. Obama’s plan is to provide a tax cut for working families, eliminate income taxes for senior making less than $50,000 and simplify tax filings for middle class Americans, plans to provide relief to the people. (2) McCain wants to keep tax rates low, and cut the corporate tax rate from 35 to 25 percent. (3) The issue about the economy will continue to be the key issue that the candidates will emphasize on and the people’s key factor that will affect their voting decision.
Candidates need to focus on themselves more than on their opponents especially in their commercial advertisement. McCain and Obama need to start focusing on their own individual stances on issues, instead of skewing their opponents especially as the election is come to close to an end. (4)
The issue of same sex marriage has been losing interest in the presidential election. Last week, the Supreme Court of Connecticut decided in a 4-3 ruling that banning same sex marriage was unconstitutional. (5) Gay citizens have banded together to fight discriminatory laws and the future of the movement depends largely on the upcoming election. Senator John McCain’s campaign tries to avoid all topics and seals his lips whenever gay right advocacy is broached. (5) McCain has indicated that ensuring rights for gay citizens is not a top priority, if one at all, of his political agenda. (5) He alongside his opponent both don’t really support gay right marriages. Senator Barack Obama has also shielded away from discussing gay marriage. The reason why both candidates try to avoid the topic is probably that advocating same sex marriage would be a poor political move. (5)
(1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/12/AR2008101202279.html?sub=AR
(2) http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/
(3) http://www.johnmccain.com/Issues/JobsforAmerica/taxes.htm
(4) http://media.www.marshallparthenon.com/media/storage/paper534/news/2008/10/10/Opinion/Candidates.Need.To.Focus.On.Themselves-3480816.shtml
(5) http://media.www.redandblack.com/media/storage/paper871/news/2008/10/20/Opinions/Nov-4.Election.Important.For.Gay.Rights-3494260.shtml
The 2008 Presidential election occurs during an unpredictable time in America. Fears about the war, the economy, and gas prices are widespread and perpetuated by the nightly news. While these issues are of great importance to our nation, I think that the fundamental issue of education has not been given enough attention. We need the next generation’s children to be well educated and prepared to deal with the changes that are occurring in our world today. “[The] White House hopefuls are divided on the federal government's role in education as Congress considers changes to President Bush's signature schools law, the No Child Left Behind Act, and how to make college affordable” (1), but no real dialogue with the public has occurred. Math, science and engineering educators have been warning for years that American failings are pushing jobs and investment to better-trained foreign workers (1). These fears may be actualized if we do nothing about the issue.
The U.S is falling further behind other countries in education; in a series of international comparisons, the U.S. kids are not doing so well-The one area where they score better than the rest is self-confidence (1). More than ten other countries, now graduate a higher percentage of their young people from college (1). In addition, the average American youth now spends 66 percent more time watching television than in school (4). I think that this is a major problem that is not being addressed to an effective extent in this election. We should not be satisfied calling ourselves one of the smartest and advanced nations if our test scores clearly don’t show it.
Obama said noted the importance of education in his statement that said, “Without a high school diploma, you’re likely to make about three times less than a college graduate. And without a college degree or industry certification, it’s harder and harder to find a job that can help you support your family and keep up with rising costs” (3). The United States needs to keep kids in school to ensure that they have a means to support themselves later on. Obama wants more money for schools and to move away from traditional testing to judge schools (2). I feel this is crucial in reshaping the American education system, along with the reshaping of No Child Left Behind, which both candidates support (5, 6).
Education is an important issue that is not being given enough attention in this year’s election. The next person in the White House needs to take on the issue of preparing America’s children for the rest of their lives.
1. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/jlanders/stories/DN-landers_06bus.ART.State.Edition1.463cb1f.html
2. http://content.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/issues.aspx?i=8
3. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/election2008/issuesometer/
4. "Is America Falling off the Flat Earth?" by Norman R. Augustine, chairman, National Academy of Sciences "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" committee
5. http://www.education.com/magazine/article/John_McCain/
6. http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Barack_Obama/
An issue that definitely hasn’t had very much attention this election is illegal immigration. Originally, people thought it would be a major issue due to the passionate debates over legislation in the House and Senate and people poured into the streets to be heard (4). However, less than a year after this chaos, there is hardly any talk of immigration in the presidential campaigns (4). In the final presidential debate “immigration” was only said once and was separate from the word “illegal” and it was used simply as a reference to a misunderstanding of an Obama campaign ad (4). Steve King, a Republican delegate from Iowa, said that zero people came up to him to complain that illegal immigration received little attention during convention speeches (1). The issue of illegal immigration is definitely overshadowed by the current economic issue (5). However, illegal immigration seems to be tied to the economic situation as many people complained that illegal immigrants were hurting the economy by taking advantage of social programs and taking U.S. citizens’ jobs (4). Therefore, it seemed to me like it would be mentioned more often in connection to the economy. However, McCain and Obama have the same stance on illegal immigration and therefore I can see why the media wouldn’t focus on an issue the candidates basically agree upon (3). Both Obama and McCain supported a Bush-backed immigration reform legislation that would improve border security technology, improve the enforcement of existing laws, and provide a way to grant citizenship to some illegal immigrants (3). Obama has voted for measures to reduce the size of the foreign “guest worker” programs, but records show overall he has been supportive of amnesty and illegal immigration (2). McCain has supported many proposals to grant legal status to illegal aliens, however, he has become somewhat more conservative in his views on illegal immigration as he says he has “gotten the message” that Americans oppose amnesty (2). Also, the Hispanic vote will play a large role in the election (4). Therefore taking a strong stance on illegal immigration could alienate many of these voters, as it is a very touchy issue (4). I think this issue should gain more attention because it was such a hot topic not long ago and it has since lost its wide base of interest. This issue was left basically unresolved and is something that I think needs to be addressed.
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303696_2.html?sid=ST2008090303952&s_pos=
2. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jan/02/the-candidates-and-illegal-immigration/
3. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.immigration.html
4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ridley/what-happened-to-illegal_b_135734.html?page=2
5. http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081013/APC0101/810130441/1003
According to the polls, the most important issues are the economy, healthcare, energy and the war in Iraq (1). I think that these are receiving the most media attention and are the most important issues to the candidates because they are what affect the people the most directly. I think that since they affect the American people directly, I think that they can’t get too much attention (2). They should be the issues that people vote upon, and the other issues are just moral issues. Moral issues are important, but I don’t think that they should be what we base our votes on when our money and national security are both in danger. I think that those issues sometimes get too much attention, especially in the presidential race. The president won’t be able to do much about the legislation except for supporting it. They can’t vote on it, so why would we vote for a president based on an issue that they can’t do anything about? Issues such as abortion and same sex marriage are moral issues, so I think that they are getting too much attention. Look at the polls our class did. We had a ton of groups do same sex marriage and abortion, when the economy is in crisis and our country is at war. Also, there have been many court cases on all of the moral issues, making them settled cases for the time being. Courts have recently ruled against same sex marriage, and there are many states that have banned it (3). With these precedents, a large change won’t happen until more states allow it, so it shouldn’t be as big of an issue as it is now. Abortion is the same way, with the country split and not leaning one way or another. These seemingly unsolvable problems should not be the major issue of an election, and nobody should vote for a candidate on one of those issues alone. Another type of moral issue is the invasion of Georgia by Russia. It can be seen somewhat as an issue of national security, but in my opinion it is just a moral issue as well. It is the “job” of the United States to protect democracy in the world, but if it doesn’t directly affect us, it is based on the principal of freedom. That makes it moral, so I don’t think that it’s as big of an issue as the candidates are making it.
There are some issues that aren’t getting enough attention at the same time. One of those is illegal immigration. We hear the presidential candidates talking all the time about the unemployment in the country and how we need to create jobs, but I never have heard any of them talking about illegal immigration. I think that illegal immigrants are taking a lot of possible jobs away from Americans, and if we really want to create jobs we should tighten up our borders. This used to be a big issue, but the laws haven’t been changed and the issue has just died away. I think that it helps the country, and should be receiving much more attention than it is getting.
Sources:
(1) http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm
(2) http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues
(3) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/14/us/politics/14marriage.html?scp=6&sq=US%20main%20election%20issues&st=cse
After reading the question, a few issues that are 'hot' topics by the media that came to mind are, *the economy *iraq war and *energy. I played around on the CNN.com election page, and came across a link to the issues. The bolded issues were (in this order): Economy, Energy, Health Care, Immigration, Iran, Iraq, Taxes..and then all issues (1).
Throughout this election, the economy and Iraq war have been prevelant. I think in the beginning there was more of a focus on the war, but now its definitely the economy. According to Pollingreport.com, the economy is the number one issue polling at 58%, followed with a tie at 13% for healthcare and terrorism, and Iraq coming in fourth with 9% [as most important issue] (2). I think the economy is important, because it effects so many facets of our daily lives. It effect jobs, companies, and the housing market - which are all essential to living a life in a healthy environment. The economy needs to be stimulated, and you need to have a job to pay for a house, but we need affordable housing. Therefore, homeless numbers are increasing as foreclosures rise (3). According to CNN.com, in Mass. homeless numbers are on the rise due to the economy (3). Under the Massachusetts law, any family seeking help/shelter, the state must provide them a place. Since all shelters are full, over 500 families have been placed in various motels across the state (3). This is an issue that is not only happening in Massachusetts, but all across our nation.
I think that we should focus on Homelessness; especially youth homelessness. Each night, nearly 500-600 youth will spend their night out on the streets - but we only have beds for 50-60 (4). I feel that this is a significant issue that we should address. Typically younger people are less likely to vote, as well as uneducated, and people with lower incomes (5). If we have young people on the streets, it will be much harder for them to get a good education, and to improve their economic status. Wouldn't it make sense to try and get them off the streets to make them active participants in our society by voting, working, and being a consumer?
The worst part is, its not just teenagers on the streets. Now many families are also homeless. In Bloomington alone 3,343 individuals meet federal definition of living in pover, which is based on the relationship between a family's size and income (4). In 2007, 33,989 homes in Hennipen County qualified for assistance with utilities, but only 8,664 recieved assistance with these bills (4). These are just a few examples of the hardships families are going through. I think that instead on focusing on the big aspects of the economy -- such as the big companies...we should look at factors such as afforable housing, poverty, and create programs to help those in poverty find a job, housing, medical help [if needed],and further education if needed. I think when fixing the economy, we really need to focus on the individual..such as raising wages, fixing health care and pension packages. If we come together and help each other out, we might make a difference. Sometimes I feel the candidates just point the finger at different sources when it comes to the economy, and don't break it down to dicuss the smaller issues inside the large issue.
(1) http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/
(2) pollingreport.com
(3) http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/06/economy.homeless.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch
(4) Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless fact sheet
(5) Government in America
*I apologize if I changed thoughts alot in this post..I got a lot of different ideas..so there might not really be any transitions.
I think that one of the main issues that have not been given enough attention is the whole issue of Social Security. There are so many baby boomers that will be retiring soon, and it is crucial to our country and economy that the upcoming president, whomever it may be, has a clear plan on how to address the issue. Unless changes are made to our current system, by 2041 benefits will be reduced by 22% and will continue to drop each year (1). To make matters worse, there will be more and more people that need Social Security as the baby boomers continue to retire. In 1950, there were 16.5 workers for every 1 beneficiary. Today there are 3 workers for every 1 beneficiary, and by 2025 it will be 2 to 1 (1). If nothing is changed in our Social Security system, the trust funds are scheduled to run out by 2041 and the payroll tax will go up to 15.94% (1). In my mind, these stats definitely show that we need to make a change and make it quick. If nothing is done to change the system, people will have to decide whether to pay retirement benefits to their parents or pay for programs that help their own children (2). It is estimated that by 2018, 60% of income taxes will be spent on Social Security and Medicare leaving only 40% for the rest of the government’s plans. 40% is not enough to cover every other aspect of out government: education, national security, foreign policy, etc. Our government is already so far in debt and can’t afford increase it anymore. I think that it is very important for more attention to be given to this issue. One reason is that one of the highest voter turnout rates are the senior citizens and older people. Those are the people that are receiving Social Security and it relates to them, so they would want it to be brought to the table.
Since the media and candidates aren’t giving you much info for yourself, I will provide you some (but I warn you, it was hard to find). Obama was raised primarily by his grandparents, so he knows what struggles senior citizens go through and how hard they worked throughout their life. His plan includes stopping any efforts to privatize Social Security and trying to preserve it for upcoming generations in a bipartisan method (3). He wants to make sure that companies don’t dump their pension obligations to their workers, leaving them in the cold. Obama wants to make retirement savings automatic (3). Many Americans find that the Social Security system has become a distribution of wealth not the safety net it was intended to be (4). He wants a payroll tax increase but will have anyone making less than $250,000 be exempt (4).
McCain has been quoted saying that our Social Security is a “disgrace” (5). He supports supplementing the system with personal accounts, but they should not be a substitute for the benefits promised by the government (6). He wants to give workers the option of putting as much as 20% of their Social Security payroll taxes into private accounts. He opposes tax increases but is willing to do whatever it takes to help the country. McCain has also called Social Security a “ticking time bomb” that will start to go off in 2014 when more money is going out than going in (6). He is against the “lockbox” bill that was passed, because he feels it gives a loophole to the government to spend Social Security money for other things in times of emergency. He promises that people‘s Social Security money will be spent on just that “no ifs, ands, or excuses” (6).
To prove my point that not enough attention was given to this, I found it extremely hard to find the candidate’s plans to solve the problem. Most websites just had quotes from them about what they think is wrong or what they will maybe consider. Because the media has the power to help people shape their opinions about what they think is important, they should have pursued the issue of Social Security on T.V., in magazines, etc. That could have spurred the Americans to take a stance on the issue and show the politicians that this is something they want to see fixed. The politicians may have then given more effort and attention to a new Social Security plan. If they don’t, America will be having many more problems down the road.
1. http://www.ssa.gov/qa.htm
2. http://www.heritage.org/research/socialsecurity/wm696.cfm
3. http://www.ontheissues.org/Economic/Barack_Obama_Social_Security.htm
4. http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2008/06/020755.php
5.http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/07/8936_mccain_social_security_disgrace.html
6.http://www.ontheissues.org/Economic/John_McCain_Social_Security.htm
I think that this is kind of a hard question for me to answer. Obviously the economy has been the largest issue in this election, so it seems to me that almost everything else that is not related to it in some way has pretty much taken a back seat. I remember from the last presidential candidate debate that education and small businesses (Joe the plumber) were mentioned, but again, those still kind of come back to the economy through funding college with taxes and whether or not a small business would succeed in this economic climate. So the idea I will put forth here is that issues that are not clearly tied to the economy has not gotten enough attention. Of course the stock market is very important because so many Americans are financially tied to it, but how do we know how either candidate will act on other positions when one is elected, and once the current economic crisis is fixed? They need to make more current addresses on their declared stances of other issues we haven’t heard as much about. So here are some issues not as directly tied to the economy: gay marriage and gun control.
On the issue of same-sex marriage: McCain doesn’t believe in marriage between anyone other than a man or a woman, so he wants to leave things the way they are and have states decide whether it’s okay or not in their area for homosexuals to get married. Obama believes in a civil union, and that people who want to marry their partner should be able to regardless of where they live. As I alluded to before, this issue doesn’t have a lot to do with the economy, which is why I think it’s recently been passed over a little bit, but it definitely needs to be addressed because Americans are split right down the middle on this topic, with 46% of opinions on both sides, while the remainder of those polled are unsure of whom they support on this issue (http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.samesexmarriage.html.)
On gun control: Gun control is an important topic, which is why it is still an issue in this election, in spite of the fact that it has not been addressed as much in light of America’s economic problems. While both candidates believe in second amendment rights, they disagree on how far those rights should extend. McCain voted against limiting firearms that are marketed to be “armor-piercing,” while Obama voted for the bill. His vice presidential candidate believes that Americans have a right to bear arms, but not armor-piercing ones, and not assault weapons, either. When asked which candidate they thought would handle the question of gun control better, though, half of the people who participated said John McCain would (http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.guns.html.)
These polls are important because they reflect what people think of the candidates’ initial standpoints on these issues, but the candidates need to address these things again because by this point in the election, their opinions may have been changed by all that is going on in the world, including the economy, even if that doesn’t have a lot to do with these issues. These are just a couple more overt examples of unaddressed issues that need to be talked about; just because they don’t have as much to do with the economy doesn’t mean they aren’t important.
According to a poll, the issue that Americans are most concerned about is the economy at 58% of those polled (1). Next was Healthcare and Terrorism, both at 13% (1). Then it was War in Iraq at 9% and Illegal immigration at 5% (1). This left the other category a mere 2% (1). This was just one poll, but in other polls I saw, the economy, terrorism, healthcare, war in Iraq, and energy (gasoline/oil crisis) were consistently the 5 most important issues.
One issue that I felt didn’t receive enough attention is education. The media and candidates are emphasizing a lot of attention on the economy currently because of the stock market drop and concerns about worsening times. The attention on education has dropped dramatically, and as shown in the polls, education does not rank highly as important issues to people (2). The media has given little coverage of the education topic compared to other “crises” that seem more immediate (3). Better education would help the general well being and possibly the economy of America (4). The higher the education, the less of an employment rate and the higher median wage as expected (4). The media should give more emphasis to education and the impact it will have on the future of the country. Also, the media should highlight each candidate’s position on education and research some facts to help out the public.
I think that the issue of terrorism has received too much attention. Although, it is good to think about threats against the country and devise methods to protect ourselves from the danger of terrorists, I think that the media should cover issues that have a greater impact immediately. These include the economy, energy, healthcare, and education. I think we should take our problems one step at a time. This doesn’t mean we should ignore terrorism altogether, but have less money spent until the economy and debt are soothed.
my sources for blog
1) http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/
2) http://www.pollingreport.com/issues.htm
3) CNN channel
4) http://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2007/back_to_school/home.htm
I really felt like an issue that did not receive enough attention during this election was what we are going to do about social security. This is the time the baby boomers are looking to retire, and we don’t have enough working people today to support their social security plans. Barack Obama says he does not want to privatize social security, or raise the retirement age. They will look to get the needed money for the plan by raising the income taxes of those making over 250,000 a year to pay 2-4% more than they have been in past years (7). John McCain supports a more deregulated approach to the problem—by creating a system made up of personal accounts. This is an issue that should be important to all generations. The elderly for what they will receive today, and the rest of America for what they should expect and plan for in the future.
I feel it is hard to say that an issue received “too much” attention. It’s getting that much attention for a reason—people care about it. But I’ve gotten really frustrated with the attention paid to the candidates’ personal lives. I believe that both of these issues have very little to do with being president of America. Sure, it’s nice idea to have a president you’d love to sit down and have a beer with… but do we really want that man to be the leader of our country? I’d rather have someone less personable, and more capable of running our country because of his professionalism. A speech that Michelle Obama made earlier this year practically made me want to cry (1). Did she address any real issues? NO. She talked about how much she loves being a mother, how much she loves America, and how much she loves her father. All good things… but isn’t she supposed to be talking about politics…? But I do understand the reasoning for the speech—so she could make up for the “unpatriotic” remarks she made earlier this year about the US (2). I am tired of hearing that Barack Obama shouldn’t be our president because he is “sleeping with Bill Ayers” (3), or a Muslim (4), or a socialist (5)! These things are NOT TRUE. And speaking specifically about the Muslim accusations—I believe our government should be, and stay, secular, so religion shouldn’t really be an issue in any case. I am also sick of hearing that McCain has too many houses (6). Yes, America, these guys have money...SURPRISE!
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=790hG6qBPx0
2. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1579194/Michelle-Obama-attacked-over-patriotism-gaffe.html
3. http://www.kansascity.com/445/story/847810.html
4. http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5354
5. http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-international-socialist-connections/
6. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/21/AR2008082103691.html
7. http://www.barackobama.com/issues/seniors/
8. http://www.ontheissues.org/Economic/John_McCain_Social_Security.htm
Like most other people before me have said, I feel that the economic crisis and the War in Iraq have gotten waaaaay too much attention. Yes, I understand that both of these issues are pressing concerns in our lives and deserve a considerable amount of our time, but there are more issues that deserve a turn in the spotlight. First of all, The No Child Left Behind Act and the problems it has created need some attention. NCLB basically requires every school to meet certain standards, based on test scores, no matter the resources they have to achieve these means (1). Basically, NCLB encourages schools not to educate their students, only to teach them how to pass tests (1). I think this is a horrible approach to education and the media should put the pressure on the candidates to say how they plan to fix the problems NCLB has created. What do the candidates plan to do about all the “failing” schools in our nation? What do they plan to do about all the students that are just dropping out instead of being left behind? How about the schools that desperately need funding, but can’t get it because of NCLB?
Also, according to the Bush administration in 2007 there were 123,833123,833 homeless people in the United States. With the economic crisis that we’re in and the current state of the housing market, we can only expect that number to rise. I wish that the media had found out what the candidates plan to do to solve this huge problem in our society. The Republican platform describes their plans for improving the housing market, but not once in their entire platform does it mention what they plan to do to solve the homelessness that affects so many adults, children, and teenagers everyday (2). The Democratic platform on the other hand, mentions putting “proven programs” in place to prevent homelessness only among veterans, but they neglect to mention what is to be done about all the others (3).
There are other issues that I feel have been ignored by the candidates as well, but I don’t think the candidates are entirely to blame for this. In today’s world, as a linkage institution, the media is responsible for putting pressure on candidates to address issues that should be important to the people. Therefore, the blame falls to the media for focusing too much attention on such narrow issues, and for allowing other important issues to be forgotten.
(1) http://www.eduinreview.com/blog/2008/10/no-child-left-behind-the-2008-presidential-candidates-positions/
(2) http://platform.gop.com/2008Platform.pdf
(3) http://www.democrats.org/a/party/platform.html
I think that the war and the economy have drawn too much attention in this election. Don’t get me wrong, they are very big issues; however, they are not the only issues that are important. The energy crisis is growing daily, and I think that more time and attention should be turned towards this topic. In CNN’s recent article “McCain: Obama won’t have the right response to a crisis,” they talked about the war crisis first, and the economic crisis second, and the energy crisis not at all (1). Also the subject of the first presidential debate was Foreign policy while the other two debates were more general topic debates with much of the next two still being devoted to foreign policy and economics. From this we clearly see that the candidates are mainly focusing on the war and the economy and very little on energy. By switching to more effective and environmentally friendly energy sources, many lives can be saved. Each year 3,000 people die prematurely because of air pollution (2). By 2025, and estimated 30% of Americas energy used could come from wind power if it was implemented now and improved (3). This would drastically reduce our use of coal and natural gas with a cleaner and more environmentally friendly energy source. These are startling findings, and if more Americans were informed of this, I think they would think that the energy crisis is very important, but while the media and candidates are so focused on other issues, they won’t get the chance to see this point.
In the second debate when the viewers were given the chance to ask the candidates questions without the candidates knowing what they would ask beforehand, many questions were focused on housing and about what would the candidates do to help the American families stay in their homes and pay the bills. This is defiantly an issue that has been deprived the attention it deserves. Both the candidates and the media have focused on issues that are indeed important, however they have kind of swept other issues that are equally important and must be quickly addressed under the rug.
1. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/20/campaign.wrap/index.html
2. http://www.environmentnorthcarolina.org/reports/clean-air/clean-air-program-reports/air-pollution-and-public-health-in-north-carolina2
3. http://www.environmentnorthcarolina.org/reports/energy/energy-program-reports/a-new-energy-future--the-benefits-of-energy-efficiency-and-renewable-energy-for-cutting-america39s-use-of-fossil-fuels#z2aDgyeI6Fq4NorrbHjxaw
In answering the question about what is being paid too much attention in the presidential election, the clear answer is Sarah Palin. Granted, she is an obvious target for shows like Saturday Night Live and David Letterman, but the media has blown her up to celebrity status that it has taken away a lot from the campaigns. Her attention has masked the issues and even the images of the two candidates that are actually running for the presidency. At the present moment I feel a lot of people will cast their votes for the presidency based on if Palin’s personality annoys them or not. Another controversy that was being paid too much attention was the terrorist scandal, where Barack Obama was accused of being friendly with William Ayers (1). The media obviously took the bait, but even McCain was blowing it out of proportion, addressing senator Obama directly at the last presidential debate (1). The candidates and the media should not focus so much on something that is obviously false. McCain is undermining Americans’ intelligence by actually thinking a majority of citizens would fall for such ridiculous accusations and base their vote off one controversy . Obama was reported saying in the last presidential debate in response to McCain’s badgering, “I think the fact that this has become such an important part of your campaign, Senator McCain, says more about your campaign than it says about me.” (1).
For issues that have not received enough attention from the candidates or the media, the most important is education. Although education has been put on the back burner for obvious reasons like the issue of the economy, it is still important and should be addressed (2). We need to compete with the other leading powers of the world like China and Russia, and it is virtually impossible with our declining education rates (3). We are falling behind, with nearly 1/3 of college freshmen having to take remedial math or english courses (3). While the economy is the most pressing issue at present, education is still important considering future workers will need to contain increasing amounts of knowledge to be able to address things like alternative energy sources and other cost efficient methods to alleviate the pressure on the economy (3). Both of the candidates have had little time to discuss their methods, and their stances on the issue are not clearly known by the public (3). Reading both candidates’ stances on their web sites, they are vague, filled with empty words like “reform” and “improve” (4). While I do agree that the economy is the most important issue at the time, I would also like to know more about the candidates’ plans for reforming things like the No Child Left Behind Act and college tuition costs because the two issues (education and economy) are closely related.
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/us/politics/16debate.html?ref=opinion
2. http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/09/opposing-view-d.html
3. http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/05/08/presidential-candidates-have-little-opportunity-to-talk-about-education.html
4. http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/
In our studies of the media in class, we’ve explored what effect the media has on the public. One of the most prominent effects was this: what issues the viewers see as being important. Thus, in viewing polling data of what the public believes to be the most important list of issues, we can see a little bit into what the media has been covering.
When asked: "In deciding who you would like to see elected president this year, which one of the following issues will be most important to you?”, poll after poll show that the economy is the number one issue, all the way from January, increasing in importance until the present day (1). It’s easy to see why. The media has been running stories constantly involving the economy, but for a good reason. The recent crisis affects millions of lives and people want to be informed about it because of the personal affect it could have on their well-being.
What I want to know is this: WHAT HAPPENED TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!?!? Back when building a wall was a new idea, people got involved with this issue (2). According the above polls, immigration has become one of the least important issues to the American public (1). However, when asked if America was doing enough about the issue, 67% said no (3). Media coverage has been much lower than the economy and other issues and it shows in the polls.
Another issue very dear to me is education. On level of importance polls to American voters, it’s not even close to being a top choice, many of the times not even included as a specific option on the poll (1). The public is not satisfied with the current system, however. Not even 1/3 of public school parents are completely satisfied with the current system (4). I think that more media coverage would enlighten more people to the problems in the system and it would swing more votes. Incidentally, I believe the votes would go to Obama as his plan involves more funding than McCain’s (5).
Issues that receive too much coverage are trivial ones, like “What did Obama’s priest say?” or “Can Palin run if she has children?” or “Oh My God, a Pregnant Teenager!!” Such “issues” are in fact non-issues and should not receive as much media coverage as they do because they are not pivotal to the direction of the country.
(1) - http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm
(2) - http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/systems/mexico-wall.htm
(3) -http://www.pollingreport.com/immigration.htm
(4) -http://www.gallup.com/poll/109945/US-Education-System-Garners-Split-Reviews.aspx
(5) -http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/19/MN2913CB28.DTL&type=politics
I feel that several issues did not receive enough attention from the media or the candidates. When the candidates do focus on the issues, I think they focus on the issues that are important to people. I think that is important but I also think other issues need to be considered. First, I think the Obama’s energy policy was under covered. The media focused on John McCain’s use of nuclear power to achieve energy independence (1). While they focused on Obama’s claims of alternative energy and energy independence, the media did not cover his plan specifics as much as McCain’s (1). Obama plans to impose a renewable energy portfolio, a cap-and-trade system along with several other more specific initiatives (2). I think the coverage of both candidates’ plans would help voters decide which would be better. The impacts of a cap-and-trade or an RPS would be different from nuclear power and would affect the country in different ways. Obama’s policies would have a much greater effect nationally because of the renewable energy mandates. Second, I think the media has not focused enough on education. Both McCain and Obama have sections on their website devoted solely to education (3 and 4). However, this has not been a huge topic of discussion in the news or in the debates. I think this is important as the rest of the world becomes more educated than America and as jobs become more competitive. America consistently fell below the average of European schools and was clearly below Japanese education (7). I think education is a very important issue to prepare students for the future. Third, I feel that immigration has not been covered as much in this election. A couple years ago, when the campaigning began, it seemed like immigration was a big issue. Now, while both Obama and McCain have policies about immigration, the issue is not very influential in the news (5 and 6). I do not think this issue may be as important in all areas of the country, but I think it might be more important in certain areas. I understand that the media cannot cover everything, but I think it unfortunate that they focus on so many other issues rather than the policies. I think it is important that the candidates, especially Obama, have such clear websites to inform people. This rests on voters having access to a computer and their motivation to research the candidates’ positions; however, I think it is an important step in rendering the issue of media attention less key.
(1) http://www.mcclatchydc.com/260/story/54485.html
(2) http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy
(3) http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/
(4) http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ce50b5-daa8-4795-b92d-92bd0d985bca.htm
(5) http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/68db8157-d301-4e22-baf7-a70dd8416efa.htm
(6) http://www.barackobama.com/issues/immigration/
(7) http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/educ/indic/rapinen.pdf
Timing of important events is often what makes them so important. The recent economic crash came probably at the most interesting time, when America is wrapped up in a landmark election. The issues of the times generally play a large role in what voters look for in their candidates; this has been extremely exaggerated in this election.
With the recent collapse of established banks such as Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, our economy has been thrown into a turmoil that has affected every American. People who have invested in stocks are suffering, people who bought homes are being foreclosed on, and everyone else is living under a constant threat of whether they will have enough money to get by. Thus, it is understandable that when polled, 57% of Americans say that the economy is their main concern in the upcoming election [1]. This is in complete contrast to other issues such as national security, healthcare and education, none of which even reached a double digit percentage [1]. In the past couple debates, the main issues all dealt with the economy and many of the questions were versions of, “What will you do to help my crisis?” [2] I think that the economy is definitely a significant issue because it impacts every American. We are on the brink of another depression and there is some magic that must be worked to lift us out of it. However, I think that it has become such a huge issue that it has overshadowed many other important issues. Until recently, I feel as though citizens were much more outspoken about the war in Iraq and the plans for withdrawing troops, and issues about illegal immigration and how to protect our borders. In the past few weeks, I haven’t heard any mention of these issues. However, I think that the most noticeable omission in the campaign is the issue of education.
America has always prided itself in being a world leader. Granted, in the past we certainly have made many notable achievements. However, we are falling behind as a nation. In the vice-presidential debate, Sarah Palin stated, “Education in America has been in some sense in some of our states just accepted to be a little bit lax, and we have got to increase the standards. No Child Left Behind was implemented. It's not doing the job though. We need flexibility in No Child Left Behind [3].” It certainly is true that education has not been pushed as much as it should. On the international scene, the United States has been falling behind for quite some time now. A 2003 study conducted by UNICEF ranked the US as 18th out of 24 nations in terms of the relative effectiveness of its educational system [4]. That same year, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study shows a decline in the performance of American students in grades 4 to 12 as compared to their international peers [4]. This was five years ago; one year ago, similar statistics were reached in another study that showed American teens falling behind other countries in math and science [5]. In the future, it is vital that we have many qualified scientists and engineers to maintain a competitive advantage in a technological age. If the current trend continues, America will eventually either become increasingly stratified as only the select few who received a stellar education can continue on to success or simply lose its reputation in the international scene. Because of the significance of education, I think that the candidates should focus more on what they will do to reform it. Both of them have plans of some sort, but I think they are very nondescript in their platforms [6,7]. I would love to hear a clear, comprehensive plan that addresses this issue. In addition to a plan for improving secondary education, I want the candidates to offer a plan that will help students with rising college tuition costs. In reading their platforms, the candidates have a plan but I have never heard them talk about it. I am usually much more easily persuaded when I hear things than when I read long sentences on the Internet. This is an issue that is very pertinent to my life right now, considering that the other window open on my computer right now is a financial aid profile. Tuition has been rising at around 6% a year [8] and is rising much faster than incomes are increasing. Even though federal aid has increased, it has not increased enough to cover the rising costs [9]. For example, the federal Pell Grant award covered 98% of tuition in 1986, but only covered 57% in 1999 [9]. That was nine years ago, it has been reduced even more since. Tuition is a burden that many feel has more costs than benefits and may detract some from attending college. In an increasingly competitive world, I think it is very important that America works to increase the number of people who are going on to higher education, and I think that the government should have a role in fixing this issue. Both of the candidates need to address this more in their campaigns. I know that if I hear one of the candidates describe a plan I believe in, he will have my vote come election day.
[1] – www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm
[2] – Presidential debate on 10/15/2008 – ABC news
[3] - http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.education.html
[4] - http://kapio.kcc.hawaii.edu/upload/fullnews.php?id=52
[5] - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/04/AR2007120400730.html
[6] – www.barackobama.com
[7] – www.johnmccain.com
[8] – http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/061024/24tuition.htm
[9] - http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2002-05-02-afford-college.htm
I have to say that I am perfectly okay with what they are covering in the election. Americans know that what is going on in the economy is important and they want the candidates to reflect that (1). I truthfully don’t think that we, as a nation, can do anything about the other issues unless our economy is better. The candidates are laying out their economic plans in relative depth, including within them other issues such as energy policy (which overlaps environmental), education, foreign policy, taxes and the overall scope of government (refer to McCain and Obama webpages 2+3). But, if the people could handle being outraged about more than one issue at a time, there is a lot of stuff to be worried about. Obviously, there is the fact that the crime rates in cities are still incredibly high, although not as high as in the 80s. It would be great to have some fresh ideas on that, like reforming punishment=>rehabilition. But I think most issues in the nation boil down to education, healthcare, scope of government and foreign policy (tell me if I forgot one p.s.-happens to be everything mentioned in (1)). That said, I am really surprised that they haven’t done more to address social security and Medicaid, but I guess that makes sense because we don’t have the money to do anything about it. I am glad to see that the candidates aren’t mentioning same-sex marriage and are keeping abortion talk rather minimal, because I see those as non-issues. I also think that the level of irrelevance (centering on Bill Ayres and others) is about the same or less than other elections. Maybe my belief that they are doing a good job covering the issues is just media’s agenda-setting influence working well on me (From the book). Then again, I am disappointed that they don’t bring up human rights issues caused by China’s influence in Tibet and Darfur, etc, also issues in India, Pakistan and South America. A lot of the problems are related to global poverty. Another problem, dear to my heart, is the food policy that encourages globalization and homogeneous crops. But then again, we can’t do anything about any of those things because we are Über in debt ($10,334,206,499,002.15 (4) – a lot of it to nations like China!), the economy is weak, and people can’t handle multitasking (a wink and a handy catch-phrase can’t fix that). So it’s not really the candidates’ fault that the election is only about the economy. It has to be. They mention most of the other issues on their websites, so people can always look there if they don’t see what they care about in the 15-second sound bites.
(1) http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm
(2) http://www.johnmccain.com/Issues/jobsforamerica/
(3) http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/
(4) http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np
Recent data from PollingReport.com suggests that at this moment, the number one influence on American votes is the state of the economy [1]. With a 3.5% margin of error, 58% of voters said that the most important issue to them when choosing a candidate was the economy; the second most influential issues, Health care and Terrorism, were each most important to a mere 13% of voters [1]. Especially because of the recent economic hardships, the economy has received a disproportionate amount of attention from both the media and the candidates. If Americans are looking at only one issue when deciding who to cast their presidential vote for, they are not looking far enough into the candidate platforms to decide who will be best for the country in the whole. McCain has been using ‘Joe the Plumber’ to empathize with the middle class and construe Obama’s tax policy as anti-small business and anti-middle class [2]. McCain is also trying to draw socialist ties to Obama’s campaign by claiming that the increased taxes on $250,000+ annual incomes are targeted at ‘spread[ing] the wealth around.’ Obama has just launched a new ad campaign in Michigan specifically about the state’s failing economy; the Republican Party plans on countering those ads by speaking about the economy [3].
One issue not fully covered by the media or the candidates is the problems within the Social Security system. Both Obama and McCain released new proposals on the Social Security question; McCain wants to allow people who reach 70 ½ to wait another year before withdrawing Social Security savings [4]. Obama wants to exempt the first $50,000 earned by seniors from income taxes and also to allow early withdrawals for people under age 59 ½ [4]. One reason this issue may not be as addressed is because of Obama and McCain agree a bipartisan deal is needed to ensure the continuance of the Social Security program; such a deal would have to be worked out by Congress post-election [4]. The Miami Herald calls McCain and Obama’s plans ‘minor fixes’ and states ‘[the candidates] are campaigning almost as if they don’t notice [Social Security and Medicare] [5].’ In the October 7 debate, McCain said he would work on health care, energy, and reform of Medicare and Social Security at the same time; Obama didn’t mention Social Security and Medicare reform as his top three issues.
Another issue not being addressed in-depth is the war in Iraq. Although 13% of voters stated that terrorism was their number one influence in candidate choice for the 2008 election, both Obama and McCain have not significantly addressed Iraq [1]. McCain doesn’t want a troop withdrawal and Obama wants a withdrawal of combat troops in 16 months [6]. McCain is focusing on portraying Obama as consorting with terrorists (like William Ayers) to draw in the war on terror vote and to create fear in Americans’ hearts [7]. Neither Obama nor McCain mentioned Iraq in their final debate. This is a sharp contrast between their first debate, when Iraq was one of the major issues discussed [8]. McCain and Obama both must focus more on Iraq to maintain clear policies and provide leadership for the American people.
1. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/
2. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iE2JCSH5p9r2GBkQWS9TWAMzmuvQD93TO3VG0
3. http://wsjm.com/Obama-Launches-Michigan-Economy-Spots/3168507
4. http://www.freep.com/article/20081019/NEWS15/810190391/1002
5. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/723011.html
6. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gF1ulxhgHBB7Fr0LKa4pA0zVeXCQD93U8S1G1
7. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-zorn-14-oct14,0,4194430.column
8. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aeNh6bYr0XIg&refer=home
First off I think that the “issues” that got to much attention were those of that Barack Obama is black, and that John McCain is old. I personally do not care if my President is black, and I do not care if my President is old. But more on a real bases I think that the issue in Iraq has had too much coverage. Yes I believe that it is an issue of great importance and should be dealt with quickly and intelligently, but nothing can happen until our new President and Congress have a chance to find a policy that works. I do believe that as in important issue it should be campaigned on, but the level it was brought to be was too high.
The issue that I see as to not have enough interest was illegal immigration. Only two years ago did John McCain himself try to transform the nations immigration laws (2).
Illegal immigration was an issue that has been brought up very many times sense the “great wall of America” (1). This was the title of a Time magazine published earlier this year in June. This billion-dollar fence, I mean wall…, created so much hype about whether or not it was a good idea (1). Yet as the race narrows we do not see either of these candidates spending a large amount of time on the subject even though publically only a few months ago it seemed to be one of the larger issues that would effect this race, do to its impact on Americas economy. This caught me off guard because I did think that immigration would play a larger part in the issues that would receive attention.
1. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1816488,00.html
2. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1179361,00.html
The main issues talked about so far in this election have been the bailout, foreign policy and national security. The media has done a good job of covering things other than just the “horse race” and has actually shown the candidates viewpoints on issues. I believe that one thing that was not thoroughly shown by the media or the candidates was global warming. The debate over drilling has been talked about a lot, and so has the issue of gas prices. (1) "What I will not do, and this has always been my position, is to support a plan that suggests this drilling is the answer to our energy problems,” said Barack. Obama clearly represents that he will not approve offshore drilling as an alternate to finding new energy sources.(2)“Even though it may take some years, the fact that we are exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact that I think is beneficial,” McCain said. McCain clearly supports drilling. This all comes full circle back to issues dealing with the economy and gas prices. I am more concerned with the lack of attention paid to the worsening environment.
(3)On the Obama webpage, under the environment section, there is nothing about the conditions of our environment. There are ways to reduce emissions, new green jobs, and reducing imports of gas from the Middle East. I believe that the media should make the scientific facts on environmental condition known. These facts should be emphasized by the candidates also because they will become as important as the economy soon enough. (4)McCain’s site talks about greenhouse gas emissions timetables, yet I have not seen a commercial or story on the news about reducing emissions. “An Adaptation Plan Should Be Based Upon National And Regional Scientific Assessments Of The Impacts Of Climate Change.” McCain says. This is something that McCain proposes, yet the research involved has not happened and there is no clear timetable to prove that McCain will assess the impacts of climate change.
Once again, none of theses things have proved to be front and center in this election. In my opinion politics could not even happen if we did not have the world to act as a host. At this point in time, climate changes have not grown significantly enough to make a difference in the average American’s life. When it does present clear and present danger I am sure it will be on everyone’s minds. The state of the economy greatly effects citizens therefore has received the most attention. I believe that it has been given too much weight in comparison to the environment.
(1)http://environment.about.com/od/environmentallawpolicy/a/obama_offshore.htm
(2)http://environment.about.com/od/environmentallawpolicy/a/mccain_offshore.htm
(3) http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy
(4) http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/da151a1c-733a-4dc1-9cd3-f9ca5caba1de.htm
This election has put an emphasis on many important issues, domestic and foreign. The war in Iraq, terrorism, and the Bush Doctrine has played a major part in the candidate’s platforms and criticisms. One foreign issue that has not received as much attention is the genocide in Darfur. NPR lists the top five issues in this year's presidential election; these issues are the economy, the war in Iraq, climate crisis, immigration, and health care (5). In this list and another from 2004, Darfur was not included. The war in the Middle East has over shadowed Darfur and other genocidal situations across the globe for many Americans. Both candidates can get away with saying that they will end the genocide. However when questioned about the war on terror, a candidate is criticized if he cannot provide a meticulous and coherent timetable. There is not nearly enough accountability when it comes to the situation in Sudan. One major reason for this is that the media does not shine a light on Darfur. Many Americans accept our current efforts to end genocide and do not see a need to look further in to it (1). America has a responsibility to help the Sudanese people, however our candidates are not questioned on the topic or asked to provide a plan to demolish the dictatorship in Sudan. In the second presidential debate, the candidates were asked about this situation. Senator Obama said that America must “mobilize the international community and lead” (4). McCain said, “we must do whatever we can to prevent genocide” (4). Obama presents a little more of a solid answer, saying how he intends to end the genocide. McCain on the other hand says what everyone already knows. Despite this clear effort to avoid the question, which asked to describe each candidate’s doctrine on the issue, the media viewed the answers as “another success for Darfur in last night's presidential debate.” When asked about Iraq, the candidates cannot get away with such brief policy “explanations.” The media and the public are only interested in matters of our own national security; therefore the crisis in Darfur is not given much weight as far as issues go. McCain and Senator Biden have both worked on legislation to end the genocide; this fact is not focused on by many news sources (2). Over 400,000 people have died in the crisis and more than 2.5 million have been displaced, Darfur should be a major issue not only in this race, but also for all policymakers and voters.
1. http://www.genocideintervention.net/blog/2008/10/08/darfur_an_issue_in_second_presidential_debate
2. http://davisiaj.com/content/view/299/93/
3. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20070606-1427-candidatedebate-sudan.html
4. Transcript from 2nd Presidential debate-cnn.com
5. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18437398
I don’t think the issue of poverty in the U.S. has gotten enough attention from the media. The candidates have addressed the issue a few times, but recently, it’s been shoved aside in favor of the hot topics such the economy, the negative campaign ads, the war in the Middle East, and Joe the plumber (1). The candidates do have a few of their own solutions to this problem (2), but there hasn’t been much news coverage about it lately. Almost 37 million people (12.3%) were living in poverty in 2006. Millions of people have homes, but don’t have the confidence to say they’ll never go hungry at home(3). Now, with the economic downturn, more people are becoming homeless and losing their jobs. That percentage of Americans in poverty is sure to go up before this crisis is over.
1) http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/update-thursday-final-debate/768721/
2) http://pewforum.org/religion08/compare.php?Issue=Poverty
3.) http://www.feedingamerica.org/learn_about_hunger/fact_sheet/poverty_stats.html
In this election, the number one issue that is recieving the most attention and coverage is the economy. This topic is on every Americans mind with fears of another depression, or a huge recession. Both candidates have presented major plans to save the economy. Americans fear they won’t have enough money by retirement, and are overall in fear of what direction the economy is headed for. Obama has a plan to provide tax cuts for working families and plans to find and provide some relief for Americans. McCain wants to try and keep the tax rates low. In recent polls it showed that the economy is one of the major deciding factors between candidates for Americans.
There are many issues not recieving a fair amount of coverage or attention. One being same sex marriage. This civil right issue is heating up after a Supreme Court Ruling last week banning same sex marriages in Conecticut. Despite the protest and rulings, the Candidates have put this issue on the back burner. Issues such as gay marriage are hard to confront since it deals with rights of people, and the country is completely split on it. But sometimes avoiding the topic is not always the best option, but both candidates feel it is the best solution right now for their political campaigning.
Another issue that is not recieving adequate attention is education. The US is starting to slip and fall behind other countries. Education is important for our future, and it has been showed that without a diploma you are likely to make 2-4 times less money than someone with one. With the economy so bad, (and most of the focus on that issue) people can’t afford to already be behind in pay. There has been a decrease in studying, test scores and overall progress in the US over the past few years. (TV, Video Games, electronics etc play a role in this) There is confusion and debate over Bush’s No Child Left Behind Bill or Law, and changes need to be made so we don’t fall even more behind, and that every American is getting an affordable and proper education.
One last issue that can be tied into the economy issue is immigration and the need for more jobs. The US needs to address immigration policies, and make sure that jobs are going to citizens since there is much speculation and some research stating that immigrants are taking away jobs. People come to America for opportunity, but the candidates need to make sure there IS opportunity for ALL Americans, immigrants and natives. Boarder problems need to be addressed and so does our overall immigration policy.
I believe that the issues that have received the less attention would be urban issues. The main issue being poverty which is very important for the democratic party to cover. The supporters that the democratic parties tries to get are in this situation. If they try to help they will gain more support. It seems like the Republican party is not as concern about the poverty issues.
I believe the issue that has gotten the most media attention is the economy and rightfully so. The economy is the biggest issue right now in the United States. We are on the verge of a new depression. The more situations each party gives that make good sense will ultimately give them an edge in the election.
The issue that I think got too little coverage by the candidates was the issue of energy independence. Both Obama and McCain were saying during the last debate that it would take about 10 years to reduce our dependence, but neither of them gave a detailed solution about how they were going to reduce dependence on foreign energy. This worries me because this makes me think of three possibilities: 1) neither candidate is sure about how to fix this. 2) They might just be saying they will go after energy independence just to win votes. 3) The issue of getting more clean energy sources and lowering gas prices will be ignored and postponed again. The first two possibilities tie into the third which worries me the most. The issues of gas supply and gas prices have been a recurring event throughout history. The most recent crisis not including the one we are in now was during Carter’s presidency. Through economic issues, bad policies, and a revolution in Iran that cut our access to oil, prices went up from like 30 cents a gallon to about $1.20 a gallon (1). Carter enforced fuel efficiency standards, and promoted using less energy overall to cut costs. Prices never went back down, and people just learned to accept this price. The price started going up again about 7 years ago, and was recently $4.00 a gallon. My point in telling all this history is to show that there have never been severe enough measures to reduce prices, and people just accept it once it stops going up for a long enough period of time. The problem is that the issue is ignored again rather than fixed after people accept the new price again. OPEC is proposing to cut supply by 2-2.5 million barrels a day which would likely increase price, therefore increasing their profits again at our expense (2). Rather than waiting for prices to go up again, we need to take action. My opinion is that government policy on gas prices should be to have government intervene to establish price limits for oil since it is a necessity like gas for heating your house during the winter. We all know that the economy and gas prices are the deciding factors of this election, so I understand that McCain and Obama don’t like to mention too many specifics because it could cost them support of some of their voters. However, their lack of specifics on issues like this makes me unsure of whether either candidate will help our situation, or only continue this pattern of ignoring major problems like this once they are in office.
An issue that I think got too much attention was the issue with Joe the Plumber. During one of Obama’s campaign trails, a question by a man named Joe dealt with how devastating taxes from Obama on his $250,000 income would stop him from buying his plumbing business. Joe the plumber was referenced a lot in the presidential debate on Wednesday, October 25th, he was also interviewed on the news, there was a story on the Today Show, and also in the Star Tribune on Joe the Plumber. There was all this attention to Joe by both candidates and the Media, and then we found out from an interview that the question was a hypothetical question, and that he doesn’t make anywhere near $250,000 (3). I think it is ridiculous that we get so caught up in one person’s hypothetical question when we need to dedicate more time to big issues like gas prices and the economy.
Sources:
1.http://www.energybulletin.net/node/9657
2.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102100583.html
3.http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/president/31268999.html?elr=KArksUUUU
Anthony,
While I agree with you that education was an underemphasized issue, I would have to disagree that it is a more immediate need than the fight against terrorism. I think that education is more important than fighting against terrorism in the long-run. We have significant problems in our education system. According to NAEP assessments in 200, only 32% of fourth graders are proficient in reading, 26% in mathematics, 29% in science and 18% in history. More than half of all poor students who take the NAEP assessment tests do not pass (1). I believe that we should consider what Anthony said about education being an investment in an intelligent future for America, but I don’t agree that education is something that will have a greater immediate impact. Investing in education is not investing in today, but tomorrow. A more educated public will result in a less poverty-stricken and more productive society. According to a “debt clock” that keeps track of our national debt through the use of news articles, our government has $10,536,462,350,016.39 in outstanding public debt. I believe that we should focus on recovering our economy and the suffering stock market before we look at investing in a product for our future.
1. http://www.heritage.org/Research/Education/WM134.cfm
2. http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
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