My Thoughts on Politics

Bush's Re-election 2004

2004-11-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

On November 3, it was official that President George W. Bush was re-elected to another term. According to an article on CNN.com http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/08/bush.victory.tm/index.html, Bush overcame all the ghosts that were lurking in the White House. For example, George W. Bush’s father lost re-election even after he has just won a war. As the first batch of exit polls came in, the Bush Administration felt like nothing was going to go their way. Quite the contrary actually, and Bush won the popular for the first time in 10 years. Also, America has shown more political passion that ever before in this generation. 15 million more people voted in this election, and Bush’s plain folk, “this is who I am” approach worked for him this election.
The media has responded to the Bush re-election with mixed feelings. With several people resigning from the Bush administration, the media has had a field day. Ashcroft started it all, saying the Bush and himself decided mutually to him to leave. Then others followed, saying that they had done their duties to the best of their ability.
I think that turnover is good, as long as qualified people are taking their spots. They could have new, fresh ideas and a better way of doing things. There’s no doubt that after September 11 and the following three years, some people in those positions need to take a break.

Election Day 2004

2004-11-10T21:12:00.000-08:00

While I was waiting in line to get my absentee ballot figured out, a man was yelling at the guy in charge at the Board of Elections. The man was being refused the right to vote. I kept trying to listen closely but I couldn’t quite understand why he couldn’t vote. He got mad and stormed out saying that, “This is the end of this. I’m taking this to a higher authority!” Not bothering to fill out a provisional ballot, he disappeared into his car outside. Meanwhile, my absentee ballot was somewhere in the post office world, being lost. I signed an oath that said I would ‘return to sender’ as soon as I received it. Frankly, I was surprised that I got to end up voting a week early. Since I voted early, I didn’t experience the true Election Day experience. There were a ton of people there though.
As it turned out, I ended up watching the news the whole Election Night. As news reports projected state after state for Bush, I realized that this election a lot of people voted based on their values. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/10/politics/campaign/10rove.html While the issues are really important to some people, a majority of the people think that their president having public values is more important. I personally, voted on the issues and values, and my wish for President was granted!

Who's fault is it?

2004-10-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Flu Vaccine Dispute and Draft Worries

Kerry’s campaign stops are focusing on the flu vaccine shortages and the possibility of a draft. Kerry has been attacking the Bush administration for the shortages of flu vaccines. A measly 27% of the public, on the other hand, blame the Bush administration for the shortages. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/storyid?=182524 Six out of ten people are worried about the flu shortages but understand that the Bush administration is not at fault. However, Kerry has a six-point lead on the subject of healthcare, and he is blaming the shortages on the whole healthcare situation. Older citizens are worried about the shortages, while younger voters are worried about the possibility of a draft. Some believe Kerry has those issues covered, and that’s why he has been focusing on both issues at his campaign stops.
With the election less than two weeks away, both candidates are focusing on pointing out their opponents weaknesses. Never in my mind has an election been so gruesome. Rather than each candidate focusing on their own goals and ideals, they are attacking each other. For both candidates it makes it look like they have something to hide. (More so in Kerry than in Bush, but that’s just my opinion.) Polls also show that mostly every registered voter is decided, and now we’ll leave it up to November 2.

Presidential Debates and Rhetorical Appeals

2004-10-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Presidential Debates

I have only been able to watch one of the two debates that have taken place in the last week. I watched the debate last Thursday night with George W. Bush and John Kerry. The topic was homeland security and the war on terrorism. At the start of the debate, I think that Bush had more of an extrinsic ethos. He has been dealing with the war on terrorism and homeland security; after all he is the President of the United States. John Kerry did not have a very strong extrinsic ethos because he doesn’t have all the information on the war and he hasn’t been the President of our country. After the debate was over, I think that both of the candidates had made some good points. Kerry seemed to know what he was talking about and his intrinsic ethos was pretty strong. However, I personally think that Bush knows more about both issues than Kerry ever could at the point.
As far as pathos go, I think that Bush makes more of an effort than Kerry does to appeal to a person’s sense of identity. I think that Kerry didn’t seem as sincere, and I personally agree with Bush’s take on values and religion. Pathos is a good tactic for elections because a lot of people base their decisions on their own identity. I am voting for Bush because I feel like I am more like him (among other reasons).
Both candidates used logos again and again during the debate. Analogies, comparison, definition, and authority were used all over the place in the debate.

Bush addresses King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

2004-09-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

No Child Left Behind Act

President Bush went to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania yesterday to talk to teachers, students, and parents about the No Child Left Behind Act. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/23/politics/campaign/23bush.html The key to making this speech a success was the audience it was delivered to. Obviously the audience full of teachers, parents, and students would think the issue of education is very important in the upcoming election. To these people, this issue has a lot of exigence because they are currently in the public school system. The purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act was to have every student in the same classroom, even if they had special needs. An ex-boyfriend of mine works in the Shawnee Mission school district as a “helper” for special children in a 4th grade class. The teacher moves at a steady pace, and if a child gets lost or doesn’t understand, a helper answers his questions. Senator John Kerry voted for this act to be passed, but now in this election year he is leaning the other way… Kerry being known as a flip flopper might have some truth in it. Education is one of President Bush’s centerpieces for this election. The democrats are pointing out that the Bush administration has shortchanged the education system, and not all schools have enough funding to take part in the No Child Left Behind Act.

Definition of Marriage

2004-09-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Marriage

Marriage is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a state of being married or a wedding ceremony. I think that everyone would agree that the definition of marriage as defined above doesn’t specify if it’s between only a man and woman. When people get married, it is because two people are deeply in love with each other. In the Bible marriage is defined as the union of a husband and a wife, but technically wouldn’t that be a violation our religious freedom? Everyday people fight over whether “under God” should be included in our Pledge of Allegiance. Doesn’t the same sex marriage violate our religious rights also? Marriage is a union, and it should be between whomever is in love; whether it’s between two women, a man and a woman, or two men. On shows such as Will & Grace, homosexuals have commitment ceremonies since they cannot be wed. If that’s basically the same then why can two men not get a marriage certificate? Personally, I have a lot of homosexual friends (probably because I am very involved in theatre). When they grow up I want them to be happy and live a fulfilling life. I don’t want them to be treated differently than heterosexual people. They deserve everything that heterosexual people do. They deserve to get married, adopt kids, and live whatever life they want to lead. Don’t you want all your friends to be happy and love life? Marriage is not only between a man and woman but between two people who share a deep passionate love for each other and want to spend their whole lives together.